The Day of the Dolphin *** (1973, George C Scott, Trish Van Devere, Paul Sorvino) – Classic Movie Review 8310

Director Mike Nichols’s 1973 adventure film The Day of the Dolphin stars George C Scott as oceanologist Dr Jake Terrell, who finds how to communicate in dolphin-speak with the attractive title mammals that wicked villain Harold DeMilo (Fritz Weaver) plans to use to blow up the American President’s boat.

It was nominated for two Oscars: Best Music, Original Dramatic Score (Georges Delerue) and Best Sound (Richard Portman, Larry Jost), and the score was also Golden Globe nominated.

Classy director Nichols inflates the simple, pulpy Saturday morning serial material to little effect, seemingly unsure whether to aim at children or adults. The studio Embassy Pictures are clearly hoping to aim at a family audience, but Nichols is more of a grown-up film-maker. But Scott and his dolphins, the solid old-style yarn, William A Fraker’s images and Georges Delerue’s music still hold the interest and attention.

Buck Henry’s screenplay is based on Robert Merle’s novel.

Also in the cast are Trish Van Devere, Paul Sorvino, Edward Herrmann, Leslie Charleson, John David Carson, John Dehner, Jon Korkes, Elizabeth Wilson, William Roerick, Phyllis Davis, Pat Zurica, Victoria Racimo, Willie Myers and Severn Darden.

Georges Delerue writes Circles and Squares, and performs it with His Orchestra.

The Day of the Dolphin cost a lot – $8,500,000 – and earned a little – $2,300,000 US gross.

Roman Polanski was to direct the movie and was in England scouting locations when the Manson Family killed his wife Sharon Tate. Later in May 1970 the Mirisch Company announced this as a Franklin J Schaffner movie.

Mike Nichols (1931–2014) made 18 movies, including The Graduate, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and The Birdcage.

John David Carson (1952–2009) wrote a semi-autobiographical screenplay after retiring from acting in 1990. His friend George C Scott was to star and help to produce the screenplay, but the project was abandoned after Scott’s death in 1999.

 © Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8310

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