John Sturges directed this reportedly-troubled production, a handsome adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's story about an old salt who wants one last chance to catch a prized fish before he dies. This scenario puts extraordinary demands on lead actor Spencer Tracy, who is forced to hold the screen nearly alone for ninety minutes. Although he manages to ingratiate himself early on to the viewer, one still doesn't know how to take this character--is he likably stubborn or stubbornly foolish? Either way, Hemingway's tale doesn't quite make its mark as rousing cinematic material, however the finish is very satisfying. It gets a helping hand from Dimitri Tiomkin and his score, which won an Oscar. Remade as a TV-movie in 1990 starring Anthony Quinn. ** from ****

The Old Man (Spencer Tracy) is a struggling Cuban fisherman. He lives alone and misses his departed beloved wife. The other men laugh about his lack of luck. His only supporter is the Young Boy. He rows out further than everyone and faces a battle with a huge marlin.

Based on Ernest Hemingway's iconic story, this requires two essential elements; the old man and the sea. The legendary Spencer Tracy has his hair whitened and brings his gravitas. The Young Boy could be more compelling but it's probably asking too much. The Cuban village has its scenic moments. Then there is the sea. It is mostly Tracy in a tank with rear projection and a mechanical fish. It is mixed with long range shoots in the real sea. It doesn't have the intensity or the epic adventure. The constant narration is distracting although I understand the literary motif. Tracy puts in a valiant effort and it's barely enough.

Here is the very simple story in its entirety. An old Cuban man (Tracy) sets out in his small boat to do some fishing. This is NOT fancy stuff--no rods and reels or fancy motors--it's a very simple boat with minimal equipment. Yet, miraculously, the old guy hooks into a HUGE billfish--one that pulls him out to sea and gives him the fight of a lifetime. Once he eventually DOES land the fish, he's very far from shore and sharks attack his catch. The old man is beat and life, apparently, sucks.

Ernest Hemmingway's story "The Old Man and the Sea" is a very short novel. And, it has a plot that is paper-thin. Because of that, the movie version is also very, very thin. How they can pad it out to 86 minutes is beyond me, as the film should have been half an hour long at the most. And yet, despite this, Spencer Tracy was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in this rather dull and dreary film. Perhaps it was a slow year for the Oscars--all I know is that Tracy had dozens of performances that were better than this one--a film that is the best example of the word 'padded' in Hollywood history. It's watchable but nothing more--and is highly overrated.