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The Old Man and the Sea

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75% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
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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The Old Man and the Sea

Critics Reviews

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Moira Walsh The Catholic World 08/24/2023
The emotional impact is second hand and the narrative seems unnecessarily padded. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 07/11/2023
3/4
A real curio, a thoughtful movie that entertains without ever really convincing. Go to Full Review
George Bourke Miami Herald 08/19/2021
There is as much raw excitement as you'd find at a bullfight or in a Hitchcock suspense movie. Go to Full Review
Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine 12/02/2019
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... Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 09/26/2010
B-
The film can't do proper justice to the literary masterpiece. Go to Full Review
Christopher Lloyd Sarasota Herald-Tribune 09/06/2010
4/5
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. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Isaiah Y Aug 19 Faithful adaption featuring a decent performance by Spencer Tracy See more Andy F Mar 10 An absolutely magical piece of cinema, all of its own. See more Russ G Feb 7 From a short story by Poppa Hemingway. Saw this on late night TV decades ago - it was still a fairly "recent" film at the time, but five to ten year old movies ended up on TV as there was no other market for them once they'd been through movie theatres. I liked it because Tracy didn't have an opportunity for dialog so he didn't stink up the joint as he usually does. The special effects with the fish and the sharks were well done for the time - no CGI. The story qualifies as a true tragedy and triumph simultaneously. See more Gisle B 09/16/2024 I've reacently read the book and I think the movie mirrored the book very well. Those who played the main roles acted very good. The movie was also nice to watch with idyllic surroundings, although limited by the opportunities they had in 1958. See more babarizam D 06/15/2024 I was a little boy when I first saw this movie in early 90s. I couldn't remember much apart from sea, old man sitting in boat, holding a robe and talking to himself. After that I watched it so many times over the years but that first time sensation remains intact. It was an unforgettable experience, an 8 years old sitting , trying to understand. "Luck comes in many forms, who can recognise her" See more dave s 08/23/2022 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. See more Read all reviews
The Old Man and the Sea

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Movie Info

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
Producer
Leland Hayward
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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