The Old Man and the Sea (1999)

Overrated

A different way of telling a story

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

There's no denying that Aleksandr Petrov has his very own style of animation. And maybe this uniqueness was it what led him to Glory around the turn of the 21st century. His 20-minute long interpretation of the Hemingway story "The Old Man and the Sea" is a thing of beauty and you could probably take any random shot from the film, print an enlarged version of it and hang it into your living room. The film looks definitely much older than 1999 and meets the truest definition of motion picture as it's clearly an art in progress, like a work that consists of many beautiful paintings.I won't go into much detail about the story. It's an interesting one with many clever symbolisms, but it doesn't really hold a candle to the visual side. A must-see for animation lovers and a good time for everybody else as well. I wonder if Petrov will ever do a full feature film. Probably not looking too good as he only made one other film after "The Old Man and the Sea" and this was already roughly six years ago as well. Also, it's been almost 15 years since this was made and I believe this is the most recent version of the tale put on screen, so we may be in for a new one soon as well, hopefully as good as this one.

the most unbelievable animation in decades...i am an amateur animator and perhaps from that perspective the film may seem more incredible, but that doesn't take away from the fact that aleksandr petrov is an absolute master of his craft. i was told by a friend that there are only a handful of "painting" animators in the world...those that animate via paint, and after seeing this i believe that he may very well be the rembrandt of animation. for any of you that are fans of both art forms (painting and animation, and lets face it... fans of anything that is stupefyingly incredible on this scale), this is what you need to watch. in the vein of winsor mckay and the old school masters of cel animation, petrov has re-instituted animation as an ARTform...not some Disney and terrible anime. this is worth spending the 20 minutes to watch...if only to feel deeply inadequate yourself.

I first saw this movie in the Spring of 2001, and it is truly one of the best films I have ever seen. Mr. Petrov not only does a magnificent job of depicting the story of the Old Man and the Sea, but also gives tribute the life of Ernest Hemmingway in a way that is true to the man. I still remember many affecting lines from Hemmingway's journal that are included in the movie (though not verbatim, otherwise I might leave some here). I left the theater with a changed perspective on life and its importance.Needless to say, I would love to be able to see this movie again. However, because it was in IMAX format in theaters, it has never been released on DVD or VHS, at least to my knowledge it hasn't. I hope someday the means will be provided to release the movie in a format for private viewers to purchase. That day may never arrive though. Thus, if you ever have the chance to see this movie in an IMAX theater, don't let it pass you by!

This film is such a milestone that it's a shame that it will probably never be screened again in it's original IMAX format. I was lucky enough to catch it during it's limited run in late 1999 when it was playing at the Sony IMAX in New York City. Anyways, Petrov's animation technique involves oil painting on glass, which most animation geeks are familiar with. When combined with IMAX the result is stunning. There is one shot near the end of the film with shows the Cuban fishing village at night with the stars in the background. The stars shimmer like diamonds set into dark blue velvet - incredible, beyond words, even if you are jaded about "art house" animation. If you ever hear of this film screening at an IMAX venue - don't miss it!