The Old Man and the Sea (US Version) DVD Region 1

Trying its best to flow as smoothly as the classic novel by Ernest Hemingway, John Sturges' movie from the late 50s lets the audience take part in a crucial experience of an aged fisherman. With the camera firmly fixed on the protagonist as he wages an all-determining battle against his chosen and respected aquatic adversary, a marlin of immense proportions, the excitement never leaves the screen as soon as the two cross paths. Essentially about an old fisherman's attempt to walk out victorious, when his perhaps final opportunity for a big catch arrives, the depths and the tragedy of Hemingway's literary masterpiece have been appropriately transferred to a real life picture. Tracy excels as the central character, giving one of his best performances as an unrelenting old fisherman who tries to rekindle his past glory. A homage to the beauty of nature and man's undying will to stay victorious at all costs, connoisseurs of well-written novels may be inclined to revisit Hemingway's best-selling poetry-like long short story, while film devotees are likely to be pleased with this moving onscreen rendition.