"Because we do not know
when we will die"
-BRANDON LEE
"Once upon a midnight dreary,
while I pondered,
weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume
of forgotten lore
While I nodded, nearly napping,
suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping,
rapping at my chamber door. "
The Raven
BY EDGAR ALLAN POE
Push Play if you want to listen to the soundtrack
"Its very dark, very messed up ,very noir, is about love death and revenge... and i get to quote Edgar Allan Poe and carry a guitar, and kill people and come back from the dead, it´s gonna be cool"
-Brandon Lee
There are very few movies that you can call ICONIC. FAN ART, drawings, make up, costumes, toys a movie with its own atmosphere. PERFECT FOR A RAINY DAY. And if by watching one scene you get transported to that world as Tim Burton´s Batman or Ridley Scott´s Alien or Blade Runner. Director Alex Proyas did just that with "The Crow" . To this day it stands the test of time. Both melancholic and epitaph for Brandon Lee. As his father (BRUCE) before him, Brandon Lee became a LEGEND. What was supposed to be his breakthrough performance , would become his last role.
The BOX OFFICE BLUES
The 80s had ended , VIDEO rental was the thing, there was no internet or streaming back then. Movies were not a big option because cinema was either too happy or too shallow. MIRAMAX decided after the accidental death of Brandon Lee TO FINISH THE MOVIE and RELEASE it. When it came out to the theatres, MIRAMX studios had its biggest opening weekend having revenues of 11 million dollars. The crow had a 23 million dollar budget.
The crow became SUCH a success much of it, because of the morbid cognotation to lee´s accidental death and also it hit everything in the right spot. The young generations were bombarded by TV SPOTS, THE SOUNDTRACK of the CROW before the release of the movie had grown little by little in the minds of generation X. Specially made promos were to target younger audiences in MTV, VH1 and MTV2. So that they became aware and excited. By what seemed an OBSCURE music video but with different BANDS. Such as The Cure, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails Rage Against The Machine and PANTERA. The 80´s and the 90´s clashing in the same MOVIE at the same SOUNDTRACK. It was for the MTV GENERATION
The MTV Generation refers to the adolescents and young adults of the 1980s and early 1990s, a time when many were influenced by the MTV television channel.The term is often used synonymously with Generation X
"By 1984, MTV was reaching 1.2 percent of the daily television audience, and more than a quarter of daily teen viewers. Children of the eighties would henceforth be known as 'the MTV Generation."
The 80s had ended , VIDEO rental was the thing, there was no internet or streaming back then. Movies were not a big option because cinema was either too happy or too shallow. MIRAMAX decided after the accidental death of Brandon Lee TO FINISH THE MOVIE and RELEASE it. When it came out to the theatres, MIRAMX studios had its biggest opening weekend having revenues of 11 million dollars. The crow had a 23 million dollar budget.
The crow became SUCH a success much of it, because of the morbid cognotation to lee´s accidental death and also it hit everything in the right spot. The young generations were bombarded by TV SPOTS, THE SOUNDTRACK of the CROW before the release of the movie had grown little by little in the minds of generation X. Specially made promos were to target younger audiences in MTV, VH1 and MTV2. So that they became aware and excited. By what seemed an OBSCURE music video but with different BANDS. Such as The Cure, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails Rage Against The Machine and PANTERA. The 80´s and the 90´s clashing in the same MOVIE at the same SOUNDTRACK. It was for the MTV GENERATION
The MTV Generation refers to the adolescents and young adults of the 1980s and early 1990s, a time when many were influenced by the MTV television channel.The term is often used synonymously with Generation X
"By 1984, MTV was reaching 1.2 percent of the daily television audience, and more than a quarter of daily teen viewers. Children of the eighties would henceforth be known as 'the MTV Generation."
