Orca (1977)

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers:

Luciano Vincenzoni (story) and
Sergio Donati
(more)

Release Date:

22 July 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Terror just beneath the surface

Plot:

A hunter squares off against a killer whale seeking vengeance for the death of its mate.

Plot Keywords:

Whale | Killer Whale | Revenge | Death | Harbor

Cast

Richard Harris	...	Captain Nolan
Charlotte Rampling	...	Rachel Bedford
Will Sampson	...	Umilak
Bo Derek	...	Annie
Keenan Wynn	...	Novak
Robert Carradine	...	Ken
Scott Walker	...	Al Swain
Peter Hooten	...	Paul
Wayne Heffley	...	Priest
Vincent Gentile	...	Gas Station Attendant
Don 'Red' Barry	...	Dock Worker

Directed by
Michael Anderson

Writing credits
Luciano Vincenzoni		story and screenplay and
Sergio Donati
Robert Towne		uncredited

Produced by
Dino De Laurentiis	....	executive producer
Luciano Vincenzoni	....	producer

Original Music by
Ennio Morricone

Cinematography by
J. Barry Herron
Ted Moore

Film Editing by
John Bloom
Marion Rothman
Ralph E. Winters

Production Design by
Mario Garbuglia

Art Direction by
Ferdinando Giovannoni
Boris Juraga

Set Decoration by
John Godfrey
Armando Scarano

Costume Design by
Jost Jakob

Makeup Department
Neville Smallwood	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Pino Butti	....	unit production manager
Roberto de Laurentiis	....	unit production manager
Les Kimber	....	unit production manager
Stanley Neufeld	....	production manager: Canada
William O'Sullivan	....	production manager: Canada
Phil Tucker	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Bennett	....	second assistant director
Flondar Brunelli	....	assistant director: second unit
Brian W. Cook	....	assistant director
Rob Lockwood	....	assistant director: second unit
Terry Needham	....	second assistant director
Folco Quilici	....	second unit director
Folco Quilici	....	underwater unit director

Art Department
Allan Gordon	....	property master (as Allan Jack Gordon)
Sherman Labby	....	production illustrator
Bill MacSems	....	property master
Guglielmo Modestini	....	set painter
Aldo Puccini	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
John Bramall	....	sound mixer
Bill Cook	....	boom operator (as William Cook)
Trevor Pyke	....	sound re-recording mixer
Winston Ryder	....	sound effects
Nicholas Stevenson	....	sound effects (as Nick Stevenson)

Special Effects by
Giuseppe Carozza	....	mechanical effects
Jim Hole	....	mechanical effects
Alex Weldon	....	special effects (as Alex C. Weldon)

Visual Effects by
Fernando Valento	....	miniature coordinator
Frank Van der Veer	....	photographic effects supervisor

Stunts
Emilio Messina	....	underwater stunts
Sergio Mioni	....	stunt double
Romano Puppo	....	stunt coordinator
Max Diamond	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jack Atcheler	....	camera operator
Alfonso Avincola	....	still photographer
Roger Berner	....	assistant camera
Vittorio Dragonetti	....	underwater camera operator
Maurice Gillett	....	gaffer
Ray Hall	....	key grip
John Harris	....	camera operator (as John S. Harris)
Ignazio Maccarone	....	underwater gaffer
Massimiliano Sano	....	assistant underwater camera operator
David Wynn-Jones	....	focus puller
Bob Bremner	....	best boy (uncredited)
Michel Paul Bélisle	....	lamp operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ian Hickinbotham	....	wardrobe assistant
Philippe Pickford	....	wardrobe
Yvonne Zarb Cousin	....	wardrobe mistress (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Chris Kelly	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Michael Clifford	....	music editor
Sergio Marcotulli	....	music recordist
Ennio Morricone	....	conductor
Percy Edwards	....	whale vocalizations (uncredited)

Other crew
Angela Allen	....	continuity supervisor
Sonny Allen	....	director of training: marine world
Rinaldo Campoli	....	chemical effects
Lou Dyer	....	unit publicist
Gordon K. Kee	....	production auditor (as Gordon Kee)
Morrie Nierenberg	....	location auditor (as Morris Nierenburg)
Jack Piler	....	unit publicist
Giuliano Principato	....	production assistant
Frank Strzalkowski	....	marine mammal trainer: marine world
Luciano Tartaglia	....	production accountant
Ron Taylor	....	shark sequence: Australia
Lester Simms	....	boat captain (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica
• Famous Films (II)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1977) (USA) (theatrical)
• S.N. Prodis (1977) (France) (theatrical)
• Arcade Movie Company (1998) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1978) (USA) (TV)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2008) (United Arab Emirates) (DVD) (Middle East)
• H.O.M. Vision (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Kabel 1 (19??) (Germany) (TV)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (1980) (USA) (VHS)
• Sat.1 (199?) (Germany) (TV)
• VTI Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Joyce Selznick & Associates  casting
• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment
• Orthophonics Recording Studios  music recording
• Tyler Camera Supplies  sea camera stabilization
• Van der Veer Photo Effects  titles (as Van der Veer Photo)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | UK:A (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Malta

Company:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica

Trivia:

The orcas seen in the stock footage used from Marine World were named Yaka (female) and Nepo (male). They were both captured in 1969. Nepo died in 1980, and Yaka died in 1997.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Whales and dolphins only sleep with half of their brain at a time due to their need to come to the surface to breathe; they don't breathe automatically like humans do. If someone really tranquilized an orca like Nolan did with the needle in the harpoon, both halves of its brain would be asleep at the same time and therefore it would stop breathing. It wouldn't have survived for as long as Nolan's harpooned orca did.

Quotes:

Rachel:[after Orca's mate washes ashore, dead with Nolan's harpoon in her, mockingly to Nolan] You won't kill one. Its not your *style*.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Shannon Doherty/Cypress Hill (#19.2)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

My Love, We Are One

What You'd Call BIG-Time Revenge

Well, here's an interesting twist: in this revenge film, it's not a human but a whale wreaking havoc after a seaman killed its mate and unborn baby. Orca goes after those responsible.

Yes, it's a bit far-fetched making a whale almost human-like but most revenge films are satisfying so the filmmakers figured, what the heck, let's cash in on the popular theme. It's also the decade of "Jaws," so I guess man-eating sea creatures were "in." Actually, it wasn't 'Jaws," but it wasn't bad, either. It was a pretty interesting film.

Notes on the movie: the scene where the baby comes out of the mother is NOT pleasant to watch......Richard Harris and Charlotte Rampling star, but a young Bo Derek is here, too, in a supporting role.

I watched this twice and that was enough.