Orca is the retelling of Frankenstein
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Orca
knifeintheeye — 17 years ago(August 11, 2008 11:51 AM)
Orca: The Killer Whale as a modern day retelling of Frankenstein
Let me share with you my secret pain. I think Orca: The Killer Whale, directed by Michael (Logans Run, Millennium, Around the World in 80 Days) Anderson, released in the summer of 1977 and staring the great Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling and Bo Derek (in a rare fully clothed role), is a retelling of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein.
Yes, that Frankenstein.
Frankenstein was released in 1818 and is the story of Victor Frankenstein and his created monster. It touched on the idea that with technology, man could play God but that nature will not lie down without a fight and that there are consequences for messing around with the natural order of creation. The monster created by Victor played the role of the consequence of his dabbling, and the novel was a sort of revenge story of the monster against his creator, Victor. The tale written by an incredibly young Shelley has been told and retold hundreds of times, but few of the retellings are very accurate in regards to what she actually wrote.
Orca: The Killer Whale, produced by the great Dino De Laurentiis, was instantly regarded as a Jaws rip-off. Jaws came out in the summer of 1975 and was an immediate smash hit; it terrified audiences and created the summer blockbuster. It was only a matter of time until the copycats would be all over the formula used by Jaws, and Orca was easy to dismiss as a knock off. After all, Jaws featured a large bloodthirsty great white shark, while Orca featured a bloodthirsty killer whale. It probably didnt help Orcas case that the first scene has Captain Nolan and his crew hunting a great white shark.
But is the formula of Jaws actually used for Orca? A quick glance at the plot of Jaws will dismiss the myth. A death happens off the coast of Amity Island but no one sees it as a shark attack, merely as an accident. Chief Brody is the only one to realize that it was the work of a shark, and brings in an expert to back up his theory. Soon, everyone knows that Brodys theory is correct and they hunt the shark. Brody, and old seaman and his expert go shark hunting and it ends with the shark dead. Of course, this is an incredible over simplification of one of cinemas great movies, but the meat of the movie is there.
Orca, started out as a hunt for the whale by Captain Nolan and his crew. He wanted it for the cash he could sell it for. Thats all the whale was to him; a means to an end. He knew nothing about his prey and thought, since he was a human and a fisherman; that the whale was fair game to him to do what he pleased with it. In his ignorance, folly and pride, he killed the whales female mate (whales are erroneously listed in the film as monogamous when they are in fact polygamous) and the male wants to take his revenge on Captain Nolan. The whale is portrayed as having a very high degree of intelligence and problem solving abilities, as well as being extremely vengeful. He severely damages Nolans boat and terrorizes the town where Nolan and his crew stay while needing repairs. The whale causes untold damage to the livelihood of the community and their fishing boats. Eventually with the insistence of the locals, Nolan decides that he must face the whale. He heads out to sea to confront the whale and the whale in turn leads Nolan and his small crew out into the artic for their final confrontation.
That brief description may not sound overly Frankenstein like, but once the whale sees the dying female at the 25 minute mark of the movie, the Frankenstein similarities kick into full gear. Heres just a few of the many eerie similarities between Orca and Frankenstein.- Victor is haunted by his knowledge of what he created. He becomes psychically sick and horrified that he created the hideous monster and wants nothing but to forget his creation. Upon injuring the female whale, Nolan makes the comment the whale sounds almost human. The screams of the dying whale haunt and horrify him, and he insists on cutting the dying whale free. When he goes to the fishing community, he tries to forget his experiences at sea. He tries to believe that the whale is long gone, but is constantly reminded that the whale is still close by. Victor Frankenstein flees from his creation and creates a distance between them. He wants no part of his monster and even after the monster learns speech, Victor cant acknowledge his monster was a living being worthy of a life.
- Victor Frankenstein creates his monster by design. He thought he could channel new life into the remains of the dead, to defy the order of life and to act as God. Captain Nolan creates his enemy in the whale. He thinks he is greater than the whale, and that the whale is merely a means to wealth.
- The monster tracks Victor all over Europe and terrorizes those close to him. The monster actually kills Victors brother, yet Victors maid takes the blame and is executed. The whale hunts Nolan down and terrorizes the fishing community and Nolans c