The Crow: The True Story that Inspired James O’Barr’s Comic? Explanation and True Story
Today considered both a cult film and a cursed film, The Crow, released in cinemas in 1994, is particularly remembered for the tragic death of its protagonist Brandon Lee. However, its style and its themes allowed the film to establish itself beyond that event, being particularly appreciated by critics and the public. Its success led to a real franchise, which includes three sequels and a television series. The story is taken from the comic of the same name, published between 1988 and 1989 by James O’Barr. He worked there to metabolize his girlfriend’s disappearance; an event repeated in the work’s plot. The dark atmosphere made the title a huge success, attracting the attention of the production company Miramax. This acquired the rights to the work, thus giving life to its film adaptation, directed by Alex Proyas, author of films such as I, Robot, and Gods of Egypt. Lee’s death naturally slowed production, forcing a last-minute revision of several script pages. Fortunately, what was not lost was the film’s symbolist character. This proved one of the main keys to the film’s success.
The spectators were fascinated by the melancholy aroused and described in a way that was as veiled as it was effective. Cursed film or not, The Crow remains today a brilliant example of dark cinema, poised between life and death. It cannot rain forever. Generations of teenagers have grown up with this phrase in their hearts, idealizing the eternal love that binds Eric Draven and his Shelley, the two protagonists of the cult The Crow. Arriving in cinemas in 1994, The Crow entered legend thanks to its portrayal of a painful yet vivid love, an essential trait of the story that derives from the direct experience of the creator of the original comic, James O’Barr. Based on one of the most iconic comics of the 90s, The Crow owes part of its success to the tragic end of Brendon Lee, who died during the making of the film in circumstances that have never been fully clarified. For some, this is just one of the aspects that have made the film part of the history of cinema, recognizing the aforementioned love story at the center of the story as the true reason for its incredible plot.
The Crow: The Plot and Cast of The Film
The story focuses on the revenge of Eric Draven (Brandon Lee), who became, following his death, guardian of the dimension that connects the world of the living to the otherworldly. A year earlier, his betrothed, Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas), was attacked and killed by a gang of criminals. Thanks to his new supernatural nature and the powers of The Crow, Eric is now looking for those responsible, to kill them without mercy. In fact, the possibility of reuniting with his beloved in the afterlife is what spurs the avenger to carry out his mission. The search for him, however, will prove complex, hindered by despicable characters belonging to the world of crime and by terrible truths. Filling the role of the supernatural avenger is Brandon Lee. However, not everyone was enthusiastic about his choice. The author of the comic feared that he was not suitable for the part and that the film would end up being a failure. When he met the actor with makeup applied to his face, however, he had to change his mind, finding it perfect.
The secret to the success of this trick was that Lee himself applied it to his face. This operation was suggested to him by the director, stating that in this way he would acquire a more realistic and less precise appearance. The actor was then particularly fascinated by the role and its characteristics. To prepare himself for the right mood, he decided to visit numerous cemeteries and listen to many songs by the group The Doors referring to death. Furthermore, to obtain a neglected and emaciated appearance he underwent a harsh diet. With this he managed to lose 18 kilos, thus appearing even closer to the nature of the character. The role then allowed the actor to distance himself from his previous interpretations, always linked to his skills in martial arts. Unfortunately, The Crow, while making him famous throughout the world, was the last film of his life.
The Origins of The Crow?
The Crow was able to capture, both in its cinematic dimension and in the comic book original, a poignant and melancholy emotional streak, finding a happy synthesis with Eric’s anger and thirst for revenge. This dramatic narrative vis is so palpable and credible thanks to its incredibly realistic origins. The story of The Crow was inspired by O’Barr’s personal experience. In fact, in the 1980s, the cartoonist lost his girlfriend, Beverly, due to an accident caused by a drunk. Distraught by the loss of him, O’Barr saw in the world of comics his chance to process the loss, giving life to The Crow. Published by independent publisher Caliber Press in 1989, The Crow is a four-issue miniseries, written and drawn by James O’Barr.
The Crow: The Death of Brandon Lee?
There are still many unresolved issues surrounding Lee’s tragic death. It all began when, on March 31, 1993, the actor was mistakenly injured by a gunshot. This was held by actor Michael Massee, who played Funboy, during the scene in which Lee’s character returns to his home to remember the moment of his death. According to subsequent reconstructions, the accident occurred due to a chain of unfortunate events, as well as the negligence of the crew members responsible for checking and preparing the firearms. These, needing inert bullets for a scene, built them by removing primer and gunpowder from real bullets rather than buying them ready-made. However, by mistake, one of the bullets was not de-primed and the revolver was left loaded even after the scene. When the gun’s trigger was next pulled, the remaining primer had enough force to still push the ogive halfway down the barrel, jamming the weapon.
At the time of the fatal scene, the gun was loaded with blank bullets, but when the shot was fired, the bullet previously stuck in the barrel was fired into Brandon’s stomach. This led to the death of the actor, who was also subjected to a long and futile rescue operation. Lee was only three days away from finishing shooting the film. The film, after a period of hiatus, was finally completed thanks to the use of stunt doubles and a partial reuse of the footage taken up to that point. Finally, the use of computer graphics helped to make everything as natural as possible, avoiding highlighting the replacement of the actor. To make the story even more disturbing, there is the fact that like the character he played, Lee was also close to the wedding, which was supposed to take place following the end of filming of the film.
The Crow: The Differences with the Comic, The Sequels?
While maintaining the general plot of the comic that inspired it, the film naturally presents several differences from it. Many of the events have been adapted to take on a more cinematic nature. Among these, there is the one relating to the death of the protagonist. In the comics, this happens following a random attack, while in the film this is premeditated. In particular, then, several characters underwent radical transformations, including Sarah, the protagonist’s helper, who, unlike the film, is completely neglected and disillusioned in the comic.
Given the enormous success of the film, it was later decided to make three more sequels. The first, The Crow 2, was released at the cinema in 1996, followed by The Crow 3 – Salvation, in 2000, and by The Crow: Wicked Prayer, in 2005. Each of these presents a different protagonist and different events but is always linked to mythology and the themes of the literary work. However, there is no link of continuity between the films. Furthermore, unlike the original, these sequels proved to be great failures for both audiences and critics. Recently, however, a new adaptation of the comic was confirmed, directed by Rupert Sanders and with Bill Skarsgard in the main role. This film is scheduled for release in 2024.
The Universe of The Crow?
The original Crow series was supposed to end with a fifth issue titled Death, which didn’t see print until a few years later, when the entire series was reprinted by Tundra Press, along with the previously unpublished fifth issue. Just as happened with the film, when The Crow began getting sequels in the mid-’90s via Kitchen Sink Press (which also collected all five issues of the original series in one volume for the first time), the new stories were accompanied by new heroes embarking on their quests for vengeance for their slain loved ones, with Kitchen Sink introducing about half a dozen new avatars for The Crow. Eric Draven’s story has also been retold in the comics a few times, with the character also reappearing in a few sequels and spin-offs over the years. And The Crow hasn’t been limited to his universe, even crossing over into the comics with Mulder and Scully from The X-Files in a 2014 comic book limited series that somehow feels like the most wonderful ’90s thing of all time.
The Crow in Streaming, Here’s Where to See the Film?
For fans of The Crow, or for those who want to see it for the first time, it will be possible to enjoy it thanks to its presence in the catalog of some of the main streaming platforms available today. The film is shown on Chili, Prime Video, and Apple TV+. Depending on the platform chosen, it will be possible to rent a single film or sign up for a general subscription to the catalog.
