The Old Man and the Sea

Released Oct 11, 1958

1h 26m

Adventure

List

75%

12 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

An old Cuban fisherman (Spencer Tracy) has not caught anything in 84 days. Despite the devotion of the young boy (Felipe Pazos) who brings him coffee and food, the fisherman fears he has become perpetually unlucky. On his 85th day of fishing, the old man catches a small fish and decides to keep fishing. When one of his multiple fishing lines hooks a large marlin, he decides to not return to shore until he reels in the fish. For two days and nights, the man sits alone, waiting to redeem himself.

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George Bourke

Miami Herald

There is as much raw excitement as you'd find at a bullfight or in a Hitchcock suspense movie.

Aug 19, 2021

Full Review

Moira Walsh

The Catholic World

The emotional impact is second hand and the narrative seems unnecessarily padded.

Aug 24, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A real curio, a thoughtful movie that entertains without ever really convincing.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 11, 2023

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Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

Leland Hayward's massive production of Hemingway's short novel has been acclaimed in some critical quarters as a timeless masterwork, but 1 found it a disappointment and a bit of a bore...

Dec 2, 2019

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

The film can't do proper justice to the literary masterpiece.

Rated: B-

Sep 26, 2010

Full Review

Christopher Lloyd

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

The 1958 film, made six years after publication of the book, is a faithful adaptation - virtually a word-for-word copy of Hemingway's dialogue and prose - that is not without its faults.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 6, 2010

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dave s

Sadly, the film adaptation of Hemingway's classic novel The Old Man and the Sea sinks under the weight of its excesses. True to the novel, the simple story follows the battle between a beleaguered fisherman (Spencer Tracy) and the massive marlin that takes his bait. However, the movie fails on a number of fronts, including a music score (while fashionable at the time) that never seems to quit, narration that never seems to quit (it's a movie – let the visuals and dialogue tell the story), and continuity issues and errors that never seem to quit, like the large harpoon hole in the fish that can be seen before the harpoon strikes or the inconsistencies in the water surface between the stock footage of the fish jumping and the calm water surrounding the boat in the studio water tank. It's a noble effort, but ultimately, just like the old man, falls short.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

renaldo d

Despite having a bad visual effect, this film has one of the best narratives brought from the book to the cinema. especially when this quote occurs: He could feel he was inside the current now and he could see the lights of beach colonies along the shore. He knew where he was now, and it was nothing to get home. "The wind is our friend anyway", he thought. Then he added, "Sometimes". "And the great sea with our friends and our enemies and bed. Bed is my friend, just bed. Bed will be a great thing." It is easy when you are beaten. What beat you?...Nothing. I just went out too far. Man is not made for defeat. Man can be destroyed, but not defeated.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

steve d

The story isn't much but the acting is great.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Horrible webpage, I can't see any movies, but book is 2 1/2 stars /5

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

s r

Another lost rating. Not a bad film, just a slow drama.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great adaptation of the Hemingway novel. Set in Cuba, an old fisherman (played by Spencer Tracy) is down on his luck. He hasn't caught a fish in 85 days. Refusing to give up or curse his luck he sets out to sea, as usual. He hooks something big, but it is not giving up without a fight or use of all its cunning... A wonderful story, well told. You would expect that, too: directed by John Sturges, based on a classic Ernest Hemingway novel and starring Spencer Tracy. The narration (by Tracy) captures Hemingway's eloquent, sensitive-yet-gritty writing well, and the movie has a poetic feel to it. Good special effects, especially for the time, and great cinematography. Good work by Spencer Tracy in the lead role, for which he got a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Solid support from Felipe Pazos as the boy.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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John Sturges

Director

Spencer Tracy

The Old Man

Felipe Pazos

The Boy

Harry Bellaver

Martin

Donald Diamond

Cafe Proprietor

Don Blackman

Hand Wrestler

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Synopsis

An old Cuban fisherman (Spencer Tracy) has not caught anything in 84 days. Despite the devotion of the young boy (Felipe Pazos) who brings him coffee and food, the fisherman fears he has become perpetually unlucky. On his 85th day of fishing, the old man catches a small fish and decides to keep fishing. When one of his multiple fishing lines hooks a large marlin, he decides to not return to shore until he reels in the fish. For two days and nights, the man sits alone, waiting to redeem himself.

Director: John Sturges
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Leland Hayward Productions
Genre: Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 11, 1958, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 10, 2008
Runtime: 1h 26m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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