Plot: What’s it about?
Dr. Jake Terrell (George C. Scott) has believed that dolphins have immense intelligence for some time, but his experiments have been uneventful. He has been able to train his two dolphins somewhat and even develop relationships of sorts, but the results have been no more impressive than a normal household pet. After years of working with his dolphins around the clock however, Terrell has broken through. His attempts to teach the dolphins to communicate have met with failure until now, but his latest success is a true landmark. The dolphins don’t just squeak or move objects to communicate with Terrell these days, instead they can speak and understand English. The dolphins don’t have immense speaking abilities, but even with limited vocabularies, the importance of Terrell’s work cannot be denied. The work opens up endless portals of opportunities, while the future seems to be look brighter by the second. But as often happens, his success catches the eye of the wrong element and before long, the dolphins have been stolen. After some investigation, he discovers the dolphins are part of a sinister plot, which will harness their newfound skills to put them to work as government assassins. Can Dr. Terrell uncover the details of the plot in time to prevent a disaster, or will he see his work used for nefarious purposes?
A movie about talking dolphins? How about a movie about talking dolphins working as hired assassins for the government? I know this sounds like a stretch even for those lovable 1950s B movies, but The Day of the Dolphin is quite serious. Roman Polanski was slated to direct, but the death of his wife forced him to leave the project, which opened the door for Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Carnal Knowledge) to take control of the project. This was quite a departure for Nichols, given the previous four films he had presided over, but he handles the material well and provides solid direction throughout. I happen to like flicks with outlandish plots, but man, this one is way out there and is played with a total straight face. That means even the silliest moments are as serious as can be, which creates some unintentional humor at times. In other words, don’t pick up The Day of the Dolphin expecting a camp classic, as this one unfolds like a typical suspense thriller, except with a bizarre premise. In all truth however, the tension is better than it should be, though as I said, its kind of hard to take The Day of the Dolphin seriously in most scenes. But I still find it to be a worthwhile attraction, even if just for curious viewers. So I am giving The Day of the Dolphin a solid recommendation and since Home Vision has issued a more than acceptable presentation, I see no reason for those interested to miss this release.
His career is an impressive one, with numerous excellent efforts and awards like nobody’s business, but this is perhaps his strangest role. I am speaking of George C. Scott, who has the main human role in The Day of the Dolphin and in the end, manages to deliver as good of a performance as you could want. Of course, this turn won’t stand as his finest work of all time, but given the odd circumstances, you have to be at least somewhat impressed. I mean, he is asked to give a serious performance in a movie about talking dolphins who serve as government assassins, so even Scott has some limits in this case. But like I said, he comes through in the clutch, but as happens sometimes, a great, serious performance in an often silly movie adds some humor, which means the tense tone is disrupted at times. We should have expected Scott’s work to be good however, even in this case, as he was as consistent as an actor could be. Even in smaller roles in more unusual pictures, Scott was reliable at all times. Other films with Scott include Hardcore, Crossed Swords, Patton, The Hustler, The Changeling, and Firestarter. The cast also includes Trish Van Devere (The Hearse, The Landlord), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas, Romeo + Juliet), and Fritz Weaver (The Thomas Crown Affair, Marathon Man).
Video: How does it look?
The Day of the Dolphin is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. I was pleased to have this movie in widescreen, but I was even more pleased once I saw how good Home Vision’s work turned out. The print used is very, very clean and shows no serious flaws, with only moderate minor defects to mention. A few nicks surface at times and some grain is evident at times, but this is one terrific looking print, to be sure. The image isn’t as soft as I expected either, as detail is consistent and the visuals have a crisp texture. The colors, mostly blues and greens, come across well also, while contrast is rich and refined. So for an oddball 70s flick, The Day of the Dolphin looks quite good in this new presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is presented via a 3.0 surround option, which is one of those kind of tracks you don’t find too often. A 3.0 soundtrack might sound strange in theory, but it sounds just fine in practice and I have no real complaints. Of course, the mix lacks the kind of depth and presence a full 5.1 option would provide, but for what it is, this track sounds terrific. I mean, this is an offbeat, fairly low budget picture from the 1970s, so while it is by no means dynamic, the elements come across in better than expected fashion. The dialogue is clean, the music is clear, and all the basics are present and in solid form. A few minor age related defects pop up from time to time, but nothing serious and nothing to be worried about. This disc also includes a 2.0 option, but no subtitles have been tacked on, which is a let down.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some cast & crew interviews, a trivia game about dolphins, and bios on the dolphins from the film itself.
