Jesus Christ! I've read a lot about this since it was resurrected a while back, but nothing quite prepares you for just how insane it is. It is as if Timothy Treadwell had decided to make a sitcom starring his beloved grizzly bears. The Treadwell here is Noel Marshall, Hollywood producer and husband of Tippi Hedron. The two were obsessed with lions, so they wrote this picture, where a family lives with like 50 different big cats, mostly lions but also several tigers, cheetahs, leopards, etc. There are also some elephants. The script is nearly nonexistent - I mean, how exactly are you going to get 50 giant cats to do what you want? So the idea is just to write a bare sketch of a plot and then throw your cast (which mostly consists of Marshall, Hedron and their children) to the lions like it's ancient Rome or something. Besides Noel Marshall, who probably should have been in a mental institution, the rest of the family members and other cast look terrified much of the time. At one point, one of the Marshall sons has to speak the line "I don't have to be in Chicago until next week!" A lion jumps up on him halfway through the line and you can hear his voice quiver. Of course, Melanie Griffith is one of the kids. Amazingly, no human died during the many years of production (some lions did, though, when the ranch was flooded). The film itself is far from great, but it's a must-see.
76 Reviews
See it to believe it
Leofwine_draca15 April 2016
ROAR is one of those rare films where the behind-the-scenes story is more interesting than the one up on screen. It's a would-be animal movie along the lines of BORN FREE about a normal American family coping with a house full of big cats, but the whole thing is so ridiculous in both execution and planning that it's a film which has gained infamy as one of the most dangerous in history.
The problem lies with writer/director/star Noel Marshall, he of the wild hair and dubious acting talents. Marshall thought it would be a good idea to mix together a ton of different big cats, including a number of male lions, and throw them in with unprepared actors, including his wife Tippi Hedren and stepdaughter Melanie Griffiths. The resulting shooting schedule saw over 70 injuries to cast and crew, the most infamous of which was the director of photography, Jan De Bont, getting scalped.
The enjoyment factor of this one is of the 'car crash' variety. Marshall is obviously a zealot who acts and sounds a lot like Timothy Treadwell, the doomed star of the Herzog documentary GRIZZLY MAN, who got a bit too close to the grizzly bears he was obsessed with and paid with his life. Nobody died during ROAR, but they came close. There isn't really a script here, just characters reacting to the big cats, and the only decent bit is the tense mid-section in which Hedren and her screen children attempt to evade the cats which are chasing them around the house (which is far better than the whole of the tiger-in-the-house thriller BURNING BRIGHT). Otherwise, it's just a case of watch and endure it.
The problem lies with writer/director/star Noel Marshall, he of the wild hair and dubious acting talents. Marshall thought it would be a good idea to mix together a ton of different big cats, including a number of male lions, and throw them in with unprepared actors, including his wife Tippi Hedren and stepdaughter Melanie Griffiths. The resulting shooting schedule saw over 70 injuries to cast and crew, the most infamous of which was the director of photography, Jan De Bont, getting scalped.
The enjoyment factor of this one is of the 'car crash' variety. Marshall is obviously a zealot who acts and sounds a lot like Timothy Treadwell, the doomed star of the Herzog documentary GRIZZLY MAN, who got a bit too close to the grizzly bears he was obsessed with and paid with his life. Nobody died during ROAR, but they came close. There isn't really a script here, just characters reacting to the big cats, and the only decent bit is the tense mid-section in which Hedren and her screen children attempt to evade the cats which are chasing them around the house (which is far better than the whole of the tiger-in-the-house thriller BURNING BRIGHT). Otherwise, it's just a case of watch and endure it.
A Crazy movie made by insane people
jetkot7 April 2020
A bunch of family members are casted as actors and thrown to untrained Tigers, Lions and other predators. The camera captures whatever action it can get. Dangerously made crazy film that was unnecessary. 11 years in the making and made life hell for everyone involved. I'm glad that Animal rights activists won't allow any other crazy filmmaker to attempt this again.
The most death defying film I've ever seen.
Sleek_The_Wanderer9 August 2015
And I thought Grizzly Man was crazy. This film made me uncomfortable, bewildered, and astonished all at once. How nobody died during the making of this is beyond me. How ANYBODY in their right mind would even think of committing to this movie for even a fraction of a year is completely and totally insane. For a film with overtones of slapstick comedy, it certainly manages to deliver a feeling of intensity and uneasiness that I've never experienced while watching a movie before. At times, I felt like the novelty was fading away, only to be reminded that THIS FILM IS WHAT HAVING A DEATH WISH LOOKS LIKE. Every so often, you come across a movie that sticks with you for whatever reason. This is one that you won't forget anytime soon. I promise you.
