Joshua Belyeu
The tale of "The Crow" begins almost fifty years ago, with the birth of the man who'd later become its creator...self-taught writer and artist James O'Barr.Born in a trailer to an unwed, alcoholic mother, the baby boy wasn't taken to a hospital until almost a week after his birth. James later recalled, "She was so drunk and out of it, she couldn't remember the exact day I was born." Told by his mother it was between Christmas and New Year's Day, the local authorities gave him the birthday of January 1st, 1961.Growing up in an orphanage, James wasn't adopted until he was seven years old. He was often "loaned out" to various families for the weekend, as was a common practice in those days. Upon his adoption by hard-working blue-collar Southerners, James rapidly became a self-imposed loner, who preferred to spend his free time absorbed in horror films or his burgeoning artwork. But his parents differed, seeing art as the equivalent of playing cards: a hobby, nothing more. James would later say, "It got so bad that I was forbidden to draw in the house." Working different jobs at auto-body shops or nursing homes, he stayed within himself, becoming what he would later describe as a "brooding and sarcastic" person.However, that began to change when, at age 16, he met a young woman named Bethany. Described by James as a "bright light" who "never said a word against anyone", their connection was apparently the embodiment of the phrase "opposites attract". When James would verbally assault someone, Bethany would point out their good or positive attributes. It was a balanced relationship that James clearly loved and cherished. They were together for three years, and planned to marry after graduation.But then, tragedy struck. While crossing the street one night, Bethany was killed by a drunk driver. James was not present at the time; he was later told by her father. The emotional stability that James had once craved was now gone in his life, and shortly afterward, he enlisted in the Marines, where he hoped the regimented lifestyle overseas would help him vent his anger. Instead, it only made him feel worse. Drawing combat manuals by day, James would immerse himself in nightly barfights, hoping that one of them would end his life as well. Upon his return to the States, James had one intention: to kill the driver who'd taken Bethany from him. But when he discovered the driver had died from natural causes, his anger and rage threatened to destroy him. Desperate for some kind of cathartic release, he channeled his pain and hatred into his artwork as a form of personal therapy. Explaining years later, he said, "It was a lot cheaper than seeing a therapist or something."Honing his artistry, James opted against using comic books as his inspiration, citing common illustration methods as "an exaggeration of an exaggeration...twice removed from life." Instead, he studied ancient paintings and marble statues of the human form. However, James was uncomfortable sketching scenes of himself, so to better express his inner darkness, he created an avatar named Eric. The role was visually reminiscent of James' enjoyment of hard rock music, with bands like Joy Division, The Cure, and Iggy Pop all serving as cultural models for the character's appearance and mannerisms. In the pages of his "therapy", Eric often spoke in lyrical statements and poetic flair. But his temperment was not so subtle: he was a deadly avenger of untold violence, with little compassion to speak of, if any at all.The story which eventually became "The Crow" was first put to paper in 1981. However, due to the immense pain and anger James felt, he could only complete so much of it at a time. The book was finally finished in 1989, eight years later. In it, the story is that of Eric and his love, Shelley, who are murdered by ruthless gang members when their car breaks down on a desolate road. Eric is mortally wounded, powerless to intervene as Shelley is raped and killed by the sadistic criminals. But Eric's soul does not rest, and one year later he is resurrected as an immortal being with one agenda: those who destroyed he and Shelley's lives will die. No trials, no appeals, none of what mass society would consider proper justice...only death. James would later intone, "There is pure anger on each page."Sadly, the completion of "The Crow" didn't really grant James the peace he had hoped for; instead, it made him more angry and depressed, in various ways. But another shift took place when he was working as a T-shirt artist in a comic shop. The owner liked his work very much, and aksed if he had any comics at home. On a whim, James presented "The Crow", and the owner asked for permission to publish it under his emerging company, Caliber Comics; James agreed. Within two years, offers were being made from various studios, who were interested in filming the project. But things got progressively worse as the higher-ups of American cinema desperately sought to rework the concept. Having sold the film rights, James had very little say in the matter; at one point, producers even suggested the film as a musical, with Michael Jackson as Eric and Julian Temple directing. It looked as if the film would bear little resemblance (if any) to O'Barr's work...until director Alex Proyas stepped in. Soon, another talent was brought into the mix, who was a self-described fan of the book, and wanted to preserve it as closely as possible. This was actor Brandon Lee, son of famed martial artist Bruce. At Lee's and Proyas' insistence, the film was reined in, and returned to an approach more in line with James' original story. James and Brandon would foster a close friendship over the course of the production...but tragedy would soon strike again.As Proyas' film of "The Crow" neared its final days of principal photography, a terrible disaster shook everyone involved. During the filming of a flashback scene to Eric and Shelley's murders, Brandon Lee was to enter the apartment with a bag of groceries. Conatined in the bag was a "squib", or a small bag of fake blood rigged with a tiny, remote-controlled explosive. Actor Michael Massee (who played the villain "Funboy") was to fire in Brandon's general direction, and the squib would be detonated to simulate Eric being shot. But instead, Lee crumpled to the floor, and when he didn't get up, the crew realized the unthinkable had happened: Brandon had been shot for real. Twelve hours later, he died in the hospital from internal bleeding. Even more painful was the timing of his death: he was set to wed his long-time girlfriend, Eliza Hutton, just two weeks after filming wrapped.Police officials later ruled Brandon's death an accident, explaining that a "dummy bullet" (powderless shell casing) had become lodged in the barrel of the gun which Massee had held. When powder was inserted for a close-up scene so the weapon would flash, both ingredients combined in a deadly manner. For everyone involved, Lee's death was heartbreaking beyond words...and of them all, the four who likely took it the hardest were Lee's mother Linda, his sister Shannon, fiancee Eliza Hutton, and James O'Barr. To James, it was like Bethany being killed all over again, and infinitely worse. To add further insult, Miramax Films failed to pay full royalties to O'Barr; what little cash he made from the project, he donated to charity, considering it "blood money". Offered the chance to scrap the film if he so chose, director Alex Proyas consulted Linda Lee, who asked it be finished in Brandon's memory. Released in 1994, the movie became a box-office smash, due to both the visceral, emotional story, and the media-fueled notoriety brought about by the death of its star.But for James, he felt worse than ever. After fighting Miramax for the money he was rightfully owed (which still has not been delivered in full), James began making his living as a "starving artist", touring the convention circuit, selling custom sketches and small memorabilia based on the book. He later married, and now has two young children. While his character has been reinvented multiple times in sequels and spinoffs, O'Barr has seen none of the rewards (save for a small amount from Miramax, and a minor contract job for the third film's soundtrack). Today, he says, "I'm actually happier than I've been since I was 16 years old", in reference to his wife and family. At nearly 50 years of age, he continues to make the rounds at conventions, now residing near Granbury, Texas.
