Moby Dick

Moby Dick is the name given to a white Cachalot , animal in the center of the famous novel of Hermann Melville - the title of the novel takes the Hyphen traditionally, contrary in the name of the cachalot.

Synopsis

Ismaël, attracted by the sea and the broad one, decides to leave to the Chasse to the whale. It embarks on the Pequod , Baleinier of a captain named Achab, amputee of a leg, which will take along Ismaël around the world to the continuation of the white cachalot. The Pequod will end up sinking with broad of the islands Gilbert by leaving the only narrator like survivor, floating on a coffin.

Origins of the novel

Hermann Melville was him also marine like the majority of his heroes of novel. The drafting of the book was started in 1850. The novel initially was published in London in October 1851 under the title The Whale ( the Cachalot ) - this edition was incomplete and the title was not that wanted by Melville. It is little of time after, at the time of its American publication in November of the same year that the work took the name of Moby-Dick; however, The Whale ( Moby-Dick or the Cachalot ).

Translation in French

List versions

There exist 5 French versions of Moby-Dick . The translators and the editors are, chronologically:

Lucien Jacques, Joan Smith and Jean Giono, Gallimard, 1941. This version is most widespread.

Armel Guerne, Editions of Sagittarius, 1954; rééd. Phébus in 2005.

Georges Saint-Marnier, Editions Walter Beckers, Kapellen-Antwerp, 1967, in 2 vol.

Henriette Guex-Poker, Edito-Service, Geneva, 1970. Resumption out of pocket at Garnier/Flammarion.

Philippe Jaworski, collection of the Pleiad, Gallimard, 2006.

Translation of the incipit

“ Cal me Ishmael. Summon years ago - never mind how long precisely- having little gold No money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me one Shore, I thought I would sail butt has little and see the watery share off the world. ” Such are the first words of the novel of Hermann Melville.
Lucien Jacques, Joan Smith and Jean Giono translates them:

“ I am called Ishmaël. Let us put. A few years ago, without specifying more, not having more money or almost and anything in particular to be made with ground, the desire took to me to sail still a little and to re-examine the world of water. ”

Armel Guerne translates them:

“ Let us call me Ismahel. Some time ago - the exact number of the years does not have any importance -, having only little or not pocket money, and nothing which especially retained me with ground, the idea came me and envies it took to me to sail somewhat and of me to go from there visiting the marine extents of this world. ”

Georges Saint-Marnier translates them:

“ Call me Ismaël. It there a few years of that - it does not matter the exact number - having more or less pocket money, and nothing retaining me with ground, I decided to sail a little to see the oceanic extent of the sphere. ”

Philippe Jaworski translates them:

“ Call me Ismaël. It there a few years of that - it does not matter how much exactly - as I had the empty purse, or almost, and than anything interesting did not retain me with ground, the idea me had sailed a little and had just re-examined the marine world. ” It is interesting to see how the translators approach the very first sentence of work, “ Call me Ishmael ”. Thus Guex-Poker and Jaworski translate “for Appelez me simply Ismaël. ”. With “ I am called Ishmaël. Let us put. ”, Giono insists on complicity with the reader who the introduced narrator, by maintaining his identity ambiguous but while moving away from the concise form wanted by Melville; with “ Let us call me Ismahel ”, Guerne tries to reconcile both. One also notes the differences in the translation of the name of the character: by moving the “ H ”, Guerne wishes “hébraïser” the name that it finds in “biblical” French too little.

Adaptation

Film adaptations

In 1926 leaves Moby Dick ( The Sea Beast ), silent film of 100 minute realized by Millard Webb extremely moving away from the original novel and in which John Barrymore interprets heroic Achab surrounded by one been engaged and from a diabolic brother.

In 1930, Barrymore réendosse the role of Achab in Moby Dick of Lloyd Bacon. In this version speaking 80 minutes, the captain of the Pequod ends up killing the whale and returns at his place to find the woman whom he loves (played by Joan Bennett. It should be noted that the Warner produces simultaneously a German-speaking version, Damon of Meeres , carried out by Michael Curtiz, with Wilhelm Dieterle in the role of Achab.

In 1956 leaves the most famous version: Moby Dick . It lasts 116 minutes. Realized by John Huston on a scenario of the writer Ray Bradbury, one sees there Gregory Peck in the role of the worrying Achab captain, and unforgettable Orson Welles in the supporting role of Mapple. Five years of preparation were necessary before carrying this masterpiece to the screen.

In 1965 the film At the stations of combat ( The Bedford incidental ) of James B. Harris with Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier, based on a novel of Mark Rascovich (itself inspired of Moby Dick) recalls the history of a Soviet submarine (Moby Dick) continued by a ship of US Navy.

In 1978, a Moby Dick is carried out by Paul Stanley, in whom the actor Jack Aranson interprets several roles: Achab, Starbuck, Ishmael and Mapple.

In 1998, version a 240 minute old is turned for television. The realizer is Franc Roddam; Patrick Stewart plays the part of Achab; and Gregory Peck, succeeding Orson Welles in the role of Mapple, gains there the Award Golden Globe of the best supporting role in a telefilm in 1999.

In 2000, the artist Guy Ben-Ner makes a free adaption of the novel. From one 13 minutes duration, it has for single decoration the kitchen of the artist.

In 2003, Philippe Ramos makes a personal adaptation of the novel in a medium-length film Capitaine Achab .

Adaptations as a cartoon

One will be able to also note several versions in Cartoon:

Moby Dick in 2005, Pécau scenario, Pahek drawing, which is a futuristic transposition of the novel of Melville. Series which buckles the history in two tome cheeses appeared into 2005 with the editions Delcourt.
Moby Dick in 2007, scenario Jean Rouaud, drawing Denis Deprez. Rouaud made of the captain Achab, a kind of Don Quichotte of the seas animated by her obsessional search.

Adaptations in other books

In 1992, Ray Bradbury draws from it a new novel, the Whale of Dublin .

See too

Mocha Dick, the real white cachalot

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