The trailer for the film ROAR/Filmways
Director Noel Marshall
's vision
of shooting a movie with more than 150 lions on the loose made Roar the most dangerous movie - with the highest number of on-set injuries - ever made.
Not only were the crew and actors injured, some of them seriously, during filming - the film, which was produced at a cost of 17 million dollars, only managed to rake in 2 million dollars at the box office - which led the director and his wife at the time, actress
Tippi Hadran
, to sell their properties to cover the losses.
On-set injuries were common, with 70 crew and actors injured during filming - including Marshall himself who was bitten by one of the lions and actress Melanie Griffith, his stepdaughter, who had to undergo facial reconstruction surgery.
The 1981 adventure comedy Roar is perhaps the most ridiculous film project ever created - and arguably the most dangerous.
Roar was filmed primarily at Africa USA, an animal enclosure outside Acton, California, which later became the Shambles Big Cat Sanctuary.
In 1969, director Noel Marshall and his actress wife Tippi Hadran came across an abandoned mansion in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, during the filming of the film Satan's Harvest.
There were several lions.
Their affection for the big cats inspired the couple to adopt and raise lions in their home in Los Angeles, where they lived alongside them for 6 years until they built the narrative for the movie "Roar".
Noel adopted 150 real lions, tigers, cheetahs and other big cats along with other wild animals including elephant, sheep and ostriches.
The film has become a cult following its recent release in the U.S. Movie poster/Filmways
The stars of the film are the family that lives there: Noel and Tippi with their children Melanie Griffith, Jenny Marshall and John Marshall.
"Roar" tells the story of Hank (Marshall), a wildlife conservationist who lives with his wife Madeleine (Tiffy) and their children in a reserve in Tanzania.
The narrative revolves around two rival male lions competing for dominance, triggering a series of comic events.
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Neil grabs Melanie's leg as she jumps into the pool, when she was just 14 at her home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles/Filmways
Noel Marshall and Tippi Darren are surrounded by lions in "Roar"/Filmways
Filming began in California in 1976 and was planned to last 6 months but ended up being spread over 5 years - due to the amount of injuries on set that started very early on in filming.
In other words, it took a total of 11 years to create "Roar" from the concept stage to its release, with the crew members and actors having to function very carefully alongside untamed wild animals during filming. The
goal was to create a family-friendly film, a light-hearted and informative adventure comedy. Unfortunately, What happened during the filming was completely contrary to the intention of the film. Only discerning viewers will be able to sense the constant threat that the actors felt in every frame.
Melanie Griffith's mother, Tippi Hedren, plays with Neil the Lion/Filmways
An unusual photo of Melanie sharing her bed with Neil the Lion, who often slept in her bedroom/Filmways
At the set, where the amount of animals easily eclipsed the number of animals at Joe's Exotic Zoo, Marshall nearly lost a hand after being bitten by a lion.
Tippi was injured many times by the lions and Phil used his trunk to swing her in the air causing her to break her ankle.
Their daughter Melanie was attacked by a lioness in an incident that nearly cost her her sight and required 50 stitches and facial reconstruction surgery - and another crew member suffered a severe scalp injury and nearly lost an ear.
John Marshall, Noel's son, told of a lion that attacked him during the early days, resulting in a violent struggle between the two that ended with 56 stitches, not the lion.
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Neil harasses Darren's then-husband Noel Marshall at work/Filmways
Encore uses Neil as a big pillow while she catches up on the news/Filmways
What do you see in the movie and what not?
According to estimates, out of a cast of 140, 70 crew members and players suffered injuries of varying degrees.
Some of the work accidents were off-screen, but others can be identified when watching the film.
It's actually kind of a miracle that no one died during filming.
On the website movieweb they made a list of the most notable injuries recorded on the set.
Accidents seen on screen:
1. Noel Marshall was bitten on the hand while interacting with male lions during a fight scene.
His hand can be seen bandaged in other scenes during the film.
