This week, William Hart returns to 24 Panels Per Second to
lend Dru and Dave a hand as they look at the 1994 cult action/revenge film The Crow.
Created by writer and artist James O’Barr, The Crow was published in 1989. The comic is the tale of Eric, a young man who is resurrected from the dead by some supernatural force to seek vengeance upon those who killed him and, more significantly, raped and murdered his fiancée. As O’Barr has frequently noted, the comic was written to help him deal with his grief and guilt over the death of his girlfriend, who was killed by a drunk driver.
Created by writer and artist James O’Barr, The Crow was published in 1989. The comic is the tale of Eric, a young man who is resurrected from the dead by some supernatural force to seek vengeance upon those who killed him and, more significantly, raped and murdered his fiancée. As O’Barr has frequently noted, the comic was written to help him deal with his grief and guilt over the death of his girlfriend, who was killed by a drunk driver.
A hit on the indie comics scene, the film rights to The Crow were quickly picked up and resulted in the 1994 film, directed by Alex Proyas, who would go on to direct another beloved cult classic in Dark City a few years later.
While a beloved cult hit, The Crow is perhaps more famous for the tragedy that occurred during
the film’s production. During a scene involving gun play, an improperly
prepared prop gun was fired which resulted in the death of star Brandon Lee,
son of famous martial arts film star Bruce Lee. While possessing only a few
credits to his name prior to The Crow,
Brandon Lee had attained a dedicated fan base from his work in early 1990
action romps Showdown in Little Tokyo…
…and Rapid Fire.
A financial success, the film’s producers attempted to
transform the property into a franchise, following the film with the theatrical
sequel The Crow: City of Angels (1996)…
…which itself was followed up with the straight-to-video The Crow: Salvation (2000)…
…before the film series came to an end with The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005).
A reboot is currently in the planning stages.
Prior to the DTV films, there was a short lived attempt to
turn The Crow into a television
series in 1998. Titled The Crow: Stairway
to Heaven, the series stars Mark Dacascos as Eric, who returns from the
dead in order to seek vengeance for his love’s murder, and to find redemption
in order to be reunited with her. Running for one season, the show was a hit with
fans, but low ratings led to its cancellation.
So, has time been kind to this gothic 1990s film? Tune in
this week to find out what our trio thinks!
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