In the Heart of the Sea (film)
| In the Heart of the Sea | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ron Howard |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Charles Leavitt |
| Story by |
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| Based on | In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Roque Baños |
| Cinematography | Anthony Dod Mantle |
| Edited by | |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
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Release dates |
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Running time |
121 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100 million[2][3][4] |
| Box office | $68 million[5] |
In the Heart of the Sea is a 2015 American biographical adventure thriller film, based on Nathaniel Philbrick's 2000 non-fiction book of the same name, about the sinking of the American whaling ship Essex in 1820, an event that inspired the novel Moby-Dick. Directed and produced by Ron Howard and written by Charles Leavitt, the film stars Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, and Brendan Gleeson. It premiered in New York City on December 7, 2015 and was released in cinemas in the United States on December 11, 2015 by Warner Bros. Pictures. In the Heart of the Sea received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed over $68 million[5] on a $100 million[2][3][6] budget.
Contents
[show]
Plot[edit]
In 1850, author Herman Melville visits innkeeper Thomas Nickerson, the last survivor of the whaleship Essex's last voyage, offering money in return for his story. Nickerson initially refuses, but finally agrees when his wife intervenes. The story turns to 1820: a whaling company has refitted the Essex to participate in the lucrative whale oil trade, and 14-year-old Nickerson signs on as a cabin boy. The owners hire veteran whaler Owen Chase as first mate, though he is disappointed not to receive a captain's commission. The captain is George Pollard, an inexperienced mariner from an established whaling family who envies Chase's skill and popularity. Chase and Pollard clash, leading Pollard to sail into a storm against Chase's advice, nearly sinking the ship. The two agree to put their differences aside rather than risking their reputations by returning to port without profit, and soon, the crew kills their first whale.
However, three months pass with no further successes, and Pollard realizes that the Atlantic is fished out. The Essex sails for the Pacific hoping for better luck. In Atacames, Ecuador, the officers meet a Spanish captain who tells them his crew found the bountiful "Offshore Grounds" 2,000 miles to the west, but claims that a vengeful "white whale" destroyed his ship. Enthralled by the prospect, and disbelieving of the white whale story, Pollard and Chase lead the expedition west. They find the undisturbed grounds, but when they launch the whaling boats, the white whale, a massive bull sperm whale, attacks, damaging the boats and turning on the ship. Chase harpoons it from the Essex's deck, but the whale stoves the ship, killing two men. The crew abandons the Essex on the three intact whaling boats, and must sail hundreds of miles to shore on very limited supplies. The whale follows and attacks again, but they escape to the tiny Henderson Island. While gathering food, Chase discovers the corpses of earlier castaways, and concludes that the crew will die before another ship passes by. Four men decide to stay, while the rest set sail again on the boats. Soon after, one of the men dies, and the remaining crew reluctantly decide to cannibalize him.
The elderly Nickerson is overcome by emotion and stops his story. However, when his wife comforts him, he feels encouraged enough to finish. Back in the 1820s, the three boats separate and one is lost. The other two further resort to cannibalism to survive, with Pollard's cousin sacrificing himself. The whale returns, but Chase decides not to attack and it leaves forever. A passing ship rescues Pollard's boat, but Chase's boat continues to drift with no food or water. Finally, with the survivors on the verge of death, they reach land. The survivors return to Nantucket and their families. The ship's owners ask Pollard and Chase to cover up the story to protect the industry, but after Chase refuses to go along, Pollard reveals the truth in the inquiry. Nickerson relates that Chase continued sailing and became a merchant captain, while Pollard led another expedition to kill the whale, but the ship wrecked and he was forced to retire. Melville departs to compose his novel, Moby-Dick; the film ends as he writes the first line: "Call me Ishmael".
Cast[edit]
- Chris Hemsworth as Owen Chase, the First Mate[7]
- Benjamin Walker as Captain George Pollard, Jr.
