The Day of the Dolphin (1973)

Dr Jake Terrell, who has been training a pair of dolphins for many years, has had a breakthrough. He has taught his dolphins to speak and understand English, although they do have a limited... See full summary »

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writers:

Buck Henry (screenplay), Robert Merle (novel)

Stars:

George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Paul Sorvino

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George C. Scott	...	Dr. Jake Terrell
Trish Van Devere	...	Maggie Terrell
Paul Sorvino	...	Curtis Mahoney
Fritz Weaver	...	Harold DeMilo
Jon Korkes	...	David
Edward Herrmann	...	Mike
Leslie Charleson	...	Maryanne
John David Carson	...	Larry
Victoria Racimo	...	Lana
John Dehner	...	Wallingford
Severn Darden	...	Schwinn
William Roerick	...	Dunhill
Elizabeth Wilson	...	Mrs. Rome
Phyllis Davis	...	Receptionist
Pat Zurica	...	First Mate

Storyline

Dr Jake Terrell, who has been training a pair of dolphins for many years, has had a breakthrough. He has taught his dolphins to speak and understand English, although they do have a limited vocabulary. When the dolphins are stolen, he discovers they're to be used in an assassination attempt. Now he is in a race to discover who is the target, and where the dolphins are, before the attempt is carried out.

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Plot Keywords:

dolphin | assassination | exploding boat | mine | compassion | 

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Taglines:

The most amazing outdoor adventure ever filmed!

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 March 1974 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

El día del delfín

Filming Locations:

Abaco Island, Bahamas

Box Office

Budget:

$8,500,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$2,300,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

AVCO Embassy Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Screenwriter Buck Henry provides the voices of the dolphins when they speak human words.

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Quotes

Alpha: Fa!
Dr. Jake Terrell: Well fa... you've had quite a day haven't you?

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Connections

Referenced in The Maker (1997)

User Reviews

Highly improbable but not bad

George C. Scott stars as a scientist who has trained dolphins to speak and understand English. Naturally some bad guys find out and want to use the dolphins in an assassination attempt.

One of the many ecological "message" films of the 1970s. The plot is, technically, pretty silly but they pull it off. It has a great director (Mike Nichols) and Scott and Trish Van Devere are very good--but this just misses the mark. It's not a BAD movie just not a great one and I personally had some trouble taking it seriously. It was supposed to be a big hit and cost quite a bit to make. Unfortunately it was a HUGE bomb and disappeared quickly. That's too bad because it's actually pretty good. It's well done and the voices of the dolphins are (at first) frightening but you get used to them. Also it does have an ending which had me crying. I defy anyone to sit through that and not be moved.

So, despite the scientific improbabilities, a pretty good movie that deserves a wider recognition.