Moby-Dick on screen

Herman Melville's whaling novel has moved from a very loose early romance to a major feature and a longer television miniseries.

This map covers the related screen works currently supported by PlotGeeks, rather than every adaptation ever made.

1. Source book | 1851Moby-DickView book explainer →
2. 1930 | Feature filmMoby DickInspired by | Lloyd Bacon

   The early sound film keeps Ahab and the whale but builds a conventional romance and markedly different resolution.

3. 1956 | Feature filmMoby DickAdapted from | John Huston

   The feature concentrates the voyage around Ahab's pursuit while compressing Melville's digressions and multiple registers.

   View film explainer →Compare with the book
4. 1998 | MiniseriesMoby DickAdapted from | Franc Roddam

   The two-part format gives Ishmael, the crew, and the Pequod's voyage more room before the final pursuit.