Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Day of the Dolphin Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 18, 2021

Mike Nichols' "The Day of the Dolphin" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film; new audio commentary by critics Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson; and archival programs featuring interviews with screenwriter Buck Henry and actors Leslie Charleson and Edward Herrmann. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"Pa, Pa, Pa"

If you conclude that the events that are chronicled in Mike Nichols’ film The Day of the Dolphin are devoid of realism, it should be quite easy for you to find plenty of people that agree with you. But it will be only because you and the people that agree with you actually do not know much about the experiments George C. Scott’s character, marine biologist Dr. Jake Terrell, and his assistants perform on the secluded island. Now, I would admit that I don’t know whether or not these types of experiments are legal in the United States at the moment, but there was a time when the military was definitely exploring certain possibilities. It had to be done because overseas these types of experiments were some of the worst kept secrets. For example, during the Cold War the Soviets would frequently leak information about clandestine programs where dolphins were trained to become intelligent superspies and kamikazes. (Whether the information was leaked by a lazy military apparatchik that failed to follow protocol or was planned propaganda by the Kremlin is debatable, but people on both sides of the Iron Curtain knew what was being done). The superspies would be used to enter heavily-guarded military areas or approach moving submarines and ships to collect sensitive information, while the kamikazes would basically hit risky targets on demand. Interestingly, even though the Cold War officially ended a few decades ago, this type of information is again being leaked, which suggests that somewhere there are still people like Dr. Terrell doing the same type of work. (This article about a Russian spy whale from 2019 isn’t exactly shocking news, but keep in mind that this is a low-level spy. There have been rumors that the Chinese military has been using some pretty remarkable pros in surveillance operations for quite some time).

In the film, Nichols spends a great deal of time on the evolving relationship between Dr. Terrell and two very intelligent dolphins, and only towards the end introduces an interesting but quite predictable twist that points to the practices that are mentioned above. The film is shot this way because the viewer needs to see that the training where the dolphins embrace the humans is a long process of building trust on both sides, and this is precisely what makes it intriguing and disturbing -- the mammals are tricked to accept that the other side is every bit as genuine as they are, which means that their survival instincts become useless. The rest is essentially cinematic fluff of the kind that these types of films need to appear attractive to the masses.

The only truly problematic material in the film is the one where the security procedures on the island begin to fail and for some odd reason Dr. Terrell and his assistants can’t immediately see the incoming danger. They are fully aware that their accomplishments could be compromised by bad players, but somehow, they haven’t considered the scenario that unleashes the drama. It does not make sense. It also does not make sense that Dr. Terrell would not have carefully researched the people from the foundation that have been funding his work. Objectives, connections, financial transactions, publicity -- they are all minor details, until they no longer are. Dr. Terrell’s public presentation in the very beginning of the film confirms that he isn’t a hermit who has lost his sense of reality. He is very much in the present and constantly in touch with the people who are in charge with the survival of his advanced work.

Nichols worked with cinematographer William A. Fraker, who rather predictably makes a lot of the very tricky footage with the dolphins look almost casual. The camera positioning and lighting choices are really quite special.

*The trained dolphins that are seen in the film apparently escaped as soon as their parts were done, and never returned.

The Day of the Dolphin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Day of the Dolphin arrived on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a very nice recent 4K master. Virtually all of the daylight footage, for instance, boasts very good to excellent delineation and clarity. Depth is very pleasing as well. In some nighttime/darker footage small ranges of nuances can be better exposed, but it is very difficult to be unhappy with what is already there and easy to see. If you view on a larger screen or project, you will be happy to hear that the fluidity of the visuals is about as good as it can be -- tightness and stability are great. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The color grading is convincing, though a few primaries could be slightly better saturated. But the overall balance is very, very good. Lastly, there are no distracting age-related imperfections. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Day of the Dolphin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio is very clear, sharp, and stable. There is a decent soundtrack from the great Georges Delerue, but it does not open up the film as I expected it would. It only supports the drama in some predictable ways, which is why there are no memorable dynamic contrasts. But this is how the film's original sound design was created. On the other hand, there are quite a few sequences where the dolphins are heard 'talking' that sound terrific and frankly a tad spooky. There are no age-related imperfections to report in our review.

The Day of the Dolphin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for The Day of the Dolphin. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 480/60i).

• Radio Spots - a couple of vintage radio spots for The Day of the Dolphin. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by critics Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson. As usual, there is plenty of interesting chatter here that addresses the production of the film, the 'controversial' material in it as well as the novel that it came from, the film's reception, the evolution of Mike Nichols' work, etc.

• Interviews - in this archival program, screenwriter Buck Henry and actors Leslie Charleson and Edward Herrmann discuss their involvement with The Day of the Dolphin, and address Mike Nichols' working methods and treatment of the original material that inspired the film. In English, not subtitled. (33 min, 480/60i).

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

The Day of the Dolphin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sadly, the practice that is revealed at the end of The Day of the Dolphin is entirely authentic. In fact, there is enough information out there confirming that foreign parties have fine-tuned it to perfection and are still using it today, and you don't even have to look hard to find it. The film is nicely done, but for obvious reasons it won't be everyone's cup of tea. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a very nice recent 4K master. RECOMMENDED.