Also it was not a coincidence the movie premiered on a FRIDAY , May the 13th 1994.
push play to watch
tv ads from
THE CROW
The songs of Joy Division and The Cure provided shape and creative influence on the graphic novel by
James O'Barr on which
this film is based on. Robert Smith of "The Cure" had agreed to write an original song for the movie. Although a hugely popular song, introducing legions of new fans to "The Cure", they've only performed "Burn" live once, nineteen years after the film's release (even though it was often requested).
Iggy Pop served as the model for comic Eric's torso and more importantly, the comic Funboy's overall look and attitude. Iggy was slated to star as Funboy in the film, however he was forced to decline the role due to touring/recording conflicts. To make up for his cancellation he agreed to be in the sequel.
The Crow is a comic book series created by James O'Barr. The series was originally written by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his girlfriend at the hands of a drunk driver. It was later published by Caliber Comics in 1989, becoming an underground success, and later adapted into a film of the same name in 1994. Three film sequels, a television series and numerous books and comic books have also been subsequently produced.
James O'Barr wanted Johnny Depp to star as Eric Draven.
When O'Barr , met the movie's executives, they originally wanted to make this a musical staring Michael Jackson. He immediately laughed uncontrollably thinking it was a joke, only to find that they were quite serious. It was only until Brandon Lee and Alex Proyas came on board that the movie took a more serious role.
In the comic book
The story revolves around an unfortunate young man named Eric. He and his fiancée, Shelly, are assaulted by a gang of street thugs after their car breaks down. Eric is shot in the head and is paralyzed, and can only watch as Shelly is savagely beaten and raped. They are then left for dead on the side of the road.
James O'Barr did a cameo on the film, he is a man stealing a TV set after Gideon's shop was blown up.According to James O'Barr, he didn't like casting Brandon Lee as the main lead for his comic-book adaptation. At that time he had only seen him in Little Tokyo.
Fearing that it would end up like a Kung Fu movie and go straight to video. But he was thrilled when he first met Brandon on the set with the makeups and Crow outfit. He was amazed by Brandon's take on the character when he spoke the exact lines from the comics.
What is a cult film?
A cult film is one that has a passionate following, but does not appeal to everybody. James Bond movies are not cult films, but chainsaw movies are. Just because a movie is a cult film does not automatically guarantee quality: some cult movies are very bad; others are very, very good. Some make an awful lot of money at the box office; others make no money at all. Some are considered quality films; others are exploitation.
One thing they do have in common is that they are all genre films [...] for example, gangster films, or westerns. Cult films also have a tendency to slosh over from one genre into another, so that a science fiction film might become a detective movie, or vice versa.
A cult film is one that has a passionate following, but does not appeal to everybody. James Bond movies are not cult films, but chainsaw movies are. Just because a movie is a cult film does not automatically guarantee quality: some cult movies are very bad; others are very, very good. Some make an awful lot of money at the box office; others make no money at all. Some are considered quality films; others are exploitation.
Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, an elaborate subculture that engage in repeated viewings, quoting dialogue, and audience participation. Cult films frequently break cultural taboos, and many feature excessive displays of violence, gore, sexuality, profanity, or combinations thereof.
"The interesting thing about this character... is that you are dealing with a guy who has been pushed to the limits of his own sanity. "
-Brandon Lee
THE DIRECTOR
Alexander "Alex" Proyas (born 23 September 1963) is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer. Proyas is best known for directing the films The Crow (1994), Dark City (1998), I, Robot (2004), Knowing (2009), and Gods of Egypt (2016). Proyas was born in Alexandria, Egypt, to Egyptiotes (Greeks from Egypt) parents, and moved to Sydney when he was 3.
At 17 he attended the Australian Film, Television, and Radio School, and began directing music videos shortly after. He moved to Los Angeles in the United States to further his career, working on MTV music videos and TV commercials.
For such bands as: INXS, STING, YES, Crowded House .
First theatrical motion picture Alex Proyas directed.
Director Alex Proyas originally wanted to shoot the entire movie in "black and white" closer to the comics and only using color in Draven's flash backs scenes with high contrast theme, but the studio executives didn't allow him to experiment with approach. This made Proyas shoot much of the movie in a monochromatic color theme mixed with red and dark gray.
