The Day of the Dolphin
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Founder | Mike Nichols (director), Buck Henry (screenwriter) |
| Products | Science fiction thriller film |
The Day of the Dolphin is a 1973 American science fiction thriller film directed by Mike Nichols, featuring George C. Scott in the lead role. The movie adapts the 1967 novel Un animal doué de raison written by French author Robert Merle, with the screenplay crafted by American writer Buck Henry.
Plot
Jake Terrell, a scientist, and his wife Maggie manage a research team dedicated to teaching dolphins human communication at an isolated island laboratory. They successfully train Alpha ("Fa"), a captive dolphin, to articulate basic English phrases, and introduce Beta ("Bea"), a female dolphin captured from the wild, whom Fa soon instructs in understanding English.
The Franklin Foundation, headed by Harold DeMilo (Fritz Weaver), finances Terrell’s research. Curtis Mahoney (Paul Sorvino), operating undercover as a journalist but actually a government agent, coerces DeMilo into granting him entry to the facility. Although Terrell resists, Mahoney discovers the dolphins' communicative skills and threatens to expose them. To avoid this, Terrell consents to present his findings before the Foundation’s board, only to find the press event canceled and the dolphins abducted.
Mahoney reveals that the Foundation intends to employ trained dolphins as instruments in a political assassination plot, equipping them with magnetic limpet mines aimed at the President of the United States. David, one of Terrell’s colleagues, is unmasked as a covert operative supporting this conspiracy.
Fa manages to return to the Terrells while Bea is dispatched to attach the mine on the President’s yacht. Jake instructs Fa to intercept Bea; Fa diverts her to plant the explosive on the conspirators’ vessel instead, which detonates, killing David and most members of the board. As DeMilo arrives in a seaplane, Jake commands both dolphins to flee into open waters. Despite Fa’s hesitation due to his close relationship with Jake and Maggie, both dolphins escape, leaving Jake and Maggie awaiting DeMilo’s arrival and contemplating recent developments.
Production
The original novel was translated into English by Helen Weaver and published in 1969 in the United States under the title The Day of the Dolphin.
Initially, Roman Polanski was attached as director for United Artists in 1969 and was also involved in writing the screenplay. However, following the tragic death of his wife Sharon Tate, Polanski withdrew from the project.
In 1970, Franklin Schaffner was named director for Mirisch Corporation's production but the project stalled. Subsequently, Joseph Levine acquired rights from United Artists and brought director Mike Nichols on board.
George C. Scott was paid $750,000 for his participation. Principal photography primarily occurred on Abaco Island in The Bahamas and faced numerous obstacles. Scott reportedly caused a three-day delay at filming’s outset, with Nichols later describing this experience as his most challenging shoot so far.
Reception
Upon its 1973 release, critical responses were divided. Pauline Kael of The New Yorker strongly criticized the film’s concept, suggesting that if talking dolphins represented Nichols and Henry’s best work, they should reconsider their careers in filmmaking. In contrast, Gene Siskel from the Chicago Tribune lauded its exploration of communication and affection, calling it a fable emphasizing love’s transformative influence. Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic dismissed it as a shallow production lacking genuine dedication.
Despite earning two Academy Award nominations—Best Original Score for Georges Delerue and Best Sound Mixing for Richard Portman and Larry Jost—the film failed commercially. Producer Levine reported pre-sales amounting to $8.45 million, including an agreement with NBC interested in developing a television adaptation.
Alpha, the dolphin portraying Fa, received recognition as best animal actor at the 24th Patsy Awards.
Levine later admitted that shortcomings stemmed partly from director Mike Nichols and lead actor George C. Scott, who was compensated $750,000 and contributed to production delays.
As of March 2022, The Day of the Dolphin holds a 43% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 28 critical reviews.
Differences from the novel and other sources of inspiration
Although the movie is adapted from Merle's Cold War satire novel, its storyline notably departs from the original text, instead taking significant influence from the experiences of scientist John C. Lilly. Lilly, a physician, biophysicist, and neuroscientist, was renowned for his work in consciousness research. In 1959, he established the Communications Research Institute located in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, where he led investigations into dolphin cognition and the potential for communication between humans and dolphins until 1968.
See also Bottlenose dolphin communication and John Lilly and cetacean communication.