Roar

I know that I have been absent from here for quite some time, sort of a prodigal son to movie reviews. But I'm hoping that I can slowly work my way back and earn the interest again of my three loyal readers...hi mom. And by doing so, I'm not returning with a whimper, but with a Roar...pardon the pun.

1981's Roar is one of those films where the story of the making of it is actually more interesting than what ended up on film. The movie was made as a labor of love to bring attention to what was happening to wildlife in Africa from actress Tippi Hedren and her then husband Noel Marshall, who also directed, But the two bit off more than they could chew in this endeavor. They set out to use real, mostly untrained, wild animals for the shoot. They also made this a family project and had all of their kids in the film, including Hedren's daughter Melanie Griffith. To prepare they moved the animals in with them, over 30 wild lions.

When filming finally took place it resulted in many on set injuries, well over 100. Also a dam broke near the set, destroying everything. The shoot took over 10 years to finally complete, leaving Hedren nearly bankrupt.

The end result is somewhat bizarre. It's like Born Free but as a snuff film. Since you know that the injuries that were happening on film were real it just leaves you with an odd taste in your mouth. Also, the movie can't settle on a tone. It can't seem to decide if it's a horror film, comedy, or intended for family viewing. I will say I wouldn't show it to a young child.

I'm surprised that I'd never heard of this film before. Of course it didn't get an American release until 2015. I'm glad I saw it, but I wouldn't recommend it except to those who love animal carnage.

It's available on dvd and blu ray.