Here's a movie that you probably never even knew existed.
"Roar" was released in 1981, and while the film itself did not impress a lot of people at the time, the behind-the-scenes drama and the insane result commited to screen elevated it to cult status. The story revolves around a wildlife preservationist (
Noel Marshall) living in Africa alongside a menagerie of untamed animals, including cheetahs, elephants, lions and tigers. When his wife and children arrive (real-life wife
Tippi Hedren and step-daughter
Melanie Griffith) for a visit, all hell breaks loose.
The movie's re-release tagline is simple:
"No animals were harmed in the making of this movie. 70 members of the cast and crew were." And that pretty much says it all. An expensive mess that cost $17 million and 11 years to film and only grossed $2 million, the film eventually found its place in history as one of the most dangerous films ever made. Cinematographer
Jan de Bont was scalped by a lion, Marshall suffered several injuries and cangrene, assistant director
Doron Kauper was almost killed after a lion tore his throat open, Griffith was mauled by a lion and required plastic surgery, and Hedren fractured a leg. And it's not even a horror film.
There isn't much of a plot and everything feels mostly improvised due to the unpredictable behavior of the wild animals, but the movie provides some of the most breathtaking wildlife footage I have ever seen outside of a documentary. In any modern movie this would be done with CGI. You have to wonder while watching this whether or not these people were in their right minds when they set out to make this kind of film. Nevertheless, I warmly recommend it to anyone, for the simple guilty pleasure of seeing people getting chased around by big cats.
"Roar" will be re-released in theaters on April 17th.
Check out the trailer and posters after the jump.
