Review of The Old Man and the Sea

I must have seen "The Old Man and the Sea," with Spencer Tracy in the title role (released in 1958), first when I was in High School or College. A very long time ago! My memory, after so many years away from seeing the film, was definitely faulty. For example, I "remembered" that there was no dialog, only the music, the sound effects of the watery sea, and, occasionally, the voice of a narrator reading selected passages from Hemmingway's famous novel. That turns out to be wrong, of course. But now, after seeing it again after decades, I wish that it might have been true. I think that scheme might have been better than what is the reality of this old Warner Brothers' movie.

I am afraid the film has not aged particularly well.

The portions where Tracy is shown super-imposed against an unsaturated rear-projection screen are, unfortunately, all too obvious. And these occur all too often.

The music is very "Hollywoodish" and out-dated, by turns too saccharin or too "dramatic".

The footage of some famous sport fisherman's champion marlin catch have color cast and focus all too obviously mismatched with the feature film.

And yet, one must graciously allow for the 50-year age of this film, and make allowances. If the viewer can do this, he or she may yet appreciate this classic for its beauty and sincerity. I make the effort to forgive it. And I enjoy it once again.