River Phoenix and Christian Slater turned down the role of Eric Draven.
Brandon Bruce Lee was born on February 1, 1965 in Oakland, California, the son of legendary martial artist and actor Bruce Lee and Linda Emery. The family moved to Los Angeles, California when he was three months old, but they spent some of his early years in Hong Kong as well. Lee was of Chinese, Irish, English, German, and Swedish descent.
He attended high school at Chadwick School, but was asked to leave for insubordination—more specifically, driving down the school's hill backwards. He briefly attended Bishop Montgomery High School, located in Torrance from 1979 to 1980.
He received his General Equivalency Diploma in 1983 at the age of 18, and then went to Emerson College in Boston, Massachusettswhere he majored in theater. After one year, Lee moved to New York City where he took acting lessons at the famedLee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and was part of the American New Theatre group founded by his friend John Lee Hancock.
The bulk of Lee's martial arts instruction came from his father's top students, and best friends Dan Inosanto and Richard Bustillo.
Alex Proyas said that Brandon Lee was unhappy with the way his face makeup looked when the make-up department applied it to him before shooting. Lee and Proyas then agreed that it would look best if Lee applied his own makeup every night before going to bed so that when he woke up his face paint would naturally look more worn out.
Trained by his father since he was born. Brandon had always envisioned himself as an actor. Following a path very similar to his dad. Having a legacy of good characters. Bruce Lee died at 32 years old Brandon was only 8.
Michael Wincott as Top Dollar
Michael Anthony Claudio Wincott (born January 21, 1958) is a Canadian film and television actor.
Rochelle Davis as Sarah
" People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right."
-Sarah
Ernie Hudson as Sgt. Albrecht
Ernie Hudson's character, Officer Albrecht, is named after Joy Division member Bernard Sumner. While writing the comic on which the movie is based, artist/writer James O'Barrdrew inspiration from the band's music as well as that of The Cure and Iggy Pop. In the early days of "Joy Division", Sumner had taken the surname of Albrecht for no apparent reason. Sofia Shinas as Shelly Webster
Cameron Diaz was offered the role of Shelly, but turned it down because she didn't like the script.
The crow guides Eric Draven to the villains, starting with Tin Tin who struck first blood, the remaining villains were in the order they raped Shelley. Tin Tin starts in on Shelley first but Funboy pushes him out of the way saying "me first".
Michael Massee as Funboy
Although he was not at fault for the death of Brandon Lee, Michael Massee stopped acting for a year because he was so traumatized by the incident. He has never seen the film.
In 2005, 12 years after the accidental shooting of Brandon Lee, Michael Massee (who fired the gun) claimed to still have nightmares of the incident.
David Patrick Kelly as T-Bird
One of Brandon Lee's favorite movies was WARRIORS (1979), which created a breakout role for classically actor David Patrick Kelly (T-Bird). So naturally Lee was overjoyed to have a great character actor, known for his villainous roles, starring in his own movie. When T-Bird drives off the dock and dies in an explosive death, Eric is seen waving goodbye. If you look closely, you can CLEARLY see Eric Draven opening and closing three fingers rapidly. This is, of course, is a DIRECT reference to Kelly's character, "LUTHER's" iconic, and very creepy taunting, of The Warriors with his miniature bottles. Kelly also says the line, "He had himself an accident" in both films. 
Angel David as Skank
Laurence Manson as TIN TIN
The lead actor, Brandon Lee, was accidentally killed on the set during filming by a defective blank, only 8 days before the film would have completed production. He was 28 years old. His death was rulled an accident.
Unfinished scenes that were to feature him were dealt with by script rewrites, a stunt double and digital special effects. The film is dedicated to Lee and his fiancée, Eliza.
