The Old Man and the Sea poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Spencer Tracy, Felipe Pazos, Harry Bellaver, Donald Diamond, Don Blackman ... see more see more... , Joey Ray , Richard Alameda , Mauritz Hugo , Carlos Rivera , Tony Rosa , Carlos Rivero , Don Diamond , Mary Hemingway , Robert Alderette , Tony Rosato

Ernest Hemingway's short novel The Old Man and the Sea was probably unfilmable to begin with, but this didn't stop John Sturges from trying to cinematize Hemingway's tight little character study. Spen... read more read more...cer Tracy is the Old Man, a Cuban fisherman who tries to haul in a huge fish that he catches far from shore. Tracy's tiny boat is besieged by sharks and by natural elements, but the Old Man stubbornly sticks to his job. In the end, the fish is nothing more than a skeleton, and the Old Man returns to his tiny hovel to "dream about the lions." Spencer Tracy may have been dreaming about the Oscar when he agreed to make this film, but Old Man and the Sea is defeated by pretentiousness and by several unconvincing "sea" scenes shot in a studio tank (even though both Tracy and director Sturges underwent incredible hardships filming in a real boat on the real ocean). Old Man and the Sea was remade as a 1990 made-for-TV movie starring Anthony Quinn, which compounded the mistakes made in the Tracy version by grafting on a pointless love story. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

65% liked it

4,187 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

8 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.

Directed by: John Sturges

Release Date: October 11, 1958

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: March 13, 2001

Get It:

Stats: 167 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

None yet... Got one?

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (167)

  • mjgildea
    September 28, 2010
    mjgildea
    The Old Man and the Sea is by no means the best thing I've seen Spencer Tracy do but it wasn't bad. Its a simple story that's pretty well photographed and pretty well acted as well. The movie didn't live up to all the hype I'd heard about it over the years but then again I haven'... read moret had much exposure to Hemingway up to this point. That arm-wrestling match flashback was pretty cool though. When all was said and done, it kind of made me want to watch Bad Day at Black Rock really bad...
  • bbcfloridabound
    November 19, 2007
    bbcfloridabound
    Made in 1958, One of the best Movies you will ever see. Spencer Tracy is the Man. Its a Classic. A must see and a must add to the collection.
  • Tecnoandre
    April 12, 2009
    Tecnoandre
    Beautiful and touching movie. A history about hope .Very beautiful cinematography and brilliant act from Spencer Tracy
  • jam233
    July 30, 2009
    jam233
    A little disappointing but it is still a decent adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway novel. It's a simple story, nicely performed by Spencer Tracy. Well photographed.
  • Bojanglz
    September 4, 2008
    Bojanglz
    This movie is about as fun as going to McDonald's and watching the elderly folk congregate for morning coffee. This may be a classic, but that doesn't excuse it from being a SHITTY movie.

    The acting (when there is acting) is GREAT. However for the other 90% of this movie you ... read morewill be subjected to a narrator who sounds like he's bored out of his mind, reading to a group of retards. "Then the Old Man took his boat and... BLAH, BLAH, BLAH."

    I sat painfully through it so that you wouldn't have to. SKIP IT!
  • wizardoftacoma
    December 30, 2006
    wizardoftacoma
    The classic Ernest Hemingway novel about man battling nature starring the legendary Spencer Tracy. Playing the fisherman

View All The Old Man and the Sea Reviews

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz
September 26, 2010
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The film can't do proper justice to the literary masterpiece. Full Review

Christopher Lloyd
September 6, 2010
Christopher Lloyd, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

The 1958 film, made six years after publication of the book, is a faithful adaptation - virtually a word-for-word copy of Hemingway's dialogue and prose - that is not without its faults. Full Review

Steve Crum
March 8, 2008
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Talky, but not surprising, since it is based on Hemingway story of old man (Tracy) musing about catching huge fish.

Ken Hanke
January 29, 2004
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Tracy with a hokey accent floats in a studio tank for what seems like forever.

John J. Puccio
April 6, 2001
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

Tracy reading Hemingway's lines...brings to them a simple dignity and nobility that is hard to match.

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Bosley Crowther
March 25, 2006
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 16, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
March 27, 2004
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

No review available.

Carol Cling
August 22, 2003
Carol Cling, Las Vegas Review-Journal

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

This list looks lonely.
Add a suggestion!

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

The Old Man and t... : Watch Free on TV

The Old Man and the Sea Trivia

  • In the movies, I've portrayed a cop, a lawyer, a cowboy, an old man on the sea, a physical educaton teacher, and had to guess who came to dinner. Who am I?  Answer »
More The Old Man and the Sea Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for The Old Man and the Sea. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add The Old Man and the Sea to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?