'In the Heart of the Sea,' a film by Ron Howard, is worth watching for the background material it supplies to that great novel, Moby Dick. Many may not be aware that Moby-Dick was based upon the story of the whaleship Essex, sunk in 1820 by a mighty sperm whale. Behind the film lies the book, In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, an historical account of that ship and its crew.
The Essex was struck repeatedly and purposely by the whale. After the vessel's demise, the crew were forced into their three remaining boats and eight men survived the three month ordeal across the vast Pacific until they were rescued near the South American coast. This ordeal, in which the men were reduced to cannibals, actually drawing lots to shoot each other to provide sustenance to the lucky ones, is the basis for understanding the film. The film tells us something about ourselves, about man, writ large. All I'll say is that we are not so great. so don't be fooled.
