The Second Half Daytime Lecture Series: Nautical-inspired films of whaling, oceans, and excursions
Thursdays: March 22 – May 10
2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
The Whaling Museum, in partnership with the Second Half: Lifelong Learning Institute, presented a series of eight classic “oldies but goodies” movies that brought viewers on a voyage back to their youth. Attendees were able to experience a journey of the high seas while viewing each nautical-inspired film of whaling, oceans, and excursions.
Registration: Museum Members $10, Non-members $15
March 22: Master and Commander
After a sneak attack by a French warship inflicts severe damage upon his vessel, Captain “Lucky” Jack Aubrey (Crowe) is torn between duty and friendship as he embarks on a thrilling, high-stakes chase across two oceans to capture or destroy the enemy at any cost.
March 29: The Whale
Narrated by Ryan Reynolds, The Whale is the true story of a young killer whale, an orca nicknamed Luna, who makes friends with people after he gets separated from his family on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. As rambunctious and surprising as a visitor from another planet, Luna endears himself to humans with his determination to make contact, which leads to laughter, conflict and unexpected consequences.
April 5: Mutiny on the Bounty
Charles Laughton portrays Captain Bligh, a seafaring monster ruling with the law of fear. Solidifying his status as Hollywood’s #1 male star, Clark Gable is first officer Fletcher Christian, whose will to obey erodes under Bligh’s tyranny. Franchot Tone plays idealistic midshipman Byam, torn by his allegiance to both. That all three portrayals are vividly memorable is accented by the fact that for the only time in Oscar history, three stars from the same film were Best Actor nominees.
April 12: Captains Courageous
The fishing schooner We’re Here has just pulled up a different kind of fish; rich, 10-year-old Harvey Cheyne, who tumbled off the side of a sleek ocean liner. Harvey will have to wait months before the We’re Here returns to harbor, months that will transform him from a spoiled whiner into an honorable young man, all because of the life lessons he learns from Manuel, the humble fisherman who befriends him.
April 19: Moby-Dick
Consumed by an insane rage, Captain Ahab (Gregory Peck) has one purpose in life – revenge on Moby Dick, the great white whale who maimed and disfigured him. The obsessed skipper of a whaling boat, Ahab uses his command as an excuse to sail the seven seas in an unrelenting search for his prey. Battling a mutinous crew, tropical heat and violent storms, Ahab finally catches up to his quarry and begins a confrontation that culminates in an epic struggle of non-stop fury…and inevitable doom.
April 26: Into the Deep
For two centuries, American whale oil lit the world illuminating and powering the start of the industrial revolution, and laying the ground-work for a truly global economy. This two-hour film will tell the riveting and extraordinary story of the American whaling industry, from its origins off the coast of New England and Cape Cod, through the great golden age of deep-ocean whaling, to the industry’s spectacular demise.
May 3: Two Years Before the Mast
The hardships of life at sea transform the sheltered scion of a ship owner into a hardened, valiant mutineer as he is compelled to lead an uprising against the brutal captain after the scurvy breaks out. Adapted from the eponymous novel by Richard Henry Dana.
May 10: The Old Man and the Sea
Alone in a small skiff, an aging Cuban fisherman catches a huge marlin – and must defy the sea, marauding sharks and his own flagging strength to bring his great catch home. Filmed in part on sun-drenched Cuban locales and graced by Dimitri Tiomkin’s Oscar-winning score, The Old Man and the Sea is a colorful cinematic ode to the indomitability of the human spirit.
