The Old Man and the Sea

source: The Old Man and the Sea

Trailer—The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea

It could easily have been a Jean De La Fontaine's tale, about the purpose of life, the meaning of achievement, the importance to succeed or not. You may argue, discuss concerning the way of filming and story telling, about the performance of Spence Tracy - whom I consider excellent here - but this story is really compelling for those who like thinking about a movie when getting out of the theater. And I guess that's the most important in a film. Good or not. Anyone already know the topic, so useless to come back to it. There is no John Sturge's trade mark here, but after all, has he ever had a real one? Hmmm....yes, maybe a bit, but the scheme of an individual fighting for something unaittable is something that many directors have already told about. One of the most interesting scheme for me.

The cinematography is splendid indeed.I have got to search my memory to find a movie in which the sea was filmed with so much talent and so much taste:so hats off to M.Wong Howe!Spencer Tracy,although he was not that old at the time (58!),is ideally cast as the sailor man and it is no small feat to be alone on the screen during one hour ,whith a big fish as his only co-star.The voice over is perhaps too much used and sometimes redundant,the marvelous pictures being much enough.It's always difficult to transfer a book without dialog to the screen . A movie which can be watched by the whole family ,it depicts the fight of a man against his worst enemy , himself ,not the fish.

Excellent adaptation of Ernest Hemmingway's award winning work makes the following point: That catching the ordinary one is a function of individual luck. Catching the extraordinary one, however, is a delicate balance of an individual's strength, experience, and skill. Storyline: An old, master fisherman, second-guessed by his younger peers for a failure to make a catch in 84 days, nevertheless perseveres day-after-day -- steadfastly driven by a tremendous belief in self, ability, and the anticipation that puts him only one day's luck away from landing the "big one." When the big one is finally hooked, it turns out that hauling it in is more important for reaffirming belief in self and disproving detractors than it is for the prize itself.

Spencer Tracy acts and narrates in this film about an old fisherman getting the catch of his life. The small boy, the terrace owner and any other characters are really there for a few scenes. The entire story is about the old man and the struggle with the fish a metaphor for life: it's hard and it sucks, and then you die. It was funny that my wife was always asking me "is he going to die?" like there was any chance the old man could be immortal. In the film he doesn't die, but that is clearly besides the point. Tracy was nominated for an Oscar for his performance, but really, it's just a guy in a boat, talking to himself and to a fish and nothing much is going on. The film is just one hour and a half, but its simplistic plot makes it feel a bit too long, especially now, more than 50 years later since the movie was made. I guess it is a nice movie and it helps if you want to not read the written story, just don't expect too much.

This is an interesting movie for someone who is more into "Hearing" than "watching" a movie. Its a good adaptation of the book, made almost LIKE a book which makes it both interesting as well as a little boring for viewers with taste for changing scenes. It's about this Old Cuban fisherman who wakes up on an ordinary day after several UNLUCKY days & heads to his beloved sea to find a bite. He gets lucky hooking a big catch that he kept on holding to for 3 days non stop & then how he struggles with his age, sleep & hunger to bring it back home. The story's simple, but for someone with taste for exclusive art, this is a must watch!

John Sturges directed this reportedly-troubled production, a handsome adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's story about an old salt who wants one last chance to catch a prized fish before he dies. This scenario puts extraordinary demands on lead actor Spencer Tracy, who is forced to hold the screen nearly alone for ninety minutes. Although he manages to ingratiate himself early on to the viewer, one still doesn't know how to take this character--is he likably stubborn or stubbornly foolish? Either way, Hemingway's tale doesn't quite make its mark as rousing cinematic material, however the finish is very satisfying. It gets a helping hand from Dimitri Tiomkin and his score, which won an Oscar. Remade as a TV-movie in 1990 starring Anthony Quinn. ** from ****

One of Spencer Tracy's top performances; it goes down with "Captain's Courageous." Most often a book is better then the movie but in this case the movie brings the book to life. This is due to the somewhat larger then life character of Tracy. The story, although classic and definitely worth while reading, is best summed up by Tracy's acting technique. This was no location film which means the greater portion of realism must come from the actor. A story about a man thinking and talking to himself while he is on a boat for three days would be difficult for any actor. Tracy brings the truest sense of humility and courage to this role. It is enjoyable reading but I encourage anyone to see this movie.