2 Cassettes
F Murray Abraham stars in a BBC radio full-cast dramatisation of an American classic. Tired of life, Ishmael seeks adventure on the world's oceans and sets sail on the 'Pequod' for a three-year whaling voyage. Not until the ship is far out to sea, does the mysterious Captain Ahab appear on the deck with "eyes like power-pans" and an air of madness about him. In a stirring speech, he reveals his interest is not in commercial whaling but finding the White Whale known as Moby Dick who bit off his leg. First Mate Starbuck dissents, but he cannot complete with Ahab's charismatic leadership over the crew, and the ship embarks on its fatal mission.
From that point, reason disappears as Ahab's obsession leads the ship and its men across thousand of ocean miles. This large-scale adaption, recorded in America, skilfully reproduces Melville's great sea adventure for audio. Filled with a mixture of adventure, myth, history and philosophy, 'Moby Dick' is more than just a sea story - it is a masterpiece full of allegory and symbolism exploring the cost of vengeance on man's soul.