Tonight is the launch of the Encore miniseries MOBY DICK starring William Hurt, Ethan Hawke and Gillian Anderson.
Nantucket. 1850.
The tiny island is the capital of the American whaling industry, where sailors, traders and harpooners seek their fortunes. Three of them – Ishmael (Charlie Cox), Pip (Daniel Gordon), and Queequeg (Raoul Trujillo) – become crewmembers of the Pequod, and their journey with the charismatic but tyrannical Captain Ahab (William Hurt) begins.
A veteran whale hunter who lost his leg to the gigantic Moby Dick, Ahab is obsessed with revenge. But his long-suffering wife (Gillian Anderson) and crew know little about his plans. Only his first mate, Starbuck (Ethan Hawke), senses the dangers ahead.
Ishmael in particular is hypnotized by Ahab, ignoring the warnings of Queequeg and Starbuck. But when the crew is crippled by hunger and thirst across the Atlantic, they all see the effects of his bitterness. Ahab wants Moby Dick. And when he kills one of the white whale’s companions, the apocalyptic struggle between man and animal begins.
A classic of American literature, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is dramatically reimagined on screen in an epic tale of adventure, vengeance and obsession.
Starring: William Hurt, Ethan Hawke, Gillian Anderson, Donald Sutherland, Billy Boyd, Charlie Cox, Eddie Marsan