2. Melanie Griffith was injured by a lion, leading to facial reconstruction surgery.
While the actual accident does not appear in the film, the lead-up to that horrific moment does.
3. Tippi the Encore's ankle was broken after being thrown by an elephant.
In the film you can see the chilling moment and the obvious pain on her face.
This led to a hospital visit and combined with other injuries she sustained, the actress suffered from gangrene necrosis - necrosis of tissues and organs in the body.
At least 70 cast and crew members were attacked by wild animals during the making of Roar/Filmways
Noel Marshall, who directed and starred in "Roar", almost lost his arm when bitten by a lion/Filmways
The accidents that were not seen on the screen:
1. Tippi the Encore broke her leg and fell off an elephant.
2. A lion attacked the encore during the shoot and his teeth scratched her scalp.
3. Cinematographer Jan de Bonnet's scalp was completely torn apart by a lion, requiring 220 stitches.
4. The assistant director came closest to death when one of the lions aimed for the throat and missed his neck by inches.
John Marshall estimates that up to 100 cast and crew members were attacked by animals during the making of the film/Filmways
The encore tipi is hoisted by an elephant in the filming of the series "Roar"/Filmways
But no animal was harmed on set, but 14 lions and tigers died
What makes this whole nightmare a little ironic is the subtitle added to the film according to which "no animal was harmed on the set of 'Roar', but 70 cast members and actors were."
One may question Marshall's sanity to shoot a film on a set where wild animals roam, but there is no denying his love for animals and he never intended to harm them.
However, 14 lions and tigers died on set as a result of disease and an accident caused by a catastrophic flood caused by a burst dam in February 1978. The flood led to significant damage, the escape of 15 big cats and the dramatic rescue of crew members trapped in the rising waters.
Noel Marshall, who also served as a successful Hollywood agent, tries to work while Neal roars in his face/Filmways
Melanie Griffith, later a huge stunner - in the movie "Roar"
After countless disasters, the film "Roar" premiered on February 22, 1981, but was never officially released in the US. It was successful in Germany and Japan but failed at the box office in the other countries where it was shown. Several investors joined and withdrew due to the high costs and concerns about the content and access. Marshall's. The duration of the project and the costs of maintaining the countless wild animals caused Marshall to use the money he made from the film Satan's Harvest, when he was finally forced to sell all his assets. The film cost $17 million to make and only earned $2 million at the box office. In comparison, the highest grossing film of 1981 was "Raiders of the Lost Ark", which made just over 212 million dollars with a budget of 18 million dollars.
Tippi refused distribution deals and preferred to use the small profits from the film for the establishment of the "Roar" fund in 1983 which led to the establishment of the "Shambella" reserve sanctuary in California , which is a safe haven for the big cats that appear in the film. Her autobiographical book "The Cats of Shambhala" unfolds the stories of the disasters that happened on the set.
The full story about the most dangerous movie ever made:
Tippi Encore lives with the lions to this day
Despite the overwhelming failure, the film gained cult status after Tim League acquired its broadcast rights in 2015 and released it in the US under his production company Drafthouse Films. Disasters aside, the film is certainly unique in the 1980s cinematic landscape and strangely entertaining. in its absurdity. The significant change brought about by "Roar" was the passing of the "encore law" which limits the use of wild animals on a film set, so that such a disaster does not happen again. "Roar" is not currently available for viewing on streaming services but due to the closure of the streaming service Drafthouse Film Alamo on Demand , the film may soon find a new home.
Tippi Hedren and Noel Marshall divorced in 1982. Noel passed away in June 2010 and Tippi, now 93, continues to live among the lions in the Shambhala Reserve. She said at the time: "When I made the film I was working to prevent the government from allowing people to breed Lions and tigers as pets.
They don't have to be pets.
They are predators at the top of the food chain, one of the 4 most dangerous animals in the world."
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