kathrynm1000 I was a child in Port Orchard when the captive orca was penned in Rich Cove. As a depiction of an orca in captivity the story is fine. There are some pretty significant fictions depicted in the movie however.One is that the orca was intensively studied while penned there; he was actually being held captive while the captor attempted to sell him.Also, there was no community enmity towards the creature. The bullies in our town were far too busy beating some of us humans up to bother with the orca.We kids loved seeing him and rode our bicycles or stopped on family outings to admire him. Port Orchard is not a fishing town, and even then this region admired and loved the orcas as one of our greatest regional icons.Set aside reality and enjoy the film if you like. But come up to Puget Sound and see them in the wild, where they belong.

vlavalle This movie is a great story about a real life set of events, although the attempted killing of the whale aspect may not have been really the case. But whether it was or not, it shows how prejudice can so easily distort reality and take people over to the dark side. In this story it is about a killer whale, and not about race or gender or what your religion is. But we as humans act like they did in the movie SO easily! Incidentally, the name 'killer whale' derives from their ability and activity of killing whales. In most cases, they are only capable of killing the babies of other breeds of whales. Also, I do not believe there is ANY documented case of a killer whale killing a human in the wild. That has only happened in the killer whale aquariums, and always from drowning the victim, and not from eating them! They are one of the most gorgeous animals on the planet, and probably more intelligent than dolphins. This is a very heart warming story!

modern_fred Ivan Tors produced many films and TV shows that nudged the audience to treat other species with respect and wonder. This was a novel film in its time that introduced audiences to the "Killer Whale" as a potential friend rather than threat. Based on a true story and very well made (lots of great location photography). The cast is low-key and everything is handled in a convincing manner. This was typical of the Tors approach. It's well-done material- not overly sentimental, with a respect for science and a plea to evolve as a species. It's the sort of movie that one doesn't see these days in a sea of CGI fantasy and family films that are merely bad comedy. Seeing this as a kid it made a lasting impression.

whpratt1 This is an outstanding film about a killer whale named Naumu who is being protected by an oceanographer, Robert Lansing,(Hank Donner) and has a very hard time trying to tell the local towns people that this whale is not harmful. John Anderson, (Joe Clausen) is more worried about his salmon business and does not want a whale eating up his profitable business. There is a little boy and girl and Hank Donnear who even communicate with the whale and ride on his back in a row boat all around in circles. There is Comedy, Drama and excellent photography and the background music flows throughout the entire picture. Lee Merriweather, (Kate Donner) is a shop owner in town and has some secrets that she keeps to herself until the time is necessary to tell Hank Donner. If you are an animal lover and enjoy a good fish story, this is the film for you.