Captain Ahab (Gregory Peck) swings into the Orinda Theatre in “Moby Dick” on April 29.
“From hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.” So Captain Ahab curses Moby Dick, that enormous whale of legend and myth.
Herman Melville’s famous nautical tale of unbridled obsession, adapted by Ray Bradbury for the screen, is a rare example of the movie being perhaps better than the book. This is due to John Huston’s adroit direction and a performance of a lifetime from Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab.
“Moby Dick,” from 1956, will be shown the afternoon of Tuesday, April 29, part of the Orinda Classic Movie Matinee series. The film is further enriched by memorable performances from Orson Welles, Leo Genn, James Robertson Justice and Richard Basehart.
The classic movies are shown the last Tuesday of every month, with a re-creation of how movies used to be shown at the theater – which means a program of selected short subjects are shown before the feature, which last about 30-40 minutes. These start promptly at 1 p.m.
The shorts include a newsreel, cartoon, musical featurette and previews of movies forthcoming in the series. Following the shorts, a short stage presentation introduces the film with the move beginning about 1:45.
“Moby Dick” used the Technicolor process in a most unusual way. Rather than Technicolor’s popular bigger-than-life colors, Huston directed cinematographer Oswald Morris to work with Technicolor to ensure the colors appeared muted to match the look of worn, 19th century engraved illustrations.
Admission to the Orinda Classic Movie Matinee is $10.
Forthcoming Orinda Classic Movie Matinees include “The Women,” featuring “135 women with men on their minds,” May 27; the 75th anniversary of “The Asphalt Jungle” with Marilyn Monroe, July 29; and “The African Queen” on Sept. 30. For more information visit orindamovies.com.