The Crow
Believe in angels.
Country
Production
Budget
$15 000 000
Box office
$144 693 129
Director
Actors
Scenario
Producer
Edward R. Pressman, Alex Proyas, Jeff Most, Robert L. Rosen, Sherman L. Baldwin
Camera operator
Composer
Artist
Alex McDowell, Geoffrey S. Grimsman
Audition
Suzanne Crowley, Billy Hopkins
Editing
Dov Hoenig, M. Scott Smith
Whole Team (94)
Whole Team (94)
Short description
Exactly one year after young rock guitarist Eric Draven and his fiancée are brutally killed by a ruthless gang of criminals, Draven—watched over by a hypnotic crow—returns from the grave to exact revenge.
What's left behind the scenes
- The process of applying makeup to Brandon Lee took about an hour.
- The final part of the scene in Albrich's apartment was improvised by Brandon Lee and Ernie Hudson.
- James O'Barr wanted Johnny Depp to play Eric Draven.
- The film was initially conceived as a musical, with Michael Jackson recruited for the lead role. However, Alex Proyas, a fan of O'Barr's comics, insisted on permission to film the movie as close to the original as possible.
- The director wanted Iggy Pop to play the role of 'Funboy' and created the character specifically for him, but Pop was unable to attend filming due to his schedule. However, Iggy did appear in the sequel.
- Brandon Lee was shot at 12:30 AM with a .44 caliber revolver.
- The order in which Eric kills his enemies is the same order in which they first attacked him.
- The screenplay was based on the comic book of the same name by James O'Barr, filled with the dark poetry of post-punk imagination. The book's protagonist arrives from oblivion to avenge his death and the murder of his girlfriend. The plot was born in the author's mind three years after his beloved died in a car accident. The book then lay in a drawer for another seven years before finding a publisher. When it finally appeared in stores, it immediately became a bestseller.
- The incendiary device that Eric places between T-Bird's knees is a white phosphorus grenade. When it explodes, it burns at 2500 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The makeup process for Brandon Lee took about an hour.
- The poem Eric quotes as he bursts into the store is Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven".
- River Phoenix and Christian Slater were initially considered for the role of Eric.
- The following scenes were completed after Brandon Lee's death: The Crow entering the apartment after digging himself out of his grave. The footage of Lee walking down the alley in the rain was digitally edited into the scene where he enters the house. Computer technology was used to add water dripping from the ceiling inside the house so that the water didn't look out of place. The shot of Lee falling through the window was achieved by compositing Brandon's face onto a stunt double's body. The scene where The Crow applies his makeup was also done with a stunt double; the face in the broken mirror was Brandon's, while the hands applying the makeup belonged to the double. The scene where Eric exits with the crow on his shoulder was similarly composited—using a stunt double's body and Brandon's face, visible during a flash of lightning. When Sarah enters the apartment, Lee's face is not shown because it is a stunt double.
- Brandon Lee played the guitar himself in the film.
- Brandon Lee was shot at 12:30 AM from a .44 caliber revolver.
- Ernie Hudson's character, Officer Albrecht, is named after Joy Division member Bernard Sumner.
- The character of Ernie Hudson, Officer Albrich, is named after Joy Division band member Bernard Sumner.
- During filming, Brandon Lee suffered an injury that led to his death. The footage of the accident was destroyed. Chad Stahelski, Brandon's stunt double and friend, finished the remaining scenes after his death.
- The order in which Eric kills his enemies is the same as the order in which they first attacked him.
- Director Alex Proyas initially wanted to shoot the entire film in "black and white" closer to a comic book style and only use color in flashback scenes of Draven with a high-contrast theme, but the studio executives did not allow him to experiment with this approach. This forced Proyas to film most of the film in a monochromatic color scheme mixed with red and dark gray.
- The following scenes were filmed after Brandon Lee's death: Draven enters the apartment after digging himself out of the grave. Footage of Lee walking down the alley in the rain was digitally inserted into the scene where he enters the house. Computer technology added dripping water to the ceiling of the house to make it look natural. The scene of Lee falling out the window was created by compositing Brandon's face onto a stunt double's body. The scene where Draven applies makeup was done with a stunt double. The face in the broken mirror was Brandon's, while the hands applying the makeup were the stunt double’s. The scene where Eric walks with a crow on his shoulder was also composited – the stunt double’s body and Brandon’s face, visible in the lightning flash. When Sarah enters the apartment, we do not see Lee’s face because it is a double.
