“It’s like Walt Disney Went Insane And Made A Snuff Version Of ‘Swiss Family Robinson’!”
Got your attention? What about this headline?
“Melanie Griffith Mauled By Lions!”
Now, steel yourself for the film’s movie poster:
Well, it’s all true, and unbelievable! The Disney quote is how HITFIX describes the madness of the obscure 1981 film “Roar!”
Ready for this fact? NO animals were harmed during the making of the film – but 70 cast & crew were!
Need proof? Check out the newly created trailer for the blu-ray release of the film!
Talk About A Close Cast!
“Roar” stars real-life Hollywood married couple Tippi Hedren and Noel Marshall! Hedren was famous for starring in “The Birds”, and her husband Marshall co-starred and also directed “Roar”, which took years to film…you see, those are all real Lions!
UPDATE: my friend Robbie said she would never watch this film because of the characterization of the animals as dangerous – my mistake – the film is all about a family that lives with Lions: gentle and supportive animals that they love and who love them…this is a shot of the Lions gathering around the couple in bed, cuddling and enjoying life with them – that was the fantasy portrayed onscreen but behind the scenes it was much different!
They didn’t respect the fact that the Lions were wild, and prone to be a bit rough and tumble – not trying to hurt them but a by-product of the fact that, they are indeed wild Lions…
This was filmed on location in Africa, where Noel and Tippi wanted to show the beauty and wonder of wild Lions – by casting them in a film that also starred their daughter, the Actress Melanie Griffith…look at some of her scenes with the animals:
Melanie Griffith acted with these wild Lions – in an amazingly dangerous film that called for all of them to share close quarters with dozens of nature’s deadliest animals, including lions, tigers, leopards, and cheetahs!
The Most Dangerous Film Ever Made!
Bravo to Drafthouse Films for bringing “Roar” back from obscurity – what a crazy movie! Look at some of these set pics! The animals were not aggressive – it was the cast and crew not respecting them as wild and potentially dangerous – you can see why more than 70 cast and crew members were injured during filming!
Melanie Griffith Mauled By Lions!
During filming in 1977, Melanie Griffith was mauled by a Lion and required plastic surgery! Griffith reportedly received fifty stitches to her face. Just watching it is unnerving…
You can now get your own copy of this movie to see the insanity for yourself!
Great job by Drafthouse Films bringing this very controversial yet fascinating movie back!
Here is some amazingly dangerous trivia about “Roar”:
Tippi Hedren fractured a leg during production when an elephant bucked her off its back when she was riding on top. Hedren was also bitten on the back of her head by a lioness called Sheri. Hedren received thirty-eight stitches to the open wound.
The incident can be seen in the finished picture! Hedren is hanging to the branch of a tree when thirty-four lions run across her. The thirty-fifth lion bites at her head. Hedren’s screams and the blood seen are real. Hedren once said of being bitten by a lion:
“Let me tell you, it hurts when you’re bitten by a lion. It’s not only that you may have an open, gaping wound, plus shock, but the pressure of those enormous jaws is so strong that it hurts”.
The film’s Cinematographer Jan de Bont was mauled and scalped by a lion on the set. de Bont required over 120 stitches to sew his scalp back from where a lion had bitten his head! de Bont went on to direct a number of big hit movies like “Twister”!
Tippi Hedren once said of “ROAR”:
“This was probably one of the most dangerous films that Hollywood has ever seen. It’s amazing no one was killed.”
Thanks to Drafthouse Films, here’s what you get on the new Blu-Ray!
The Making of ROAR
Q&A with Cast and Crew at ROAR “rePremiere” at The CineFamily, Los Angeles, CA (4/7/15)
The Grandeur of ROAR – an essay by Tim League
Feature Audio Commentary with John Marshall and Tim League
Trailer (2015)
Photo Gallery
Of course, Tippi Hedren worked for Alfred Hitchcock in this wild “animals gone crazy” movie as well:
This Hitchcock shocker was one of my “Hitch Hiking” films – a fun hike followed by an Alfred Hitchcock film – and in this care I hiked near where the film was made – click here for a look:
I have also shared stories of my Lion encounters on safari in Botswana – like when we came upon a pride feeding:
Watching wild Lions on a feeding frenzy is exhilarating and unsettling as well…here is the story of a feeding frenzy we discovered – note: the footage is not very graphic:
If “Roar” makes you want to see more classic Melanie Griffith performances, then you have to begin here!
And Melanie was oscar-nominated for her great performance alongside Harrison Ford and Siguorney Weaver in the classic comedy “Working Girl!”
Read all about her performance by clicking on my story here:
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Categories: Action Films, Africa, Cult Movies, Film Fight Club, Hollywood, Independent Cinema, Movies, nature, Obscure Movies, Pop Culture, safari, Talent/Celebrities, True Hollywood Mystery
johnrieber 
Hi John, wild animals must be respected. If you don’t respect them, you get hurt. I wouldn’t watch a film like this because it paints them as dangerous and makes people scared of them which isn’t fair in the circumstances. Melanie Griffith was lucky her eyes weren’t damaged as that could have been irreparable. Thanks for this interesting post.
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Weirdly enough Robbie perhaps I didn’t explain properly – the animals are treated in the film as lovable pets…almost none of the injuries sustained by the actors are in the film…the movie presents them as loving and protective of the family…sorry I didnt explain this well enough…revising now
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Robbie, I updated the story to include your concern and to address it – the film shows the Lions as loving “pets” in a way – nothing in the film suggests anything other than they were protective of the family – the plot involves “bad guys” not bad animals. Sorry that wasn’t clear but also understand why this film doesn’t interest you – sorry to have given you the wrong impression
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I remember a considerable outcry about this film when it was released. When I read about the actors and crew being injured by wild big cats, my reaction was “What else did they expect?”
I have never seen the film. Shared on Twitter, John. Best wishes, Pete.
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