Legendary Hollywood director Ron Howard directed the riveting historical drama In the heart of the seawhich boasts a star-studded cast of cinema’s finest actors led by Chris Hemsworth, Tom Holland and Cillian Murphy, with the big-budget extravaganza chronicling the film’s harrowing true story Essex Whaling ship that tragically sank in 1820 after being brutally attacked by a giant sperm whale 2,000 nautical miles off the coast of South America. Of the 20 men on the crew, only eight survived being stranded on land and at sea.

The downfall of Essex and First Mate Owen Chase’s gripping personal account of the horrific ordeal (which he published in 1821) inspired one of the literary world’s most revered masterpieces: Herman Melville’s epic classic Moby Dick. Although Howard’s film failed to dominate the box office upon its release, it still captures the terror and uncertainty Essex crew members confront as they help lead to Melville’s timeless novel; Let’s explore the real story behind it In the heart of the sea.

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Release date

December 11, 2015

Duration

121 minutes

Ron Howard’s gripping historical drama

Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard enlisted the talents of a stunning ensemble to create his gripping period drama In the heart of the sea, with Hollywood greats Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy and Tom Holland headlining the big screen adaptation of Nathaniel Philbrick’s non-fiction book, which recounts the events surrounding the sinking of the US Navy Essex whaling ship. Hemsworth appears as experienced whaler and first officer Owen Chase, who joins the inexperienced Captain George Pollard on board Essex 1820 together with the 14-year-old cabin boy Thomas Nickerson (Holland) and the second mate Matthew Joy (Murphy).

On board the New England ship The determined crew finds themselves in the fight of their lives when they are terrorized by a giant sperm whale that causes the Essex sinks, forcing the men to abandon ship and seek refuge on the uninhabited island of Henderson. Stranded with limited food and resources, they faced unimaginable horrors to stay alive. The infamous shipping disaster ultimately served as the inspiration for Herman Melville’s literary masterpiece Moby Dick.

Despite its star-studded ensemble cast and masterful direction from Howard, In the heart of the sea failed at the box office and proved to be a commercial failure. With a hefty budget of $100 million, the gross revenue is only $94.3 million while it received lackluster reviews from critics. Audiences who saw the captivating film gave it a solid CinemaScore of B and many were blown away by the stunning visuals and harrowing storytelling, a premise that turned out to be much more real than moviegoers might have imagined.

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The shocking true story of the fall of Essex

The Essex was a whaling ship that was first launched in Nantucket, Massachusetts in 1799 before beginning its ill-fated voyage in August 1819 under the leadership of 29-year-old Captain George Pollard and his experienced first officer Owen Chase. The ship had previously completed six successful whaling expeditions, which proved lucrative, and its fateful final voyage was expected to last two and a half years as the crew headed to the waters off the west coast of South America. Essex Just days into her voyage, she almost sank after being hit by a stormalthough it continued after some minor damage.

After several months at sea and after killing enough whales to produce 450 barrels of oil, Pollard decided to change course and instead set sail off the Peruvian coast as the captain of the Aurora told him about a fertile whaling area. On November 20, 1820 Essex was attacked by a huge sperm whale, which behaved strangely and lay motionless on the surface of the water before aggressively ramming into the ship. Despite the crew’s efforts to harpoon the whale, it attacked again and smashed the bow, causing Essex began to sink and the men abandoned the ship.

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Forced to board three whaleboats with what little food and supplies they could scrounge, the crew of 20 spent a month at sea before finally landing on the uninhabited island of Henderson. Three of the ship’s members decided to stay on the island in the hope of being rescued one daywhile the remaining 17 decided to go into the water again in the hope of finding the coast of South America. The men were forced to engage in cannibalism at sea as they suffered from severe strain, dehydration and starvation and were desperately fighting for survival.

The remaining crew were rescued when Chase’s whaleboat was spotted and rescued by the British ship Indian; Only five of the 17 men (including Chase, Pollard and Nickerson) had survived at sea, while the three on Henderson Island were also rescued. Both Chase and Nickerson wrote about their treacherous experience, along with the first officer’s account of the ordeal Tale of the most extraordinary and disturbing shipwreck of the whaleship Essex It then directly inspired author Norman Melville’s classic epic novel Moby Dick.

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