- Cillian Murphy as Matthew Joy, the Second Mate[7]
- Tom Holland as young Thomas Nickerson, the cabin boy
- Brendan Gleeson[7] as old Thomas Nickerson
- Ben Whishaw as Herman Melville[7]
- Michelle Fairley as Mrs. Nickerson
- Gary Beadle as William Bond
- Frank Dillane as Owen Coffin
- Charlotte Riley as Peggy Gardner Owen[8]
- Donald Sumpter as Paul Macy
- Brooke Dimmock as Phoebe Chase
- Jamie Sives as Isaac Cole
Production[edit]
Casting[edit]
Chris Hemsworth was cast to play the lead, Owen Chase, in June 2012.[9] Tom Holland won the role of Young Nickerson in April 2013.[10] Before Benjamin Walker was set to play the Captain, other actors that were considered included Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, and Henry Cavill.[11] The film was in development back in 2000, with Barry Levinson set to direct for Miramax Films.[12]
Filming[edit]
Principal photography began in September 2013 in London and at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.[13][14] It was also shot on location on the island of La Gomera (plus some scenes on Lanzarote) in the Canary Islands, Spain.[15] For the storm scenes, the production team built a water tank at Leavesden Studios, where a deck was built on top of a gimbal to mimic the pitch of a storm. To get the right effect, 500 gallons of icy water were poured from cannons.[16]
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Hemsworth stated that to prepare for the role of starving sailors, the cast were on a diet of 500–600 calories a day to lose weight.[17] Hemsworth also had to drop his weight from 215 to 175 pounds to play Owen, saying that In the Heart of the Sea is "physically and emotionally the hardest movie that I've been a part of... Losing the weight to this length, I just never want to do it again, but it had such an emotional effect on us... in some small way, we felt like we were doing what these men went through justice."[16]
During one point of filming, the cast and crew were forced to retreat to their hotel by a storm off the Canary Islands, which turned into a rare flash flood. The production shut down for a day and a half, expanding the shoot to 73 days, exactly as filmmakers expected.[18]
Music[edit]
Roque Baños composed the film score.[19]
Release[edit]
For its release in the U.S.A. and Canada, the film was originally scheduled for March 13, 2015, but was later moved to December 11, 2015.[20] Internationally, Warner Bros. decided to open the film early overseas—a week before its U.S. December 11 opening—to avoid competition with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which began its theatrical overseas from December 16.[3] The film was released in the Dolby Vision format in Dolby Cinema in North America.[21]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
As of December 20, 2015[update], In the Heart of the Sea has grossed $18.6 million in North America and $49.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $68.2 million, against a budget of $100 million.[5]
In the United States and Canada, In the Heart of the Sea opened on December 11, 2015 in 3,103 theaters, including a number of 3D and IMAX theaters.[22] Box Office Mojo projected an opening weekend gross of $18 million, noting that the film's only competition was with the holdover of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (in its fourth weekend of play).[22] The film earned $3.8 million on its opening day, including $575,000 from its early Thursday night showings.[23] In its opening weekend, it earned $11.1 million, finishing below expecations and narrowly losing to Mockingjay – Part 2, which earned $11.4 million.[24] Many box office analysts said the the low opening was because audiences' enthusiasm was focused on the arrival of Star Wars: The Force Awakens the following week.[22][25] Regarding the film's disappointing opening, Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. distribution executive vice president said, "We stand behind Ron and his vision for the story, we believe in him. He's a terrific filmmaker. But some movies work and unfortunately some movies don't."[26]
In the Heart of the Sea was released internationally a week prior to its U.S. opening in 38 markets and grossed a total of $18.5 million with 3.3 million admissions on over 9,500 screens. 50% of the plays were in 3D with 156 IMAX theaters which accounted for 7% of the total opening.[27] It went No. 1 in Russia and the CIS ($2 million), Italy ($1.7 million) and several other Asian markets such as Thailand and Taiwan and No. 2 in Korea with $2.6 million, behind local hit Inside Men, Mexico with $1.9 million, behind The Good Dinosaur and Brazil with $1.3 million, behind The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.[27]
Critical response[edit]
In the Heart of the Sea has received mixed reviews from critics. on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 41%, based on 167 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The consensus states: "The admirably old-fashioned In the Heart of the Sea boasts thoughtful storytelling to match its visual panache, even if it can't claim the depth or epic sweep to which it so clearly aspires."[28] on Metacritic, the film has a score of 47 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[29] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[30]
See also[edit]
- Adaptations of Moby-Dick
- Ann Alexander, a ship sunk by a whale on August 20, 1851
- The Whale, a 2013 BBC one television film which depicted the same events
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