Hell lottuva cats but the best is the cougar Tippi Hendrin who was damn attractive n in good shape at age 51.
Fella_shibby14 March 2021
I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs. Revisited it recently with my 7 year old nephew.
While i found it a bit tedious now, my nephew enjoyed it.
The film doesn't have any plot n it has lots of hide n seek kinda moments. It is funny at times, the scene where the lioness try the skateboard, the facial expression of the big cat when a leopard grabs away the meal, the cat pushing the female in the water, etc.
The film is very picturesque.
I found Tippi Hedren at 51 in this film very attractive n in good shape.
In the long and varied history of irresponsible filmmaking, this has to count near the top - needless to say I loved every minute!
gogoschka-120 June 2020
I recently watched ROAR for the first time. Boy oh boy this film got to me!!! Not because of the story (it's got none beyond a near nonsensical plot), but you instantly realize what you see is real, and all the "actors" (though only Tippi Hedren and Kyalo Mativo qualify as such) are in danger of being eviscerated alive by giant and not exactly predictable cats in every scene.
This film may try to tell your head it's a comedy, but it won't fool your natural instincts: I was breaking out in cold sweats after a mere ten minutes. Thankfully, nobody died during the making of the film (at least that we know of, since no remains of actors or stuntmen were found and none were reported missing) but after watching it I still felt as if I had accidentally watched some weird sort of snuff movie.
In the long and varied history of irresponsible filmmaking and dangerous vanity projects, this has to count near the top. It's some crazy shîte lemme tell you! But once you get over the fact that everyone you see is in constant mortal danger, it's also a ton of twisted fun. Truly a one of a kind movie. I highly recommend it (just don't forget to pick up your jaw from the floor afterwards ;-)
This film may try to tell your head it's a comedy, but it won't fool your natural instincts: I was breaking out in cold sweats after a mere ten minutes. Thankfully, nobody died during the making of the film (at least that we know of, since no remains of actors or stuntmen were found and none were reported missing) but after watching it I still felt as if I had accidentally watched some weird sort of snuff movie.
In the long and varied history of irresponsible filmmaking and dangerous vanity projects, this has to count near the top. It's some crazy shîte lemme tell you! But once you get over the fact that everyone you see is in constant mortal danger, it's also a ton of twisted fun. Truly a one of a kind movie. I highly recommend it (just don't forget to pick up your jaw from the floor afterwards ;-)
Man, this is why I'm not a cat person
Mr-Fusion9 March 2018
Definitely one of those movies you have to see to believe. "Roar" doesn't have much to offer in the plot department (aside from the conservationist message), but it has plenty in the way of unparalleled filmmaking negligence. Just look at that tagline:
"No animals were harmed in the making of this film. 70 cast and crew members were."
It's hard to watch what happens onscreen because there are no stuntmen. Tippi Hedren really fractured a leg after being thrown from an elephant; Melanie Griffith really needed medical attention after being mauled; Jan de Bont (that guy who made "Die Hard" and "Speed" look so good) really needed extensive stitches after being scalped(!) by a lion. The reactions from the cast are as real as the blood, and you're constantly shaking your head that they'd use wild animals with no training or supervision. They're apex predators, not pets! The whole thing is incredibly irresponsible, and it lives (warts and all) on film. It's amusing that they try to lighten things up with a playful score and a happy ending. But this is not family film; it's downright chilling.
7/10
"No animals were harmed in the making of this film. 70 cast and crew members were."
It's hard to watch what happens onscreen because there are no stuntmen. Tippi Hedren really fractured a leg after being thrown from an elephant; Melanie Griffith really needed medical attention after being mauled; Jan de Bont (that guy who made "Die Hard" and "Speed" look so good) really needed extensive stitches after being scalped(!) by a lion. The reactions from the cast are as real as the blood, and you're constantly shaking your head that they'd use wild animals with no training or supervision. They're apex predators, not pets! The whole thing is incredibly irresponsible, and it lives (warts and all) on film. It's amusing that they try to lighten things up with a playful score and a happy ending. But this is not family film; it's downright chilling.
7/10
Nearly a snuff film
BandSAboutMovies2 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Shudder just did a series about Cursed Films and while they covered The Exorcist, they completed neglected this off-shoot, which may be the most dangerous, most cursed movie ever.
Noel Marshall was William Peter Blatty's agent and the executive producer of that film before he decided to make this movie. Perhaps the problem is what we often discuss: the auteur complex.
Marshall wrote, co-produced, and starred in this movie alongside his then-wife, The Birds star Tippi Hedren, his stepdaughter Melanie Griffith and his sons Jerry and John.