- Something sinister was happening on the set of "The Crow": one actor received severe burns, another seriously injured his hand, a journalist writing about the film was involved in a car accident, and the set designer went insane.
- Filming began on February 1, 1993, in Wilmington, which was also Brandon's 28th birthday.
- Director Alex Proyas originally wanted to shoot the entire film in black and white to stay closer to the comic, using color only in high-contrast flashback scenes of The Crow's memories, but studio executives did not allow him to experiment with this approach. This forced Proyas to shoot most of the film in a monochromatic color palette blended with red and dark grey.
- All scenes featuring Michael Berryman as the Skull Cowboy were cut.
- Brandon Lee was killed by the hand of actor Michael Massee, who played one of the villains (Funboy), via a .44 caliber pistol. A plug stuck in the barrel went unnoticed by the crew and was propelled out during the firing of a blank cartridge.
- River Phoenix and Christian Slater were originally considered for the role of Eric.
- The role of Shelly was offered to Cameron Diaz, but she didn't like the script.
- Eric kills his tormentors with the items they lived by; for example, Tin Tin with his own knives, Fanboy dies from a heroin overdose, and T-Bird explodes with his own ammunition.
- Brandon Lee suffered an injury during filming that led to his death. Footage of this accident was destroyed.
- After the death of Brandon Lee, producers Robert L. Rosen and Edward R. Pressman decided to complete the project regardless. The film was finished using computer effects. It was eventually released in 1994, and the opening lines read: 'Dedicated to Brandon and Eliza'...
- Only five real ravens were used during production—primarily for close-ups and scenes featuring large flocks of birds.
- Brandon Lee was killed by actor Michael Masse, who played one of the villains (Funboy), with a .44 caliber pistol. A stuck dummy cartridge in the barrel was not noticed by the crew and was ejected when a blank was fired.
- The film was originally conceived as a musical, with Michael Jackson attached to star in the lead role. However, Alex Proyas, being a fan of O'Barr's comics, insisted on being allowed to film as closely to the original source material as possible.
- Only five real crows were used during production – mainly for close-ups and scenes with large flocks of birds.
- Alternative versions of the film: In the original film, there is a scene where Eric fights Fanboy before killing him. In the Australian version, all instances of the word "fuck" have been cut, including dialogues where the word is used frequently.
- The poem Eric quotes as he bursts into the store is Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven."
- Brandon Lee was injured during filming, leading to his death. Footage of this accident was destroyed. Chad Stahelski, a stuntman and friend of Brandon, finished filming the remaining scenes after his death.
- Alternate versions of the film: The original film includes a scene where Eric fights Fanboy before killing him. In the Australian version, all instances of the word "fuck" have been cut, including in dialogue where it is frequently used.
- The role of Shelly was offered to Cameron Diaz, but she did not like the script.
- The screenplay was based on the eponymous comic book by James O'Barr, filled with the dark poetics of a post-punk imagination. The book's protagonist returns from oblivion to avenge his own death and the murder of his girlfriend. The plot formed in the author's mind three years after his beloved died in a car accident. The book then sat in a drawer for another seven years before finding a publisher. Once it finally hit the stores, it immediately became a bestseller.
- Filming began on February 1, 1993, in Wilmington, and it was also Brandon’s 28th birthday.
- During the shootout scene, one of the bandits falls out of the window with a chair. It can be noticed that he is tied up with ropes.
- The car chase in the film was shot using miniatures.
- The director wanted Iggy Pop to play 'Funboy' and created the character specifically for him, but he was unable to film due to his schedule. However, Iggy did appear in the sequel.
- Following Brandon Lee's death, producers Robert L. Rosen and Edward R. Pressman decided to complete the project after all. The film was finished using computer technology. In 1994, it was finally released, with the opening lines reading: “Dedicated to Brandon and Eliza…” (For Brendon and Eliza).
- All scenes with Michael Berryman as Skull Cowboy were cut.
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