“Lightning Strikes Twice,” a newly released documentary, offers a look at the life of Capt. George Pollard Jr. in the wake of the whaleship Essex tragedy that inspired Herman Melville’s novel “Moby-Dick.”
“Lightning Strikes Twice,” a newly released documentary, offers a look at the life of Capt. George Pollard Jr. in the wake of the whaleship Essex tragedy that inspired Herman Melville’s novel “Moby-Dick.”
The documentary was shown by Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument during a recent special screening event of “In the Heart of the Sea,” a Warner Bros. movie directed by Academy Award-winner Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth. The event showcased the connection between the Hollywood movie and the remotest protected area on Earth.
Based on the book of the same name, the movie “In the Heart of the Sea” tells the story of the true events that inspired Herman Melville’s novel “Moby-Dick.” In 1820, the New England whaleship Essex, captained by George Pollard Jr., was rammed and sunk by a sperm whale, leaving the crew adrift at sea for more than nine days in three life-boats. Pushed to their limits and facing storms, starvation, panic and despair, the survivors resorted to the unthinkable to stay alive. Pollard is one of the few survivors who returned to Nantucket.
The book “In the Heart of the Sea,” which is both a National Book Award winner and New York Times bestseller, was authored by Nathaniel Philbrick, who appears in PMNM’s “Lightning Strikes Twice,” along with Jeff Corwin, Animal Planet TV show host and Emmy Award-winner for “Ocean Mysteries.”
The short documentary film “Lightning Strikes Twice” is the real-life sequel to “In the Heart of the Sea,” telling the tale of what happened next. Pollard was given command of another whaleship, the Two Brothers, and optimistically set sail for the Pacific once again, believing the old adage that “lightning never strikes in the same place twice.” Unfortunately, Feb. 11, 1823, the Two Brothers struck a reef and came to rest in what is now Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
The wrecksite of the Two Brothers was discovered by NOAA maritime archaeologists in 2008, and identified after two and a half years of research. “Lightning Strikes Twice,” produced by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries for PMNM, depicts the Two Brothers’ saga and the research surrounding its discovery.
“Lightning Strikes Twice,” which provides additional historical context to the story of the Essex tragedy, will be included as a special feature on the DVD release of Warner Bros.’ “In the Heart of the Sea” in early 2016, and can also be viewed online at https://vimeo.com/146734532.
Info: www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/maritime/twobrothers.html.