I must have seen "The Old Man and the Sea," with Spencer Tracy in the title role (released in 1958), first when I was in High School or College. A very long time ago! My memory, after so many years away from seeing the film, was definitely faulty. For example, I "remembered" that there was no dialog, only the music, the sound effects of the watery sea, and, occasionally, the voice of a narrator reading selected passages from Hemmingway's famous novel. That turns out to be wrong, of course. But now, after seeing it again after decades, I wish that it might have been true. I think that scheme might have been better than what is the reality of this old Warner Brothers' movie.

I am afraid the film has not aged particularly well.

The portions where Tracy is shown super-imposed against an unsaturated rear-projection screen are, unfortunately, all too obvious. And these occur all too often.

The music is very "Hollywoodish" and out-dated, by turns too saccharin or too "dramatic".

The footage of some famous sport fisherman's champion marlin catch have color cast and focus all too obviously mismatched with the feature film.

And yet, one must graciously allow for the 50-year age of this film, and make allowances. If the viewer can do this, he or she may yet appreciate this classic for its beauty and sincerity. I make the effort to forgive it. And I enjoy it once again.

Some interesting notes on the production of the film from Ben Mankiewicz, hosting the film on Turner Classics. Humphrey Bogart and Anthony Quinn both wanted the role of the Old Fisherman, but Warner Brothers went with Spencer Tracy. Ernest Hemingway was brought in as a technical adviser and demanded a rewrite, while additional problems forced Fred Zinnemann out as director to be replaced by John Sturges. To more realistically portray the Old Man, Tracy whitened his hair, but the myriad production delays and the stress of the role managed to turn his hair white anyway.

I find the picture is loaded with symbolism and it's been too long since I read Hemingway's novella, so I don't recall if some of the ideas presented in the movie were part of the original source. Regarding the Old Man's insistence on going out to fish everyday despite almost three months of failure, he remarks to the young boy Manolin (Felipe Pazos) that "Every day is a new day", a belief he shares as a counterpoint to any self doubt he might have had in his own ability. Even more important to my mind was the Man's dialog with himself after days at sea battling the marlin, stating that "Man is not made for defeat". Once he hooked the giant fish, the old man was not going to be intimidated into submission against the enormity of his quest. This idea is expanded during a moment when he defers his prayers for success because he's too weary, battling the fish through a hazy blur of bone numbing exhaustion.

But then, once he's successfully brought the marlin under control and prepares it for the return home, predatory sharks make their way to the boat to take their measure of the dead fish. Demonstrating remorse for the magnificent animal he just killed, the Old Man vows to keep on fighting to salvage his prize, once again showing his determination to remain undefeated. That theme pervades the entire story, one that's actually quite elegant in it's simplicity. With almost the entire story depending on Tracy's singular performance, one is caught up in his plight and engages with the sailor for a safe trip back to port.

There's one more scene that struck me in it's symbolism, that of the Old Man back on land and collapsing under the burden of his equipment. The imagery brings to mind the weight of the cross that Christ carried and how He fell three times on the way to His crucifixion. Once again, an analogy of overcoming physical pain and death, mirrored by the fisherman's belief that Man can be destroyed but not defeated. I found it all very philosophical and perhaps a heavier message than the film makers or even Hemingway intended, but it's there nevertheless. So I guess what I'm saying is that I got a lot more out of this picture than a man trying to land a big fish.