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Drafthouse Films has partnered with Olive Films to release the Noel Marshall s sole and career-derailing- directoral effort, the notorious 1981 family affair with big cats, Roar. The film will have a limited theatrical release across the US this spring, and will be available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand platforms later this summer.
An unprecedented and wholly unpredictable action-adventure, Roar follows wildlife preservationist Hank (Marshall), who lives harmoniously alongside a menagerie of untamed animals, including cheetahs, elephants, lions and tigers on a preservation in the African plains. When his wife and children arrive for a visit, a long-brewing battle for dominance between two lions erupts and threatens their very lives.
Traditionally, press releases give you a single press quote to sell you on a movie, says Drafthouse Films CEO and founder Tim League. Roar is so singular, so breathtaking, I have decided instead to deliver an essay that better contextualizes the incredible awesomeness of this film. You've never seen a movie like Roar and there will never, ever be a movie like Roar again.
The Grandeur of Roar
by Tim League
At LA's legendary Cinefile Video, my favorite shelf is labeled Holy F***ing S***. There you ll find rare discoveries that are beyond comprehension, movies so outlandish and surreal that you cannot fathom the divine providence that allowed such mind-bogglingly singular films to exist. One of our primary missions at Drafthouse Films is to source and rediscover forgotten classics that are worthy of this shelf. Miami Connection resides here, as does The Visitor. I am proud to share that we are partnering with Olive Films to unleash what I consider the next Holy F***ing S*** masterpiece: Tippi Hedren (The Birds) and Noel Marshall's (The Exorcist) Roar.
Roar began while Tippi Hedren and her husband/manager Noel Marshall were shooting in Africa. After wrapping production they toured several safari wildlife preserves and were struck by the scene of an abandoned plantation house overrun by a large pride of lions. The image took root and inspired the epic eleven-year journey to create Roar.
Hedren and Marshall quickly became devoted to raising awareness about the overhunting of wild lions, tigers and jaguars, as well as the inhumane treatment of big cats in captivity. They were convinced Roar would raise awareness about what was fast becoming their purpose in life. Upon approaching animal trainers for support, they were told their idea was a suicide mission and were dismissed as brainsick and completely and utterly insane.
Undaunted, Hedren and Marshall soon learned that big cats were extremely territorial and would never coalesce unless they were raised together. In response, they began covertly adopting and breeding lions in their lush Beverly Glenn home. For six years, Hedren and her daughter the emerging young actress, Melanie Griffith along with Marshall and his three sons lived, slept and ate with a growing pride of lions inside their home.
As their big cat collection rose to over 100 animals, the shadow of Beverly Hills became too restrictive. The entire Marshall family moved their pride to a ranch property 40 miles north of Los Angeles, and began shooting.
Due to their familiarity with the animals, the entire cast was comprised of Marshall, Hedren, their four children and a few seasoned animal trainers. Emerging European cinematographer Jan de Bont (Speed) was recruited to shoot the film, his first American production. What followed was five years of the most terrifying and dangerous filmmaking ever committed to celluloid.
The cast and crew endured countless injuries, with over 70 bloody attacks documented. While nobody was killed, there were several close calls, most notably de Bont being scalped by a lion resulting in 220 stitches on his head. Hedren endured a fractured leg and deep scalp wounds. Griffith was mauled by a lion, resulting over 100 stitches and reconstructive surgery. Noel was gored so many times that he was eventually hospitalized with gangrene. Maintaining a consistent crew became virtually impossible as injuries and safety risks kept them from returning to set. The production also endured multiple floods including one that wiped out the entire set wildfires, a feline illness that decimated their cat population and non-stop financing woes.
Jan de Bont after stitches.
Financiers pulled out two years into production, forcing Hedren and Marshall to sell virtually everything they owned to personally finance what would become a massive $5 million dollar production. Prior to producing, directing, writing and starring in Roar, Marshall was an executive producer on The Exoricst, the proceeds of which partially funded the production. As disaster after disaster plagued the set, crew began to believe that Roar had fallen prey to the legendary curse of The Exorcist by its financial association.
Refusing to yield to the intense adversity, de Bont, Hedren, Marshall and their family continued to heal wounds, rebuild sets, and hire crew after crew to wrap the production. The infamously disastrous production stories of Apocalypse Now and The Island Of Doctor Moreau pale in comparison to the danger and chaos that was overcome on the set of Roar.
When the movie finally debuted in 1981, Roar was deemed by Variety as the most disaster-plagued film in the history of Hollywood. It was also a financial disaster. Fortunately, the passage of time affords us the perspective to view Roar for what it truly is: the most epic and amazing animal thriller ever made. It plays out like a fever-dream Disney movie. The lighthearted slapstick of the surface masks one of the most intense, white-knuckle, nail-biting thrillers ever seen. The cast is in constant mortal danger as dozens of adult lions improvise around them. At numer
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