Orca - Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

Orca (1977) – *Terror just beneath the surface*

Orca – A Whale of a Good Time

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.

On This Day in Horror Movie History

Turning 45 years old today, July 14, 2022, Orca is a tale of murder, infanticide, and revenge that I think we can all relate to. For years, we have seen films where man loses his significant other and vows revenge. He will, undoubtedly, find himself with tunnel vision and become an unstoppable force until his adversaries have paid the final price. However, you know what they say. Hunting is no fun when the rabbit’s got the gun.

Orca flips the script on us and blurs the lines between man and monster. Who is the real villain when a crew of marine animal wranglers wrongfully kills a female orca whale and her newborn calf? In the eyes of the father, it would be said animal wranglers. The male orca offers no dispensation and goes to work on the crew of the vessel.

Just for the Halibut – Comparisons to “Jaws”

It would be an impossible ask to curb the comparisons to Spielberg’s “Jaws”. After all, Jaws released only two years prior to Orca. Notwithstanding, to do so would be a disrespect to the work done by director Michael Anderson. I’m not in the business of putting out hot takes with no substance. However, I do believe had Orca been released two years before Jaws, it would be the gatekeeper in aquatic terror films. The difference between the two films is that in Jaws, we don’t know anything about the shark other than the fact it wants blood.

Orca, on the other hand, taps into emotions that anyone and everyone can feel outside of fear. The viewer may become sympathetic to the plight of the killer whale. If this is your first viewing, go in without Jaws in mind. Give Orca the attention and objectivity it deserves.

Hard Work Betrays None

London-born Michael Anderson began his career in films as an office boy at Elstree studios. By 1938, he had progressed up the ladder to become assistant director for distinguished film makers Noël Coward, David Lean and Anthony Asquith.

His strong visual style — in no small way complemented by a fruitful and long-standing collaboration with the cinematographer Erwin Hillier — became ideally suited for suspenseful thrillers and action subjects like Chase a Crooked Shadow (1958), the sub-Hitchcockian psychological whodunnit The Naked Edge (1961) or the underrated maritime drama The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959) (based on a novel by Hammond Innes and originally intended for Alfred Hitchcock who went on to do North by Northwest (1959) instead).

Anderson received the Silver Medallion for outstanding work from the Screen Director’s Guild of America and was in 2012 also honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of Canada.

Anderson passed away at his home on the Canadian Sunshine Coast in British Columbia on April 25 2018. He was 98.

Theatrical Trailer

https://youtu.be/k_bE16GN-h8

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.—M Lalonde

Promotional 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.

Terror just beneath the surface

Top Billed Cast

Richard Harris as Capt. Nolan – Younger readers might remember Harris from Gladiator (2000) in the role as Marcus Aurelius. His breakout, however came back in 1963 in The Sporting Life, which garnered him an Oscar nomination. His notable works were roles as King Arthur in Camelot and Abbe Faria in The Count of Monte Cristo, though his work spanned nearly 50 years. Sadly, he passed away in 2002.

Charlotte Rampling as Rachel Bedford – Nicknamed simply “The Legend”, Charlotte Rampling often times would be found on numerous publications’ top lists such as Empire Magazine’s 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History and People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People. Make no mistake, her resume would be just as strong without these superficial accolades. Her acting career began in the mid-60’s with smaller roles before her breakout in The Night Porter (1974). Over her career, she has starred in both English and French spoken films as she is fluent in both languages.

Supporting Cast

Will Sampson as Jacob Umilak – A Native American actor of the Creek Nation, Sampson’s “big break” came from his memorable role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) opposite Jack Nicholson. He was also starred opposite Clint Eastwood in the western The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). He had supporting roles in Orca (1977), The White Buffalo (1977) and Fish Hawk (1979). In 1986, he co-starred in Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) as a Native American shaman. He died of complications from kidney failure and malnutrition during heart and lung replacement surgery in 1987 and was buried on the reservation where he grew up.

*– IMDb Mini Biography By: Blythe379@cs.com*

Bo Derek as Annie – She became a household name after her role in 10, joining the likes of Barbara Bach, Suzanne Somers, and Farrah Fawcett. Her other major roles include Bolero, Tarzan the Ape Man, and Tommy Boy.

The Porpoise Behind It All

The film grossed $3.5 million from 775 theatres in its opening weekend^[10] and went on to gross $14,717,854 in the United States and Canada.^[5]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 9% based on 32 reviews. “Content to regurgitate bits of better horror movies” and “a soggy shark thriller with frustratingly little bite.” Variety called the film “man-vs-beast nonsense”. They lamented that “fine special effects and underwater camera work are plowed under in dumb story-telling.” Richard Schickel of Time wrote that the filmmakers behind Orca “thumbed heavily through the literature of the sea in their search for dramatic cliches”. He called the film “inept” and “suspenselessly shot”. Gary Arnold of The Washington Post criticized the film’s special effects and referred to it as “essentially a rehash of an earlier De Laurentiis hit, Death Wish, with the killer whale in Charles Bronson role.”

Orca has been unfavorably compared to Jaws. Both Schickel and Arnold drew comparisons between the films, and Bob Thomas of the Associated Press called it “just another attempt to copy Jaws“. Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader called the film an “incoherent blend of Moby-Dick, King Kong, and Jaws, hindered by what appears to be extensive reediting”. However, Richard Harris enjoyed his experiences during filming and took offence at comparisons between Orca and Jaws.

Trivia (via IMDB)

Hammer Award

To begin, I need to preface. This should not be taken too seriously.. We’re not here to objectify or degrade anyone. Growing up, I once heard my father refer to Sophia Loren, as “an absolute hammer”. This award is a silly recognition to whom we find in this film to be the “hottest” in the cast. At the end of the day, don’t take it too seriously. We don’t. With that said…..