A person who is an aspiring actor, should watch Spencer Tracy movies. He has a powerful acting style. It is unique among actors of his time. His voice projects, he can do any genre, and towers over many actors, with his delivery. Tracy’s performance in The Old Man and the Sea, requires a special skill. There is minimal dialogue. He must convey actions, in a believable way. This he does quite well. The only dialogue is between the boy, (Felipe Pazos), and The Old Man, (Spencer Tracy). The story is narrated by Spencer Tracy. This is ok, but probably could have been used sporadically. This could have been addressed by John Sturges, during the editing process. This unique aspect of film production, is the make or break process of a movie.
The script, based on the Ernest Hemingway book, was written by Peter Vietel. He wrote the screenplay for Hitchcock’s Saboteur-a very underrated film, by the master of suspense. He also collaborated on the screenplay for The African Queen. The words that came from Bogart in that film, earned the actor, his only Oscar.The Old Man and the Sea is the type of movie that required descriptive language more than anything else. This was done well. The Old Man in the movie is deeply religious. The main items in his hut are religious pictures, that his late wife displayed. He also says his prayers every day. He is very remorseful, when he is chasing the fish. He says to God that he is too tired to say his Hail Mary’s and Our Father’s. He promises that when he gets back to the village, he will say one hundred of each.
The premise of the film is The Old Man trying to be known as a fisherman, in his Cuban village. He becomes a surrogate father to The Boy, who idolizes him. They both share a love of baseball. The other fishermen laugh at The Old Man, because of his failure to ever get a big catch. He has only a small boat, to take into the sea. He goes out one day, to see if he can be successful, in his vocation. After fishing a while, he gets a bite. This turns out to be a large fish; a marlin to be precise. This is where the film shows a great struggle, between man and fish. Tracy’s character struggles through bright sun and driving rain. He barely survives his intense battle. The old man finally subdues the fish. He attaches it to the side of his boat. It is too large to put in his boat. He is proud of himself, and salutes the dead fish for his courageous battle. The journey back begins, but it is threatened by sharks, who see the big fish as a very good meal.
The Old Man and the Sea, was filmed in pre-Castro Cuba. Americans were welcomed, as were film crews. One of the members of this crew, was James Wong Howe. He was the groundbreaking, academy award winning cinematographer, responsible for the beautiful look of the film. This was a difficult task, because most of the movie, was shot on the water.
John Sturges was teamed with Spencer Tracy for the third time, with this movie. Tracy, not an actor who needs much prompting, is helped by Sturges. There is great attention shown to the struggle with the fish. It is best shown when The Old Man’s hands are badly cut, holding onto the rope. There is also the grim determination, shown in Tracy’s face. There is also the look of patience while waiting out a rainstorm.
Spencer Tracy played another determined man in Sturges’s Bad Day at Black Rock. This was a solid film, with a deep message. Tracy’s character in The Old Man and the Sea, is more likable. Spencer Tracy with his performance, definitely shows a hard style of acting. This gives him an appeal to all audiences.