![]() ![]() When Delano first boarded the Tryal, he was led, through an elaborate ruse orchestrated by the Africans, to believe that Captain Benito Cereno and the other whites were still in charge of the ship. Delano there describes how as captain of the Perseverance he put down a revolt by African slaves that had occurred on a Spanish ship called the Tryal off the coast of Chile in 1805. ![]() Melville based his novella on one chapter of Captain Amasa Delano’s Narrative of Voyages and Travels in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, Comprising Three Voyages Round the World (Delano 1817/2002). Once drawn into the absorbing tale, though, the audience is subtly led to examine moral questions about America’s role in the world-questions pertaining to slavery and racism, in the case of “Benito Cereno,” and questions pertaining to global inequities, in the case of Captain Phillips.īoth “Benito Cereno” and Captain Phillips were based on previously published memoirs written by real American sea captains. 1Ĭaptain Phillips and “Benito Cereno” thus achieve something similar insofar as they both initially draw in their audience through a commercially appealing adventure story that might be expected to simply celebrate American ingenuity and strength. Some readers of the novella in Melville’s day and some viewers of the film may have been tempted to interpret the respective stories solely as thrilling adventure tales that unambiguously celebrate the triumph and the goodness of American power at the same time, both Melville and the makers of Captain Phillips lead the perceptive reader and the perceptive viewer to ask critical questions about the degree to which American power actually promotes justice. Both the novella and the film take what at first glance might seem like a simple tale of American heroism and transform it into a story that is far more tragic and morally complex. Both works are based on actual events in which black Africans unlawfully seized control of a ship led by whites in both cases, (a kind of) order was eventually restored after Americans violently suppressed the Africans. He was able to give him tales about what happened during his hellish encounter allowing the actor to bring it to life and tell the story almost as precisely as it happened.In this essay I explore some striking similarities between Melville’s novella “Benito Cereno” and the 2013 film Captain Phillips. Tom remembers that he had to keep asking for translation because when the cameras were off his co-stars would often laugh or argue in their native language (Somali).īefore going ahead to make the movie, Tom Hanks had several conversations with the real captain Philips who he calls Rich. They spent time with Hanks on the lifeboat where they were shooting for several days and having conversations about different things when not working. They were all quick learners who gave their roles the best. ![]() The “pirates” were very dedicated from the second they learned that they were going to feature in the film. For Barkhad, his looks were perfect for the film, but he is also an artist in his right as he makes his music and is a very creative man. The crew got into the movie by auditioning with thousands of other people who also showed up for the roles. He said that Abdi was always present and be brought reality to the film even though he had never done that before. Hanks loved the rawness that Barkhad Abdi brought to the scenes because of his lack of previous experience. He recalls that the first three shots were pretty hairy until he asked Abdi his name to get to know him more. Tom in an interview said that they were probably putting in a lot of work before filming the movie because he only met in the first scene where the crew storms the bridge of the ship. The cast includes remarkable cast members like Bilal (Barkhad Abdi), Elmi (Mahat M. It is unbelievable that Barkhad and the other Somali pirates were acting for the very first time. Worth noting is that the amateur actors whose primary role was to act out the part of the hijackers also almost hijacked the entire movie from the famous Tom Hanks. I’m Captain now!” It was a line that Paul decided must feature in the end product. Abdi is also the man behind improvising the chilling line “Look at me. Tom in the movie meets his equal in Barkhad Abdi, a skinny gentleman who plays the leader of the pirates behind the attack. ![]()
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