The Old Man and the Sea

A film set off the coast of Cuba. Santiago is an old fisherman. He has caught nothing for eighty-four days; the other fishermen in the village treat him as a man whose luck has turned. The family of the boy who helps him have made him go to another boat. Santiago goes out alone. This time he goes further than usual. In the afternoon a great fish takes his line. It is so strong that it starts pulling the boat. Santiago does not let go. The struggle lasts two days. The man does not eat or sleep, his hands are cut and he talks to himself constantly. In the end he beats the fish, lashes it to the boat and starts back. But blood has spread through the water. The matter at the centre is not winning but enduring: the man argues with himself about what it means to be beaten and gives his own answer. Much of the narrative runs on one voice; a narrator reads passages taken from the text. The source is Ernest Hemingway's short novel. Spencer Tracy plays Santiago. John Sturges directed. The production was very difficult; the sea filming could not be done as planned and a tank was used in the studio. The music is by Dimitri Tiomkin and won an Academy Award. A suitable choice for anyone who likes adaptations of classic literature. For a viewer expecting pace, the film rests almost entirely on one man and one boat.