i suppose that any novel that as much of a downer a moby dick would not find much favor with depression era audience who have enough of their own trouble . but any resemblance to the classic herman melville novel be a pure coincidence . in fact half of the film be a prequel to the main story a we know it and not that too much of it be keep for the film . we first meet ahab creely ( he get a last name and a brother ) a one happy go lucky soul with two leg and intention to marry joan bennett who be father mapple daughter . that brother derek and play by lloyd hughes and also want to marry bennett . john barrymore be ahab in an over the top performance . barrymore have not quite master the sound cinema and he give out with all the silent era histrionics plus a stage voice that would have shake the rafter of any movie theater this film be play in . we see ahab lose his leg to the great whale moby dick and i have to say the amputation scene be pretty gruesome . of course this be all before the code . still i be sure 1930 audience shudder . after that the story of ahab hunt for the whale that he think make him unsightly in joan bennett eye . that be not exactly melville motivation and in fact there be no woman character in moby dick a he write it . one of the thing melville do be invest the crew of ahab ship the pequod with personality . other than queequeg the cannibal harpooner the name be there and but not the personality . starbuck and stubbs might as well be smith and jones . i would see this version of moby dick strictly for curiosity and nothing else .