When I participated in the first ‘Favorite Stars in B movies’ Blogathon two years ago, I reviewed the 1963 film, The Raven. I found Vincent Price’s picture to be a fine, likable one, which left me amazed how a simple story from Edgar Allan Poe could be turned into a feature presentation. For this year’s Third ‘Favorite Stars in B movies’ Blogathon, there were plenty of movies from Vincent Price’s filmography for me to choose from. But this time, I decided to go in a different direction. As I looked back at the history of my blog, I came to realize none of Richard Harris’ films have been covered on 18 Cinema Lane. I also remembered how the 1977 movie, Orca, was recommended to me by Eric Binford (from Diary of a Movie Maniac). With these two facts in mind, I found the perfect title to write about for the Third ‘Favorite Stars in B movies’ Blogathon! When Eric suggested Orca to me, he said the film steals from Jaws. Because I’ve seen the 1975 blockbuster, I imagined Orca to be a knock-off/rip-off of the iconic movie. But is the 1977 picture a copy of Jaws? Let’s dive into this review and find out!

Things I liked about the film:

Richard Harris’ performance: Because Richard Harris is one of the reasons why I chose to review Orca, I will now take the time to highlight his performance. In the 1977 movie, Richard portrays Captain Nolan, a fisherman who desires catching a whale in order to receive a large sum of money. His versatile acting abilities helped create a multi-layered character, one that is both tragic and complicated. After killing a pregnant whale, Nolan is very remorseful of his actions. One evening, he confides with Rachel Bedford (portrayed by Charlotte Rampling) over how he’d apologize to the dead whale’s mate. During this confession, Nolan adopts a somber look on his face, his eyes on the verge of tears. He even boasts a long frown. Nolan’s tone of voice is serious, sounding like he’s pleading for forgiveness. This one exchange presents a perfect example of Richard using his acting talents to bring his character to life!

An introduction to Orca Whales: Toward the beginning of the movie, Rachel Bedford lectures a group of students (and the film’s audience) about Orca Whales. This lecture is packed with information, from an explanation of the word ‘orca’ in Latin to showing a picture of an Orca fetus. On Captain Nolan’s boat, Annie (portrayed by Bo Derek) shares with Nolan how Orca Whales stay with their mate for life. He even receives a book from Rachel about whales in mythology. While some of the movie’s information may be dated (due to what’s been discovered about Orcas since the film’s release), it does provide an introduction to Orca Whales. Including this information into the script feels like the creative team made an effort to educate their audience.

Tonal variety in music: One of the most iconic pieces of music in film history is the theme from Jaws. John Williams’ score and the image of the titular shark sneaking up on its victims created a perfect, memorable combination. But compared to Orca, this piece of music seems to sensationalize the shark itself, as the suspenseful tune is the only music heard whenever the shark comes around. The first shot of the 1977 picture shows a group of Orcas swimming in their natural habitat. Peaceful, orchestral music plays in the background anytime whales are, simply, gliding from place to place. The only time suspenseful music is heard is when the titular Orca is causing chaos and destruction. This creative choice emphasizes how the whale has been provoked. Tones between different pieces of music show that while Orca Whales can have dangerous behavior, they can also be a great source of fascination.

What I didn’t like about the film:

Inconsistent voice-overs: In Orca, Rachel narrates what is happening in the story. I actually liked this creative decision, especially since she was one of the most educated characters when it came to Orca Whales. What I didn’t like was how Rachel’s voice-overs were inconsistent. In fact, she only narrated about three times throughout the one hour and thirty-two-minute film. Had these voice-overs been more consistent, they could have been used as a bridge between scenes.

The underutilization of Will Sampson: Another reason why I wanted to review Orca is Will Sampson’s involvement in the project. After seeing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The White Buffalo, I was looking forward to watching another movie from Will’s filmography. When I finally checked out Orca, I was disappointed by how Will’s acting talents were underutilized. Not only did he appear in the film for a limited amount of time, he also received very few lines in the script. I, honestly, wish Will’s character, Jacob, had played a larger in the story, especially since he shared great insight about Orca Whales.

Limited character development: The story of Orca primarily revolves around the battle between the titular whale and Nolan. Because of this creative decision, Nolan becomes the only (human) character to receive character development. Other characters are simply known by their profession or an experienced scenario. Rachel is characterized as the scientist who is educated about Orca Whales. Annie is known as the lady who broke her leg. I understand there is only so much story to tell in one hour and thirty-two-minutes. However, I still believe a little more character development should have been included in the script.

My overall impression:

In the introduction of my review, I said I imagined Orca to be a knock-off/rip-off of Jaws. But now I have seen the 1977 picture, calling it that does the film a disservice. I never got the impression Orca’s creative team was intentionally trying to copy the 1975 blockbuster. Instead, the film serves as a cautionary tale of how one’s actions toward animals and their natural environment have consequences. As I said in my review, including information about Orca Whales into the script feels like the creative team made an effort to educate their audience. This is different from Jaws, where (as far as I remember) education about sharks was far and few between. With that said, I wonder what would have happened if Orca had received anywhere near as much attention as Jaws? On the one hand, society’s perspective and treatment of Orca Whales may have changed much sooner. More knowledge and awareness may have already been reached before the 21^st century. But, seeing how much merchandising and commercialism Jaws has produced in a fifty-year timespan, maybe Orca’s intended message would have gotten lost among the shuffle.

Overall score: 6 out of 10

Have you seen Orca? What are some of your favorite films with animals in title roles? Let me know in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen