The Nantucket whaling ship, Essex … was attacked by an 85 foot bull sperm whale, November 20, 1820.  Two of the three whaleboats were off on Nantucket sleighrides (being pulled by harpooned whales.)  A damaged third boat was aboard being repaired by First-Mate Owen Chase.  Crewman made Chase aware of the enormous whale circling the ship.  The bull rammed the ship along the starboard bow and smacked the length of the vessel with its powerful tail.  Chase hesitated with his harpoon in fear of losing the rudder.  The whale circled to the bow again and accelerated like Chase had never seen:

Nantucket sleighride

“I turned around and saw him about one hundred rods (550 yards) directly ahead of us, coming down with twice his ordinary speed, and it appeared with tenfold fury and vengeance in his aspect. The surf flew in all directions about him with the continual violent thrashing of his tail. His head about half out of the water, and in that way he came upon us, and again struck the ship.”

Actual crew sketch of the final moments

The Essex sank quickly 3,000 miles from the coast of South America and 1,200 miles from the nearest group of islands.  Fear of cannibals forced the three small boats to build makeshift sails and make for South America.  A majority of the crewmen were at sea for 95 days.  Seven members were consumed after their deaths.  All of the survivors eventually went back to sea.  Their exploits became legend in the Nantucket whaling community- passed down through the years- eventually to part-time sailor, Herman Melville.  Literature students have regretted this day since……

Call me Owen Chase

In the Heart of the Sea- 2015  Dir. by Ron Howard 

Somewhere between fact and fiction… resides the story of the whale ship Essex.  Often claimed to be the inspiration behind Melville’s Moby Dick,  the story of the Essex and her crew is the essence of sea fables; a terrible battle with a mythical sea creature, salty determination of the crew, and the unspeakable limits of survival.  Nathaniel Philbrick’s tremendous account, In the Heart of the Sea, separated legend from fact while fairly examining the whaling industry that inspired Melville’s masterpiece.

A hunky Owen Chase

Director Ron Howard and writer Charles Leavitt… decided to blur the lines in their cinematic interpretation of Philbrick’s study.  Weaving factual elements of the story with the pursuit of a vengeful sperm whale makes a decent Hollywood adventure, but a poor rendering of the historical record.  Like Melville, Howard cannot seem to divert attention from an abnormally large whale sinking the Essex, choosing to merely highlight the harrowing journey of the men.  Philbrick’s rendering does justice to the crew and their 95 day ordeal, where seven members were cannibalized.   The film depicts the whale stalking the crew as it drifts across the South Pacific, more Melville than history.

You can never go wrong with the source material

The story of whaleship Essex… deserves more than the two hour running time filmmakers grant it.  Nathaniel Philbrick’s study skillfully blends the rich detail, harrowing adventure, and tortured humanity involved in the tragedy.  Ron Howard’s film only scratches the surface of the tragic events, choosing instead to focus far too much energy on a computer generated sperm whale and the hunky leading man.

The Nantucket whaling ship, Essex … was attacked by an 85 foot bull sperm whale, November 20, 1820.  Two of the three whaleboats were off on Nantucket sleighrides (being pulled by harpooned whales.)  A damaged third boat was aboard being repaired by First-Mate Owen Chase.  Crewman made Chase aware of the enormous whale circling the ship.  The bull rammed the ship along the starboard bow and smacked the length of the vessel with its powerful tail.  Chase hesitated with his harpoon in fear of losing the rudder.  The whale circled to the bow again and accelerated like Chase had never seen:

Nantucket sleighride

“I turned around and saw him about one hundred rods (550 yards) directly ahead of us, coming down with twice his ordinary speed, and it appeared with tenfold fury and vengeance in his aspect. The surf flew in all directions about him with the continual violent thrashing of his tail. His head about half out of the water, and in that way he came upon us, and again struck the ship.”

Actual crew sketch of the final moments

The Essex sank quickly 3,000 miles from the coast of South America and 1,200 miles from the nearest group of islands.  Fear of cannibals forced the three small boats to build makeshift sails and make for South America.  A majority of the crewmen were at sea for 95 days.  Seven members were consumed after their deaths.  All of the survivors eventually went back to sea.  Their exploits became legend in the Nantucket whaling community- passed down through the years- eventually to part-time sailor, Herman Melville.  Literature students have regretted this day since……

Call me Owen Chase

In the Heart of the Sea- 2015  Dir. by Ron Howard
Final Grade-  B

Somewhere between fact and fiction… resides the story of the whale ship Essex.  Often claimed to be the inspiration behind Melville’s Moby Dick,  the story of the Essex and her crew is the essence of sea fables; a terrible battle with a mythical sea creature, salty determination of the crew, and the unspeakable limits of survival.  Nathaniel Philbrick’s tremendous account, In the Heart of the Sea, separated legend from fact while fairly examining the whaling industry that inspired Melville’s masterpiece.

A hunky Owen Chase

Director Ron Howard and writer Charles Leavitt… decided to blur the lines in their cinematic interpretation of Philbrick’s study.  Weaving factual elements of the story with the pursuit of a vengeful sperm whale makes a decent Hollywood adventure, but a poor rendering of the historical record.  Like Melville, Howard cannot seem to divert attention from an abnormally large whale sinking the Essex, choosing to merely highlight the harrowing journey of the men.  Philbrick’s rendering does justice to the crew and their 95 day ordeal, where seven members were cannibalized.   The film depicts the whale stalking the crew as it drifts across the South Pacific, more Melville than history.

You can never go wrong with the source material

The story of whaleship Essex… deserves more than the two hour running time filmmakers grant it.  Nathaniel Philbrick’s study skillfully blends the rich detail, harrowing adventure, and tortured humanity involved in the tragedy.  Ron Howard’s film only scratches the surface of the tragic events, choosing instead to focus far too much energy on a computer generated sperm whale and the hunky leading man.