Orca (1977)

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

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers:

Luciano Vincenzoni (story and screenplay), Sergio Donati

Stars:

Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

After witnessing his mate and child's death from Nolan's hands, Orca, the killer whale, goes on a rampage in the fishermen's harbor. Under the villagers' pressure, Nolan, Rachel and an Indian sail after the great beast, who will bring them on his own turf.

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Plot Keywords:

creature feature | grindhouse film | drive in classic | murder | blood | 

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Taglines:

Orca - the killer whale, is one of the most intelligent creatures in the universe. Incredibly, he is the only animal other than man who kills for revenge. He has one mate, and if she is harmed by man, he will hunt down that person with a relentless, terrible vengeance - across seas, across time, across all obstacles.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA Netherlands Italy UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 July 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Killer Whale

Filming Locations:

Malta

Box Office

Gross USA:

$14,717,854

Company Credits

Production Co:

Famous Films (II), Dino De Laurentiis Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Debut theatrical feature film of Bo Derek.

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Goofs

Whales and dolphins don't breathe automatically like humans do. They sleep with half of their brain at a time because they need to come to the surface to breathe. 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 it would stop breathing and drown.

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Quotes

Rachel: You're planning to capture and sell a fellow creature! He's like you - he has warm blood, he breathes air, he's a mammal, but with intelligence!

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Alternate Versions

Network TV version had at least one additional scene where Nolan (Richard Harris) visits Annie (Bo Derek) at the hospital, after her leg was bitten off.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #18.85 (2010)

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Soundtracks

My Love, We Are One
Performed by Carol Connors
Music by Ennio Morricone
Lyrics by Carol Connors

User Reviews

The Killer Whale

Although warned about the dangers of hunting a killer whale a fisherman by the name of "Captain Nolan" (Richard Harris) disregards the warning and sets off with a small crew to capture one alive. Unfortunately, things don't turn out as planned and he ends up accidentally killing a pregnant female killer whale and its unborn offspring as well. Having witnessed their deaths, the male killer whale now wants vengeance. So he follows the boat back to its port and attempts to create enough havoc offshore to force Captain Nolan to come back to sea and settle the score once and for all. Now, while I certainly have no doubt that killer whales are quite intelligent, I have to admit that this particular movie went more than a bit overboard with this entire scenario. To that end, I thought that the talents of Charlotte Rampling (as "Rachel Bedford"), Bo Derek ("Annie") and the aforementioned Richard Harris were completely wasted by this ridiculous plot. I have rated the film accordingly.