The Crow
Believe in angels.
The Crow (1994)
Budget
$15 000 000
Revenue
$144 693 129
Director
Scenario
David J. Schow
Composer
Producer
Edward R. Pressman
Actors
Brandon Lee
Eric
Rochelle Davis
Sarah
Ernie Hudson
Albrecht
Michael Wincott
Top Dollar
Bai Ling
Myca
Sofia Shinas
Shelly
Anna Thomson
Darla
David Patrick Kelly
T-Bird
Short description
The Crow centres on Eric Draven, a rock musician who is murdered along with his fiancée, Shelly, on the night before their wedding. A year later, a crow brings him back from the dead, and he sets out to find and punish those responsible for the killings. The film is based on the comic book by James O'Barr.
Alex Proyas directed, working from a screenplay by David J. Schow and John Shirley. The Crow was the first feature Proyas directed, followed by Dark City, Garage Days, I, Robot, Knowing and Gods of Egypt. Brandon Lee plays Eric, with Rochelle Davis as Sarah, Ernie Hudson as Albrecht, Michael Wincott as Top Dollar, Bai Ling as Myca and Sofia Shinas as Shelly. The production involved 31 credited cast members and 95 credited crew, and was made for a budget of 23 million USD. It went on to take 94 million USD worldwide, a strong return on its cost.
What's left behind the scenes
- The role of Shelly was offered to Cameron Diaz, but she did not like the script.
- Brandon Lee suffered an injury during filming that led to his death. Footage of this accident was destroyed.
- All scenes with Michael Berryman as Skull Cowboy were cut.
- The poem Eric quotes as he bursts into the store is Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven".
- The director wanted Iggy Pop to play 'Funboy' and created the character specifically for him, but he was unable to film due to his schedule. However, Iggy did appear in the sequel.
- Brandon Lee was killed by actor Michael Masse, who played one of the villains (Funboy), with a .44 caliber pistol. A stuck dummy cartridge in the barrel was not noticed by the crew and was ejected when a blank was fired.
- Something sinister was happening on the set of "The Crow": one actor received severe burns, another seriously injured his hand, a journalist writing about the film was involved in a car accident, and the set designer went insane.
- The screenplay was based on the comic book of the same name by James O'Barr, filled with the dark poetry of post-punk imagination. The book's protagonist arrives from oblivion to avenge his death and the murder of his girlfriend. The plot was born in the author's mind three years after his beloved died in a car accident. The book then lay in a drawer for another seven years before finding a publisher. When it finally appeared in stores, it immediately became a bestseller.
- Following Brandon Lee's death, producers Robert L. Rosen and Edward R. Pressman decided to complete the project after all. The film was finished using computer technology. In 1994, it was finally released, with the opening lines reading: “Dedicated to Brandon and Eliza…” (For Brendon and Eliza).
- Brandon Lee was shot at 12:30 AM with a .44 caliber revolver.
- Filming began on February 1, 1993, in Wilmington, and it was also Brandon’s 28th birthday.
- River Phoenix and Christian Slater were initially considered for the role of Eric.
- The film was originally conceived as a musical, with Michael Jackson attached to star in the lead role. However, Alex Proyas, being a fan of O'Barr's comics, insisted on being allowed to film as closely to the original source material as possible.
- James O'Barr wanted Johnny Depp to play Eric Draven.
- The final part of the scene in Albrich's apartment was improvised by Brandon Lee and Ernie Hudson.
- The character of Ernie Hudson, Officer Albrich, is named after Joy Division band member Bernard Sumner.
- The car chase in the film was shot using miniatures.
- The process of applying makeup to Brandon Lee took about an hour.
- Only five real crows were used during production – mainly for close-ups and scenes with large flocks of birds.
- The order in which Eric kills his enemies is the same as the order in which they first attacked him.
- Eric kills his tormentors with the items they lived by; for example, Tin Tin with his own knives, Fanboy dies from a heroin overdose, and T-Bird explodes with his own ammunition.
- The following scenes were filmed after Brandon Lee's death: Draven enters the apartment after digging himself out of the grave. Footage of Lee walking down the alley in the rain was digitally inserted into the scene where he enters the house. Computer technology added dripping water to the ceiling of the house to make it look natural. The scene of Lee falling out the window was created by compositing Brandon's face onto a stunt double's body. The scene where Draven applies makeup was done with a stunt double. The face in the broken mirror was Brandon's, while the hands applying the makeup were the stunt double’s. The scene where Eric walks with a crow on his shoulder was also composited – the stunt double’s body and Brandon’s face, visible in the lightning flash. When Sarah enters the apartment, we do not see Lee’s face because it is a double.
- Alternate versions of the film: The original film includes a scene where Eric fights Fanboy before killing him. In the Australian version, all instances of the word "fuck" have been cut, including in dialogue where it is frequently used.
- During the shootout scene, one of the bandits falls out of the window with a chair. It can be noticed that he is tied up with ropes.
- The incendiary device that Eric places between T-Bird's knees is a white phosphorus grenade. When it explodes, it burns at 2500 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Brandon Lee was injured during filming, leading to his death. Footage of this accident was destroyed. Chad Stahelski, a stuntman and friend of Brandon, finished filming the remaining scenes after his death.
- Director Alex Proyas initially wanted to shoot the entire film in "black and white" closer to a comic book style and only use color in flashback scenes of Draven with a high-contrast theme, but the studio executives did not allow him to experiment with this approach. This forced Proyas to film most of the film in a monochromatic color scheme mixed with red and dark gray.
- Brandon Lee played the guitar himself in the film.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
