Roar (1981)

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Flack
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Roar (1981)

Post by Flack »

Roar, with a budget of $17 million, has been described as "the world's most expensive home movie." It was also almost a snuff film. The film stars Noel Marshall and Tippi Hedren, along with their three (real life) children: John and Jerry Marshall, and Melanie Griffith. It also stars around 150 wild and totally untrained lions, cheetahs, tigers, and jaguars.

The plot of the film is that Hank (Noel Marshall) has set up a wild cat rescue in Africa, and the government wants to close it. That's pretty much it, and nobody would ever watch this film for the plot. You watch it because, literally, the film is about a bunch of actors being placed in constant danger in and around wild animals. Here are a few trivia facts from IMDB:
- Cinematographer Jan de Bont was mauled and scalped by a lion on the set. de Bont required over 120 stitches to sew his scalp back from where a lion had bitten his head. After medical treatment, de Bont actually returned to the production to complete his D.O.P. duties.

- During filming in 1977, Melanie Griffith was mauled by a lion and required plastic surgery. Griffith reportedly received fifty stitches to her face. It was feared she would lose an eye, but she recovered and was not disfigured. On another occasion, a lion grabbed her hair and wouldn't let go. That moment made it into the film.

- During production, Noel Marshall was attacked by the lions so many times that he eventually was diagnosed with gangrene. In one of those incidents, he was clawed by a cheetah when protecting the animals during a bushfire that occurred in 1979. All animals were evacuated though it took several years for him to recover from his injuries.

- Tippi Hedren fractured a leg during production when an elephant bucked her off its back when she was riding on top. Moreover, also during production, Hedren was bitten on the back of her head by a lioness called Sheri. Hedren received thirty-eight stitches to the open wound. The incident can be seen in the finished picture. Hedren is hanging to the branch of a tree when thirty-four lions run across her. The thirty-fifth lion bites at her head. Hedren's screams and the blood seen are real.

- Assistant Director Doron Kauper was attacked and mauled by a lion during production filming of this picture. He had his throat bitten open, his jaw was bitten, and one of the lions attempted to rip an ear off. He was also injured in the head, chest, and thigh.

- Jerry Marshall, whilst wearing tennis shoes, was bitten on the foot by a lion during production filming of this picture. He later jokingly said the lion had a "tennis shoe fetish."

- John Marshall was bitten by a lion during production filming of this picture and required fifty-six stitches.

- Before filming, Noel Marshall's son John Marshall was the first victim; he was attacked by a lion who clamped its jaw on John's head. It took 25 minutes the lion to let go of John's head, and the result was 56 stitches.

- During filming of one scene, a lion bit through Noel Marshall's hand; that moment is in the film, and Marshall can be seen attempting to shake the blood off his hand.
I know what you're thinking. At least all the animals were okay, right?
- In 1978, a flood from a dam break killed many lions in the film, washed away the set and destroyed nearly all of the movie, including sets, and completed film footage. The damage done amounted to approximately US $4 million. During the flooding, sheriffs had to shoot three lions. One of these lions was Robbie, the lion king of the picture. Robbie was a unique black-maned Rhodesian lion.
So, no. Local sheriffs shot three of the (four-legged) stars of the film. Due tot he flood and the loss of footage, what they had planned to take 6 months ended up taking 11 years.

Roar has been impossible to find for years, but someone was nice enough to upload it to YouTube.



For a small taste, watch from the 9.30 mark until 10.15. It's a short scene in which Hank literally gets attacked by half a dozen lions. Shit really hits the fan around the 30 minute mark, where Hank's family arrive at the cabin and get stuck inside by several dozen hungry lions. If you make it that far, keep in mind that those are not trained lions. The look on those people's faces are real.
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