New Essex Film Out Today
Even now, in an age when film buffs can choose to view top-rated movies on their laptops, tablets, smartphones or elaborate home entertainment centers, there are some films that cry out to be viewed in a big-screen theater. Director Ron Howard’s In the Heart of the Sea — which opens across the Bay Area today — is such a film.
Based on one of the most dramatic episodes in maritime lore, it recounts the bizarre real-life encounter between an enormous sperm whale and the sail-powered whaler Essex nearly 200 years ago, which served as the basis for Herman Melville’s timeless classic Moby Dick. After the great whale attacks the Essex, you may recall, the ship is sent to the bottom of the South Pacific and all but five crewmen perish. But only two of them endure the three-month, 4,000-mile voyage to safety in an open boat, having resorted to cannibalism to survive.
Although some reviewers were less than thrilled by In the Heart of the Sea, we have to believe it will be a must-see for most sailors. Check out the trailer and you’ll see why you might find yourself scrambling for your seatbelt as you watch it.
Courtesy Warner Brothers / Columbia Pictures