During the filming of Mr. Kingstreet's War, Marshall and Hedren got the idea to make this film about the plight of big cats called Lions, Lions and More Lions.
They approached animal trainers for support on the training of numerous big cats, and were told the idea was impossible. Each cat would need at least two trainers on set at all time. They dismissed these experts, as we'll soon learn more about.
Hedren originally wanted actor Jack Nicholson to play the lead role, but Marshall decided to play that part.
The six months of production stretched into three years of shooting and eleven total years of production. The lions would live in Marshall's homes and would eventually reach more than 130 lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars and cougars.
I referred to this film being cursed earlier. Instead of theory and conjecture, ala that Shudder show, let me give you facts: seventy people were injured during the making of this movie. Marhsall's wounds got so bad that he got gangrene and nearly died, taking an entire year to recover. There was also a near Biblical series of calamoties, including a flood, a fire, a feline plague, destroyed equipment, Hedren breaking her leg after falling off an elephhant, John nearly being smothered by a lion and needing more than fifty stitches to his head and Melanie being attacked by a lion and needing facial reconstruction.
Two years in, most of the investors had left. Marshall would sell four houses to pay for the film, rebuild the sets and rehire a crew. At the end, the movie would cost $17 million to independently make; $48 million in today's money.
It would play theaters for a week and only bring in $2 million. Then, it went away for decades.
This is a movie that destroyed lives and a marriage.
A year after, Marshall and Hedren would split. His son John would tell Xfinity that, "Dad was crazy. He was absolutely bat expletive crazy. He was worse than the whole family put together. He was actually quite dangerous."
Marshall was known for screaming at the cast and crew, ignoring safe words and working to get a shot more than take care of them.
Jan de Bont, who would go on to shoot Cujo, Basic Instinct and, yes, Leonard Part 6 before directing Speed, Twister and The Haunting, was the cinematographer on this film. He was scalped by a lion and needed more than two hundred stitches. Of the film, he said, "The technical problems were gigantic. When you shoot with five cameras simultaneously, each has to be ingeniously disguised so they don't appear in the shots. This was my first Hollywood film. And I'll never be the same again."
Togar was one of the lead lions. He was adopted from Anton Lavey, the leader of the Church of Satan, who could no longer keep him in his small San Francisco apartment. He was perhaps the most dangerous of the lions, despite being raised in a domestic situation. He would attack assistant director Doron Kauper, which required four and a half hours of surgery to survive. Twenty of the crew walked out and would not come back.
Man, I know way too much trivia about this film. Like how Ted Cassidy - Lurch from The Addams Family - was a writer. That three of the animals had to be shot by sheriffs after they escaped during the flood. And that was one of the other lions was named Christian and he'd live with the aforementioned Togar, which means smoke.
As for the actual movie, I'd describe it as a cross between Born Free, The Birds and Jackass. It is less a narrative film when you know the story behind the movie.
Noel Marshall was William Peter Blatty's agent and the executive producer of that film before he decided to make this movie. Perhaps the problem is what we often discuss: the auteur complex.
Marshall wrote, co-produced, and starred in this movie alongside his then-wife, The Birds star Tippi Hedren, his stepdaughter Melanie Griffith and his sons Jerry and John.
During the filming of Mr. Kingstreet's War, Marshall and Hedren got the idea to make this film about the plight of big cats called Lions, Lions and More Lions.
They approached animal trainers for support on the training of numerous big cats, and were told the idea was impossible. Each cat would need at least two trainers on set at all time. They dismissed these experts, as we'll soon learn more about.
Hedren originally wanted actor Jack Nicholson to play the lead role, but Marshall decided to play that part.
The six months of production stretched into three years of shooting and eleven total years of production. The lions would live in Marshall's homes and would eventually reach more than 130 lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars and cougars.
I referred to this film being cursed earlier. Instead of theory and conjecture, ala that Shudder show, let me give you facts: seventy people were injured during the making of this movie. Marhsall's wounds got so bad that he got gangrene and nearly died, taking an entire year to recover. There was also a near Biblical series of calamoties, including a flood, a fire, a feline plague, destroyed equipment, Hedren breaking her leg after falling off an elephhant, John nearly being smothered by a lion and needing more than fifty stitches to his head and Melanie being attacked by a lion and needing facial reconstruction.
Two years in, most of the investors had left. Marshall would sell four houses to pay for the film, rebuild the sets and rehire a crew. At the end, the movie would cost $17 million to independently make; $48 million in today's money.
It would play theaters for a week and only bring in $2 million. Then, it went away for decades.
This is a movie that destroyed lives and a marriage.
