Le Vieil Homme et la mer

From the brilliant literally mind of Earnest Hemmingway, comes the touching story of " The Old Man and The Sea ". Spencer Tracy, plays The Old Man and his fine acting in this movie, garnered him an Oscar nomination in 1958. Tracy stars in the film and narrates the story. One follows attentively as he tells his tale of the Old Cuban and the native boy. Felipe Pazos plays the Boy and the two become life long friends. The simple quest of the Old Fishman to go out into the vast ocean in his little skiff to bring back enough fish to eat is a daily chore. What transpires is that many days go by without the Old Man catching anything at all. When the boy reminds him, he can bring the old man some luck, the old man prays earnestly to catch something worthy of his life at sea. When his prayer is answered, the old man is unsure of his amazing luck. The 'Catch of a Lifetime ' sends the old man into a retrospect of his life and it's recollection become the heart of the story. This is one of those stories where, the right actor was chosen to bring life to the novel and succeeded. A great film which has become a Classic to any who enjoy a great movie. ****

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!

Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" is a fine story, but it gives every indication of being quite a challenge to any film-maker hoping to adapt it to the screen. This is a good effort, with a well-conceived approach to getting across the story and the main ideas. Yet it required above all the right leading actor, and Spencer Tracy comes through with a poignant performance that pulls everything else together.

Tracy is perfectly cast as the old fisherman. His voice is ideal, not only for the character but also for reading the lengthy voice-over narrations from Hemingway's text. The narration is used to communicate some of the story's key themes, and without just the right reader it probably would not have worked at all. Tracy also seems to identify with the character closely, since his mannerisms and body language almost always seem just right.

The action parts of the story rely heavily on stock footage, and sometimes on rather obvious models, but the action is not nearly as important as are the old man's character and his thoughts. Although there are some exciting moments in his battle with nature, it is what these bring out in him, not the events themselves, that are important.

What works especially well here are the old man's dreams and thoughts of the past. They are all-important in defining the character, and this adaptation manages them better than you could hope for, with the simplest of means. Once again, Tracy's narration matches the content perfectly.

The heart of the story is an honest but compassionate look at a man almost thoroughly ignored by the world, seemingly with little purpose to his life. His importance comes not from any outstanding achievement or valuable talent, but simply because he is a human being, with his own hopes, memories, and worries that are unique to him. This movie version succeeds well in rendering a touching picture of its main character.

Arguably the best novella ever written gets both a reading from Spencer Tracy and a dramatization - neither of which quite mesh with each other. There is a great deal of unnecessary narration, probably owing to the fact that no one thought Hemingway's words could be improved upon. I wish this movie had been made ten years later, when the sparse style of the prose could have been matched by the sparseness of the period.

All that aside, it's a beautiful movie and Tracy is excellent. You wouldn't think that an old-hand white guy actor would be able to carry off being a old-hand white guy actor doing an old Cuban man without looking silly. But he does, without trying to do anything besides portraying an aging fisherman. This is the key to his performance - he looks so comfortable in the role that you absolutely believe him as that fisherman. One of his greatest roles.

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.