As Alex Proyas’s “The Crow” has turned 25, it’s occurred to me that the film is that lightning bolt moment for me, like “Star Wars” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Dark Knight” are for other people. “The Crow” is where my movie enjoyment turned into unadulterated love for the art form, and it changed me from someone who simply digests cinema to someone who confronts cinema, studies cinema, and is challenged by cinema. Really, no other film prior to it came close, and few other films have maintained that affection they initially inspired quite as well.
On Twitter recently, I recounted my initial experience with the film in the summer of 1994, and it was the inspiration for this blog. One thing to know is that I did not see the film for the first time until July 1994, the last Thursday of the month, at the discount theatre that used to be out at Town Center Mall in Kennesaw, Ga. I remember it was that Thursday for three reasons: 1) it ended up being the film’s last day on the discount circuit around me; 2) marching band practice had already started and I went straight to practice afterwards, and 3) I was not quite 17 yet. That last one is the reason I didn’t see “The Crow” until later; I was still pretty skittish about trying to buy an R-rated movie ticket on my own prior to my 17th birthday in August of that year. Since I was so close to the day, I figured I would give it a shot, and I really did want to see it on the big screen.
I was aware of the history of the film that summer. I had read the Entertainment Weekly article about the production, which also included excerpts of Brandon Lee’s final interview, which would later be a staple on home media releases of the film. Reviews, even negative reviews, had me almost as excited as the word-of-mouth I was getting from friends who had seen the film. And then, there was the soundtrack. I had no issue buying that soundtrack prior to seeing the film- in fact, it was the first one I did that with. The soundtrack was on heavy rotation that entire summer, and even though I wasn’t a fan of the type of metal/alternative bands that recorded the 14 tracks on the album, there was something about it that was mesmerizing, that I couldn’t get out of my head.
When I came out of auditorium 6 in that theatre, that day, a momentous shift happened in me as a movie watcher. I don’t know that I exactly loved it the way that I would come to, but it was an unforgettable experience, to be sure. I wouldn’t have been able to fully articulate everything, at the time, but the film was new and exciting for me, as a moviewatcher. (It being one of the first independent films I watched in theatres probably contributed to that.) I had seen films with distinctive styles before, and stories that were not of the typical variety in Hollywood films, but Proyas’s film put those together in a way that took it further. The way he shot and edited the film, the way the sets were designed and lit, and the way the music (which not only included the songs I had embedded in my brain, by this point, but Graeme Revell’s score, which sounded like nothing else I had heard, to that point) worked with the visuals. It was a feature-length music video with a story that grabbed me, and leveled me as an audience member. Proyas was one of the first filmmakers I immediately began to pay attention to by name (I could not wait for “Dark City” to come out), and even when he’s faultered over the years (“Gods of Egypt”), I’m going to give him a chance.
On top of it all, there was Brandon Lee’s performance as Eric Draven. As with Heath Ledger’s Joker in “The Dark Knight,” you couldn’t separate the performance from the tragic circumstances that surrounded it, but even with that, you felt like you were watching something iconic and unforgettable. There’s a depth of purpose and feeling to his work as Draven that shines through, and helps land the realization that not only was this an important film for Lee in terms of his career, it was also important to him personally. The scene where he finally finds peace next to Shelly’s grave is one that has stuck with me ever since, and it feels like a sense of closure I think Lee would have been proud of.
When the film came out on VHS in September, of course I was going to rent it, and Hell, I would have spent $99 to buy it outright if I could have convinced my parents to do so. I probably spent that much renting it by the time the nearby Blockbuster had previously-viewed copies for sale a few months later, and there was no going back by that point. The film was my favorite one of all-time, with my favorite soundtrack of all-time (which it still is), and my favorite performance of all-time (Lee’s is still up there).
(Side note: The video release saw Entertainment Weekly‘s video critic discuss Brandon Lee’s filmmography, as a whole, which led to me seeking out, and buying, all of his pre-“Crow” films for myself. The critic also likened the way Proyas shot scenes in alley ways and down corridors to Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Stalker.” That mention put that film on my radar, and I finally saw it in 1997, beginning my love of Tarkovsky’s cinema.)
When I say this was my “Star Wars,” I mean it, and while yes, I was as anticipatory of “The Phantom Menace” as any fan of that franchise was, I had my trial run with that sort of obsessive anticipation with 1996’s “The Crow: City of Angels”. I knew it was coming, and I was fully prepared for director Tim Pope and stars Vincent Perez and Mia Kirshner to blow me away again. By this point, I had read James O’Barr’s original graphic novel, but it went further than that. I bought all of the different spin-off comics I could find, as well as the full-magazine devoted to “City of Angels,” and even the novelization. When I saw it opening day on Labor Day weekend in 1996, I liked it, but it felt too familiar. I had read the novelization beforehand, so I knew what was different, and needless to say, I liked what the novelization had to offer more. The soundtrack was good, but not on the same level as the first one, and I saw this a couple more times in theatres, and looked forward to the video release which added footage not seen in theatres. The film ultimately settled in, for me, as something I liked, but didn’t really think was good. The sequels- 2000’s underrated “The Crow: Salvation” and 2005’s abysmal “The Crow: Wicked Prayer”– would get progressively less interesting, and I didn’t really follow the TV series- “The Crow: Stairway to Heaven”– which retold Draven’s story. At least I had that first film, and the experience it gave me.
As I write that last paragraph, it’s funny to think that my experiences with “The Crow” franchise at that time kind of mirror my experiences with the prequel-era “Star Wars.” That first blast after the thing I grew to love was met with rabid anticipation, and, as the subsequent films would come out, my interest was still there, but waned because the quality just wasn’t there. Now, the prequels never hit lows like “Wicked Prayer” did, but it just felt as though the makers, like George Lucas, squandered the good will of an audience that would have followed them anywhere. Of course, was that true of the audience of the first “Crow” film? Yes, the film struck a chord with its audience, especially goth fans and misfits, but the death of Brandon Lee cast a shadow over that film that I’m not sure had people excited about the prospect of a sequel. Yes, we were curious, but that first film is such an original work of energy and emotion and pain that to try and duplicate it would seem like a fool’s errand. I think if “City of Angels” had hued closer to what David S. Goyer’s original script (based on the novelization) was, I think they would have had a bigger hit than the original was, and would have seen that different voices could bring different ideas to the base concept and connect with the audience. Then again, maybe it would have divided the fan base a la “The Last Jedi,” and “The Crow” franchise was always destined to be a one-hit wonder. Personally, I’m grateful the remake of the original keeps crashing on the rocks, for one reason or another. Nothing will ever land as hard as Alex Proyas’s film did.
“The Crow” (1994)
“The Crow: City of Angels” (1996)
“The Crow: Stairway to Heaven” (1998-1999)
“The Crow: Salvation” (2000)
“The Crow: Wicked Prayer” (2005)
In additional to its inspiration to me as a movie fan, “The Crow,” and in particular, it’s soundtrack, has inspired me as a composer. In 1999, I wrote a piece inspired by Graeme Revell’s scores for the first two films called, “In a Lonely Place”. Below is a podcast I did in 2018 discussing the film, that piece, and sharing the musical evolution that resulted in the final work.
Sonic Cinema Podcast: “The Crow” and the Evolution of “In a Lonely Place”
Viva La Resistance!
Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com
