The Old Man and the Sea 06/27/23

Warners’ prestigious adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s Pulitzer-winning novella gives Spencer Tracy an actor’s showcase. His Cuban fisherman Santiago engages in an existential ordeal, a one-man battle with a giant marlin. Credited director John Sturges made sense out of a confused production, retaining much footage shot by uncredited Fred Zinnemann. The result is a little messy, but Tracy’s impassioned narration, James Wong Howe’s cinematography and Dimitri Tiomkin’s music make a strong appeal. The new video remaster restores the film’s original luster — and its patchwork of location photography, studio work and optical effects. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
06/27/23