A Man Can Be Destroyed But Not
Defeated
The Old Man and the Sea, directed
by John Sturges, is an English movie, based on Ernest Hemingway’s novella The
Old Man and the Sea. The story unfolds an old man’s relentless struggle
to catch and save a fish.
The movie unlatches with the
scene of the old man’s (Spencer Trancey) returning from the sea with having no
fish. He has a great skill in fishing but for eighty four days, he has not
caught any fish. So, people say that he has a bad luck. Manolin (Felipe Pazoz),
one and only friend of the old man, has complete faith on him who has taught
the boy how to fish. On the eighty fifth days, the old man goes out on the sea
for fishing, and this time he goes far away from the shore where there none
goes alone for fishing. He fishes a gigantic marlin (sea fish) that is longer
than his skiff. Whatever the size of the fish, the old is so resolute and kills
the marlin after grappling for three days and two nights. During this time, he
has been afflicted by the rain, the waves, the heat of the sun etc.
However, the blood which blows
from the body of the fish attracts the ravenous sharks. Now, he begins a new wrestling
to save the fish and he continues his struggle until he loses everything. Al
last, the ravenous sharks leave nothing without the skeleton. He deeply upsets
but consoles himself that he has tried his best. He says “A man can be
destroyed but not defeated”. Finally, he heads toward his home.
John Sturges has superbly
cinematized Ernest Hemingway’s the old man.
This movie will undoubtedly enhance the test of reading the novella. By the end of this movie, certainly you will
feel you are the Old Man!