In the fatal scene, which called for the revolver to be actually fired at Lee from a distance of 3.6–4.5 meters (12–15 feet), the dummy cartridges were exchanged withblank rounds, which feature a live powder charge and primer, but no bullet, thus allowing the gun to be fired without the risk of an actual projectile. But since the bullet from the dummy round was already trapped in the barrel, this caused the .44 Magnum bullet to be fired out of the barrel with virtually the same force as if the gun had been loaded with a live round, and it struck Lee in the abdomen, mortally wounding him. He was rushed to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he underwent 6 hours of surgery. However, attempts to save him were unsuccessful, and Lee was pronounced dead at 1:03 p.m. EST. The shooting was ruled an accident.
The video footage of his death was used as evidence in the investigation. It was later destroyed as part of the lawsuit settlement
The story
On October 30, Devil's Night in Detroit, Police Sergeant Albrecht (Ernie Hudson) is at the scene of a crime where Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas) has been beaten and raped, and her fiancé Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) then died on the street outside, having been stabbed, shot, and thrown out of the window.
ONE YEAR LATER ...He is resurrected by a crow and seeks vengeance on the murderers, methodically stalking and killing them. When not on the hunt, Eric stays in the house he shared with Shelly, spending most of his time there lost in memories of her. Her absence is torture for him; he is in emotional pain, even engaging in self-mutilation by cutting himself.
The crow acts as both guide and goad for Eric, giving him information that helps him in his quest but also chastising him for dwelling on Shelly's death, seeing his pining as useless self-indulgence that distracts him from his purpose.
Some believe that because of the tragic death of Brandon Lee, this movie is responsible for changing gun safety standards in film, ie. in action scenes, the gun is held off to the side and tricky camera angles are used when the weapon is aimed at a character to avoid misfiring or other horrific accidents.
the soundtrack
Graeme Revell (born 23 October 1955) is a New Zealand musician and composer. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the leader of the industrial/electronic group SPK. Since the 1990s he has worked primarily as a film scorecomposer.
push play to listen to the soundtrack
Revell's musical style is predominantly electronic and computer-based, yet often utilizes classical instruments or entire arrangements for certain pieces (similar to his contemporary counterparts, Hans Zimmer and Mark Isham). The orchestral scores that Revell has composed have changed throughout his career—from Bernard Herrmann-like pieces to Ennio Morricone-influenced works. Revell was a founding member of the industrial music band SPK, playing keyboards and percussion. The SPK single, "In Flagrante Delicto", was the basis for theDead Calm film score (his first) that won him an Australian Film Industry award.
He is also known for his frequent collaborations with director David Twohy, having scored Below (2002) and the Riddick franchise.
Michael Berryman filmed some scenes as a zombie cowboy; a character that would be a spirit guide to Eric Draven throughout the film. Unfortunately this character was completely deleted from the film.
INFLUENCE AND CONSEQUENCE
from DarkMan to The DarkKnight
Darkman — the tale of a sweet scientist who becomes a vigilante, hiding his scarred face behind bandages and masks — came out in 1990, showcasing the talents of up-and-comers Sam Raimi and Liam Neeson. It was the perfect blend of superhero tale and monster movie.
In creating Darkman, Raimi took inspiration from several different places, including Batman, The Shadow, and the
Universal monster flicks of the 1930s. The resulting film plays like a horror/thriller/comic Phantom of the Opera.
from DarkMan to The DarkKnight
I believe as in music in films everyone gets influenced by other artists. The Crow is no exception. It took from others pushing forward the action hero, super hero, comic book hero as a serious movie. But IT ALSO BECAME INFLUENCE TO MANY OTHERS BOTH AS DIRECTORS OR PERFORMERS.
Darkman — the tale of a sweet scientist who becomes a vigilante, hiding his scarred face behind bandages and masks — came out in 1990, showcasing the talents of up-and-comers Sam Raimi and Liam Neeson. It was the perfect blend of superhero tale and monster movie.
In creating Darkman, Raimi took inspiration from several different places, including Batman, The Shadow, and the
Universal monster flicks of the 1930s. The resulting film plays like a horror/thriller/comic Phantom of the Opera.
