ANIMATED EPICS: HERMAN MELVILLE'S MOBY-DICK (TV)
Summary
This animated drama is an adaptation of Herman Meville's 1851 novel about the fearsome titular white whale. Young Ishmael, haunted by "an endless procession of whales" in his subconscious, signs up to serve on the whaling ship The Pequod and soon befriends Polynesian harpooner Queequeg. Ishmael and Queequeg meet the one-legged Captain Ahab a week into their voyage, and Ahab vividly describes his intentions to finally find and kill the legendary white whale, Moby-Dick. Chief mate Starbuck is uncomfortable with the idea of seeking revenge against a "dumb brute" for its natural animalistic actions. Queequeg falls ill and begs his shipmates to build him a coffin, though he soon recovers. Ahab constructs a harpoon for Moby-Dick, though harpooner Fedallah prophesizes that "neither hearse nor coffin" shall ultimately bear Ahab's remains, and that "only hemp" can kill him, which Ahab dismissively interprets as a reference to the hangman's rope.
The Pequod soon encounters The Rachel, another whaling ship; the captain confirms that they have recently sighted Moby-Dick and begs the Pequod's help in tracking down one of their lost whaling boats, which contains his son. Ahab, however, is consumed with his lust for vengeance, and when he finally sights his enemy, he ventures out in a whale boat, armed with his harpoon. Moby-Dick attacks and destroys the Pequod. Ahab is dragged to his death by the harpoon line, thus confirming Fedallah's vision. Only Ishmael, floating on top of Queequeg's would-be coffin, survives the massacre, and he is rescued two days later by The Rachel.
Details
- NETWORK: HBO
- DATE: November 30, 1999 6:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:25:47
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:60775
- GENRE: Animation
- SUBJECT HEADING: Animation; Literature - Adaptations; Whaling - Drama
- SERIES RUN: HBO - TV, 2000
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Frank Flynn … Executive Producer
- John Geraint … Executive Producer
- Carole Rosen … Executive Producer
- Christopher Grace … Executive Producer
- Tengiz Semenov … Producer
- Natalia Orlova … Director
- Dmitry Novosyolov … Animator
- Sergey Glagolev … Animator
- Anatoly Abarenov … Animator
- Yury Kuzyurin … Animator
- Brian Sibley … Writer
- Herman Melville … Based on the book by
- Bella Russell … Music by
- Nigel Beaham-Powell … Music by
- Rod Steiger … Cast, Voice, Ahab
- Tim Guinee … Cast, Voice, Ishmael
- William Hootkins … Cast, Voice, Starbuck
- Hakeem Kae-Kazim … Cast, Voice, Queequeg
- Burt Kwouk … Cast, Voice, Fedallah
- William Hope … Cast, Voice, Peter Coffin / Flask
- Colin McFarlane … Cast, Voice, Daggoo
- Ed Bishop … Cast, Voice, Peleg / Captain
- Kerry Shale … Cast, Voice, Tashtego / Stubb