The Sea Beast
This movie was released on January 15, 1926. It is very loosely based on Herman Melville's Moby Dick, with some romance thrown in, plus a happy ending. The whale is still the whale, however. It was filmed in the waters around California's Santa Catalina Island.
John Barrymore and Dolores Costello had the leads. Reviews were generally favorable, but a couple of eagle-eyed writers found some inconsistencies.
"The close-up of the fastidiously manicured fingernail of a dirty and grizzled sea captain (Barrymore himself)." – Exhibitors Trade Review, January 23, 1926.
"Dolores Costello left her house in a flowered dress and reached the quay in a plain one." – Motion Picture, September 1926
Good news! Copies of this film still exist, and can be seen on Youtube.
(Image: theater poster)