The Day of the Dolphin

Arguably the last great film directed by Mike Nichols, DAY OF THE DOLPHIN is a classy, beautifully produced science fiction/political conspiracy thriller with a heart. Despite its potentially maudlin storyline, Buck Henry's serious, unironic screenplay and Nichols' graceful direction carefully avoid sentimentality at every possible turn. Initially the story concentrates on Terrell and his relationship with his coworkers as their long work with the two dolphins is revealed to have achieved truly astounding results. Fa and Bee are lovely and enchanting creatures with very sweet, babyish voices. Things become deadly serious in the film's relentless second half, but because the conspiracy theme has been introduced so gradually the change in tone and the orchestrated melodramatics are perfectly acceptable.

George C. Scott plays the bad tempered Terrell with the actor's trademark intensity. Its a passionate and powerful performance, and its perfectly easy to see why the dolphins look at him like some kind of god who towers above the other humans. Scott is the main show here, but the superb supporting cast, led by Paul Sorvino, Edward Herrmann, Fritz Weaver, Severn Darden and Scott's wife Trish Van Devere ably bring a strong sense of realism to all of the fantasy on view.

Georges Delerue's stirringly emotional music adds immeasurably to the effectiveness of the film; his sad, lovely score turns the deeply moving climactic sequence into a heartbreaking apocalypse of despair. This utterly bleak finale is one of the most potent and uncompromising endings in the fantasy genre.

William A. Fraker's gorgeous cinematography makes the sparkling, shifting waters and deep blue skies breathtakingly luminous. Fraker's stunning imagery alone makes the movie a total pleasure to watch. The underwater scenes, shot by Jordan Klein, contain absolutely some of the finest such work ever seen.

The Home Vision Entertainment DVD is highly recommended for fans of this wonderful film. Presented in the film's original theatrical release aspect ratio (2.35:1), its a spectacularly perfect transfer, with vivid, lush colors and no noticeable speckles or flaws of any kind. A skimpy assortment of extras include an interview with writer Buck Henry, who is clearly and bizarrely embarrassed by his association with this great film, additional interviews with cast members Leslie Charleson and Edward Herrmann, and a trivia gallery. The liner notes are incredibly silly and juvenile. Despite its disappointing array of mostly worthless extras, this DVD is a spectacularly worthy investment for any serious movie fan, the definitive presentation of one of the most exciting and thought provoking of all conspiracy thrillers.


"Could Come True, in a Laboratory Near You"   January 26, 2009
Phoebe Stogstill (by the shores of Gitchee Goomie)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is a great premise for a political thriller (Buck Henry). Scott and VanDevere are two marine biologists that have not only cracked the dolphin language code, they have taught a group of dolphins to speak and understand rudimentary English. They can obey complicated commands given to them in English, especially beneath the sea. What would happen if some evil elements were able to get their hands on the dolphins and command them to do diabolical deeds on seacraft? Submarines, Presidential Yachts, etc. At any moment the dophins' deeds could become suicide missions and of course the dolphins would be unaware. Besides being a great thriller with terriffic acting by Scott, we get to see the affection of the dophins for their human companions and verbalize it. It may be possible some day soon. Someday soon it may truly be the day of the dolphin.


Still holds up   January 6, 2009
Lynn Branco
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I had seen this movie back in the 70's. I asked my husband if he had ever seen it and replied that he hadn't. He was riveted once the movie began and we find it's just a really good movie, well acted and will be played again in our home throughout the coming years. This film with George C. Scott still holds up after all these years.


"Imagine a world of total sensation "   April 25, 2009
Jason Troy (USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Throughout the motion picture business there is many a thespian who truly believes in their role. Some more than others and is why a few become exceptional. The original script called " The Day of The Dolphin " was delivered to several actors, prior to the film's inception. When the principal actor read the interesting dialog between himself and his subject called Alpha, he was not only intrigued, but anxious to begin. The story centers around a Research Scientist named Dr. Jake Terrell (George C. Scott) and his wife Maggie. (Trish Van Devere) Their secret island project concerns a special Dolphin, whom they have raised since birth. In an amazing feat of Phonetic science, laboring on the cutting edge and years of patience instruction, they have taught their unique Dolphin to speak English. However, their financial benefactors are not men with lofty ideals like Dr. Terrell or his staff. Indeed their primary goal is to use the amazing oceanic mammal to swim underwater undetected to a secured location where the President of the U.S. is vacationing and eliminate the Chief Executive. Although it's Harold DeMilo (Fritz Weaver) the C.E.O. of the funding institute who plans on subverting Dr. Terrell's innovative project, it's a strange, mysterious and uninvited visitor, Curtis Mahoney (Paul Sorvino) whom they suspect is behind the theft of their special Dolphin and a midnight murder. Trust is not inherent between the characters, indeed the audience is in for a surprise or two. However it's this very element which gives the film it's dramatic texture. The cast is incredible and delivers a dynamite performance which as a result allows this film to become a Classic. Excellent movie. ****


They have now changed the cover to the one I have   January 7, 2007
Twilightjoan (Peck, ID USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

When I wrote this review they had a different photo of the DVD depicting a female with her midriff showing but mine was just George and the dolphins on the right and a very slim picture of a private airplane in flight, and guys shooting into the water and a boat explosion below that on the left (hard to really tell what they were unless you saw the movie). Now it is the same one. I had checked by putting in the UPC code and this came up. Mine has a copyright date of 2005 instead of 2006, though, and mine has the extra features: Interviews with screenwriter Buck Henry and co-stars Leslie Charleson and Edward Herrman, The World's Most Amazing Dolphin Trivia Gallery and Dolphin Bios. I think the features are probably in the DVD on this page too - just not listed here. I thought I had to purchase the one with the "sexier" front cover but received the more modest one -- I didn't buy it from Amazon.

I have loved this movie for years. They used to advertise this movie in the 80's on KBHK-TV Ch 44 San Francisco, CA, with the music from Saint-Saens Aquarium but that music is not in the movie / soundtrack.