The tragedy that occurred during the production of “Rust” two years ago has raised concerns regarding safety on film sets, but this was just one of dozens of such incidents in Hollywood’s illustrious 100-plus history. In 1993, another gun malfunction took the life of a promising up-and-coming action star whose famous father had also died tragically young. The movie “The Crow” was released Friday, May 13, 1994, to critical and commercial success, but haunted by tragedy. Read on for more about “The Crow” 30th anniversary.
“The Crow” began in the 1980s as a dark comic by James O’Barr, whose fiancee had been killed by a drunk driver. In the story, Eric and his fiancee Shelly are attacked by a gang of thugs, with an injured Eric forced to watch as Shelly is raped and beaten before both are shot and left for dead. Eric is later resurrected by a crow in order to exact revenge on the killers, whom he methodically kills one by one. The success of the comic caught the attention of writer John Shirley, who went on to collaborate on the screenplay with producer Jeff Most and, eventually David J. Schow.
Although well-established actors River Phoenix and Christian Slater were considered for the lead role of Eric, Brandon Lee was cast. At the time, Lee had starred in a couple of films that had not done well at the box office, and was known more for being the son of famed martial arts pioneer and movie star Bruce Lee, who had died when Brandon was a child. However, the younger Lee was determined to cut his own path, and strove to make his own cinematic impact with “The Crow,” hoping for his big break into film stardom.
Lee had received extensive martial arts training from his father before his death, and then from Bruce’s disciples. For fight choreography for “The Crow,” Lee collaborated with his old friend Jeff Imada, with whom he had studied Jeet Kune Do, a martial art developed by Lee’s father. The young actor dieted and did aerobic-style exercise to bring reality to the lanky Eric, a poetic musician. As this character would not have known martial arts during his life, but is instilled with supernatural abilities upon his resurrection, Lee and Imada incorporated aerobic-style movement to Eric’s fight scenes. Lee also submerged himself in bags of ice while preparing for his resurrection scene, as he felt that the sensation of rising from the dead would be ice-cold. His dedication created a character haunted by the brutal loss of his love who is bent on revenge, while still able to have compassion for the young girl the pair had mentored in life.
Lee had only three more days of shooting for the film, and was anticipating his own wedding to his fiancee, Eliza Hutton, shortly after the end of production, when tragedy struck. On March 31, 1993, Lee was filming the scene in which Eric walks into his loft, and sees Shelly being attacked. The script called for actor Michael Massee‘s character to shoot Lee’s character when he walks into the room. The gun had been used earlier for a close up shot, and loaded with improperly made dummy rounds. When the gun was reloaded with blanks for the scene with Lee, it was not properly checked, and a lodged dummy bullet was fired by mistake, hitting Lee in the stomach. Efforts to save him were unsuccessful, and Lee died at the age of 28.
When Lee’s father Bruce had died from cerebral edema in 1973 at the age of 32, numerous conspiracy theories had swirled, including revenge by Chinese mafia and a curse upon him and his family. When Brandon died so young under such tragic circumstances, the conspiracies started up again. However, Bruce’s death has received extensive study, with medical experts finding many elements that likely contributed to the elder Lee’s untimely death. And his son’s passing was a tragic accident that haunted Massee the rest of his life.
Just a few weeks after Lee’s death, on May 7, 1993, the biopic “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story” was released with the approval of Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce’s wife and Brandon’s mother. The film is dedicated to Brandon, with the quote, “The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”
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With the support of Lee’s fiancee and mother, “The Crow” was completed using Lee’s stunt double Chad Stahelski as a stand-in with Lee’s face superimposed by digital face replacement. This marked the beginning of a new technological advancement for filmmaking, with CGI allowing a deceased performer to complete a project, or even be involved in new ones. “The Crow” was released a little over a year after Lee’s death, debuting at number one in its opening weekend.
“The Crow” not only did well with audiences, but critics were also impressed by its visual flair, action sequences and dark, moody style. Lee had a large shadow of legacy hanging over him, but made his own imprint with what is now a cult classic. We can never know what more either father or son would have added to cinematic history had they lived longer lives, but each left marks that continue to resonate generations later.
The success of the initial film led to three sequels, none of which fared well. A reboot of the original film starring Bill Skarsgard as Eric Draven is set to be released this August. As Lee surely felt the shadow of his father 30 years ago, Skarsgard surely feels the specter of the original Crow.
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