New Bedford Whaling Museum

From Academy Award–winning director John Huston comes Moby Dick—a sweeping, visually arresting adaptation of Herman Melville’s timeless novel about obsession, fate, and the fury of nature. In 1841, young sailor Ishmael (Richard Basehart) signs aboard the whaling ship Pequod in New Bedford, where he meets the enigmatic harpooner Queequeg and the ship’s brooding captain, Ahab (Gregory Peck).

Each January, the New Bedford Whaling Museum hosts one of the world’s most celebrated live readings of Herman Melville’s iconic American novel, Moby-Dick. The annual Moby-Dick Marathon draws readers and enthusiasts from around the globe—both to the Museum’s campus and online—to share in this remarkable literary tradition.

Join the New Bedford Whaling Museum for a special program marking the opening of Forging Independence | Building a Nation, a new semi-permanent exhibition developed in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. The exhibition explores the diverse regional experiences that shaped the struggle for independence and the new nation that emerged.

On the night of February 4, 1982, Callahan’s small vessel collided with a whale in the Atlantic Ocean. With only moments to react, he escaped into a life raft with a basic survival kit—plunging into what would become 76 harrowing days alone at sea. Battling storms, dwindling supplies, and the vast, unforgiving ocean, Callahan was forced to confront both nature’s fury and his own deepest fears.