MaximumMadness
"People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right."Those are the words that usher us into the world of director Alex Proyas' legendary film "The Crow," based of course on the beloved comic book created by James O'Barr. The film is a defining masterpiece of its decade, and a dark and Gothic portrayal of action, romance and vengeance that thrilled audiences and remains a cult-classic to this very day, more than twenty years later. Though overshadowed by the tragic loss of its star Brandon Lee, whom was accidentally killed in an on-set incident, the fact remains that there's something special here. Something that cannot be stopped by the misfortune of Lee's passing. Something provocative and moving. Something that spoke to audiences when it was released in 1994 and still very much does.The film follows Eric Draven (Lee), a rock-and-roll guitarist who is slain- along with his fiancée Shelly- the night before their wedding in an apparent gang attack. One year later, he is brought back to life through the power of a crow- who are said to carry the souls of the dead into the afterlife. Now granted an array of supernatural (and superhuman) abilities that render him seemingly immortal, Eric stalks the night on a mission of revenge against those who destroyed his life. He receives help from Sarah (Rochelle Davis), a young girl who had befriended Shelly before her death and kind-hearted cop Albrecht (Ernie Hudson) in his hunt for retribution. What Eric doesn't realize, however, is just how far into the dark and criminal underworld he'll have to go, nor will he be able to predict the severity and intricacy of his search...I think a great deal of the magic of "The Crow" lies in the fact that while not particularly original and reliant on plenty of cliché and convention, it fundamentally excels at everything it sets out to do with a level of style and competence that is far beyond the standard Hollywood film. We've seen this story and these ideas before. But not told in quite this same way. The film isn't content with just giving us a standard visual palette... instead it crafts a complex and Gothic atmosphere that's striking and visually engaging, and combines different filmmaking techniques to create a world all its own. The characters aren't just archetypes... they're fully fleshed out and even the more minor of characters are given a great deal of establishment and development. The film doesn't just follow the standard path... but rather it gives us a stirring narrative where stakes are constantly raised and because of the supernatural elements at play, we can never guess what's going to come next. The original comic came from a very unique place, and it's clear that the cast and crew of the film are going above and beyond to craft a masterpiece.To build upon this, the performances are a phenomena and lend much to the story. Lee is a revelation, and injects not only plenty of pathos and agony into the role of Draven... but also a large amount of hope and joy. Conflicted though he may be, he's still willing to do the right thing by other people and to help them even in his war of violence and vengeance. Hudson and Davis round out our protagonists in nuanced and sensitive roles that very much compliment Draven's struggles and help to inject some heart into the narrative so that it never feels bogged down by the rampant darkness of the story. And our villains- including David Patrick Kelly, Tony Todd, Bai Ling and the extremely underrated Michael Wincott are all deliciously evil, yet still feel somewhat grounded and "real." It's a great rogues gallery for Draven to face off against with some top- notch performers behind them.And finally, the film is a complete powerhouse of visual storytelling. As mentioned above, director Alex Proyas seemingly builds and entire new world with the help of writers David J. Schow and John Shirley, in addition to his inspiration from James O'Barr's original comic. The colors are cold and stark. The designs sharp and vast. And the contrast in color and darkness is simply outstanding. Proyas takes inspiration from many sources and his slick, flowing camera-work perfectly compliments the twisted Gothic world that is crafted. He knows how to showcase both his actors and his sets for maximum emotional impact, and the film is never anything less than completely absorbing and wondrous to behold."The Crow" is by far and quite easily one of the defining films of the 1990's. With an impact still being felt to this day, definitive demonstrations of themes and visual nuances, stunning performances and a memorable message, it's no wonder why the film has maintained such a strong and dedicated following. And though its effects and ideals might feel somewhat antiquated or even dated by films that have gone on to successfully improve on the techniques used and defined here, you simply cannot downplay how big an impact its had on popular culture. It's a stunning work of art through-and- through and easily earns a perfect 10 out of 10.