Preparing for his role as THE JOKER, Heath Ledger spent a month isolated from everyone and everything. He became this character by writing all his thoughts on a journal, i believe he trully took a lot of influence from BRANDON LEE´S performance as The CROW.
The diary is filled with images of playing cards, scenes from Batman comics, photos of hyenas, and stills of Alex DeLearge from A Clockwork Orange. The word “Chaos” can also be seen, written in caps and highlighted in green.
Ledger died in January 2008 at the age of 28. The following year, he was awarded a posthumous Oscar for his role as the Joker,
The production design
Alex McDowell, RDI (born 11 April 1955) is British production designer and film producer.
McDowell is a designer working in narrative media. He is a strong advocate of world building and immersive design and integrates digital technology and traditional design technique in his work. He has created a holistic design process that incorporates ideation, inception, prototyping, and production for tangible story worlds.
In 1979, McDowell was commissioned to design IGGY Pop's Soldier album. Iggy asked him to make his first three music videos for Soldier, and so, a year before the launch of MTV, and knowing very little about the role, McDowell became a production designer
Beginning with The Crow in 1994, McDowell began to production design features back-to-back, working with directors like Terry Gilliam (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1998), and again with David Fincher for one of the most controversial films of 1999, Fight Club.
THE CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dariusz Adam Wolski (born 1956) is a Polish film and music video cinematographer. He is best known for his work as cinematographer on the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and on Alex Proyas' cult classics The Crow and Dark City. Many of his collaborations include working with film directors like Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Gore Verbinski and Tim Burton.
THE TRUE MAGIC OF LEGACY
Saving "The Crow" from being kept in a vault, was in part thanks to the company DREAMQUEST IMAGES in SIMI VALLEY california, they had the task of inserting Brandon Lee´s face, in 7 shots of the film using unused footage. Several body doubles were used as we watch him from behind and also not exposing a lot of his face so we could not see him. The gothic ambient of the film helps this effect. I believe the best use of special effects it is when they are not distinguishable.
The set and outside building shots used during the apartment scenes, especially the iconic window, were reused for the kidnappers hideout in BABY´S DAY OUT (1994). Also, Anna Thomson has a small role as Mrs. Mcray in that film.
With his profits from the film, James O'Barr bought his mother a car, and a surround system for himself, then donated the rest. "I was really good friends with Brandon, so it just felt like blood money to me," he said at a comics convention in 2009. "I didn't want to profit at his expense. And I kept that secret for as long as I could. It's not charity if you get credit for it."
Saving "The Crow" from being kept in a vault, was in part thanks to the company DREAMQUEST IMAGES in SIMI VALLEY california, they had the task of inserting Brandon Lee´s face, in 7 shots of the film using unused footage. Several body doubles were used as we watch him from behind and also not exposing a lot of his face so we could not see him. The gothic ambient of the film helps this effect. I believe the best use of special effects it is when they are not distinguishable.
Even though the movie, based on the comic, is called 'The Crow' none of the birds used in the film were actually crows. All of them were in fact Ravens, which are much larger than crows and have a longer more impressive beak.
The set and outside building shots used during the apartment scenes, especially the iconic window, were reused for the kidnappers hideout in BABY´S DAY OUT (1994). Also, Anna Thomson has a small role as Mrs. Mcray in that film.
With his profits from the film, James O'Barr bought his mother a car, and a surround system for himself, then donated the rest. "I was really good friends with Brandon, so it just felt like blood money to me," he said at a comics convention in 2009. "I didn't want to profit at his expense. And I kept that secret for as long as I could. It's not charity if you get credit for it."
Remakes, reimagining films will never , ever come close to what ORIGINAL FILMMAKING IS. This film gave an entire generation A REASON TO GO TO THE MOVIES. In 1994 you wanted to see this film. Either the sounds, the music, the noir experience, the theme, the action, the TRAGEDY, the couriosity, this was THE film. He would become an icon and a larger than life character. Brandon Lee will forever live in this film, as the only CROW there will BE.