A year after, Marshall and Hedren would split. His son John would tell Xfinity that, "Dad was crazy. He was absolutely bat expletive crazy. He was worse than the whole family put together. He was actually quite dangerous."
Marshall was known for screaming at the cast and crew, ignoring safe words and working to get a shot more than take care of them.
Jan de Bont, who would go on to shoot Cujo, Basic Instinct and, yes, Leonard Part 6 before directing Speed, Twister and The Haunting, was the cinematographer on this film. He was scalped by a lion and needed more than two hundred stitches. Of the film, he said, "The technical problems were gigantic. When you shoot with five cameras simultaneously, each has to be ingeniously disguised so they don't appear in the shots. This was my first Hollywood film. And I'll never be the same again."
Togar was one of the lead lions. He was adopted from Anton Lavey, the leader of the Church of Satan, who could no longer keep him in his small San Francisco apartment. He was perhaps the most dangerous of the lions, despite being raised in a domestic situation. He would attack assistant director Doron Kauper, which required four and a half hours of surgery to survive. Twenty of the crew walked out and would not come back.
Man, I know way too much trivia about this film. Like how Ted Cassidy - Lurch from The Addams Family - was a writer. That three of the animals had to be shot by sheriffs after they escaped during the flood. And that was one of the other lions was named Christian and he'd live with the aforementioned Togar, which means smoke.
As for the actual movie, I'd describe it as a cross between Born Free, The Birds and Jackass. It is less a narrative film when you know the story behind the movie.
Totally insane, one of a kind movie...
Red-Barracuda19 June 2015
You know what? Sometimes words really aren't enough to do justice to something.
Roar has to be without a doubt the most insanely unsafe cinematic undertaking I have ever had the pleasure of watching. The unbelievably high level of danger is quite frankly there for everyone to see up on the screen as we watch a group of actors interact with over one hundred big cats with no protection whatsoever! It was inspired by the success of the lion drama Born Free (1966). And you might make the observation that there is fifteen years between these two movies and think this strange, well that's because this flick took eleven years from start to finish! Its production met with all manner of set-backs such as fire, flood and disease; each of which put the film's schedule back. But more to the point, it was as dangerous to work on as it looks on screen. The opening credits state that no animals were hurt in the making of the film, what they could not say with as much confidence was that there were no humans hurt! As it was, seventy cast and crew were injured, including cinematographer Jan de Bont who was partially scalped, Tippi Hedren had her neck bitten, Melanie Griffiths almost lost an eye, Jerry and John Marshall both required extensive stitches, while Noel Marshall was attacked so often it took years for him to recover from his injuries. When you watch Noel in action in this film it is not exactly hard to see why! In fact some of the injuries can be seen happening on screen. It is madness, pure and utter madness.
But because of this, it makes for highly entertaining and bizarre viewing. Unfortunately, the public back in 1981 didn't seem to agree and Roar was a box office disaster. To be honest, this is not entirely surprising as this feels far more like a cult movie than blockbuster material, given its utter strangeness. For a start it doesn't really have a plot and it boils down to a few events that bring our human cast into contact with the big cats. The story barely makes sense if you think about it very long. But who needs a story when you've got this insanity on screen? The madness and health and safety black hole that the events on screen represent mean that a story needs be no more than an afterthought. For what it's worth, Noel Marshall - wrote, starred, directed and financed it and his wife Tippi Hedren, who was a wildlife activist who campaigned for the protection of big cats, was the big name draw. Hedren, of course, was previously most well-known for her starring role in The Birds (1963) where she was famously mauled and scratched by an assortment of flying fiends. Well, all I can say is that what she experiences on Roar makes the actions of the birds in Alfred Hitchcock's classic seem positively reticent by comparison.
The actors are all splendidly game and deserve huge amounts of credit for their nerve but the real stars of Roar are the big cats and rampaging elephants. This is the ultimate wet dream for any lover of the big cats in particular and we have the very strange scenario of seeing lions, cheetahs, panthers, leopards and tigers interacting with each other. Watching them violently wrestle is a pretty nerve shredding thing, except if you are Noel Marshall that is, he usually runs in to join them! But on the whole, while there are a few continuity errors and the editing is full-on and sporadic, this is exciting stuff that could never in a million years be described as boring. It truly defines the term 'one of a kind'. With health and safety legislation what it is now, there is no way in hell there will ever be another film like Roar. It's truly unique and I sure lapped it up.
Roar has to be without a doubt the most insanely unsafe cinematic undertaking I have ever had the pleasure of watching. The unbelievably high level of danger is quite frankly there for everyone to see up on the screen as we watch a group of actors interact with over one hundred big cats with no protection whatsoever! It was inspired by the success of the lion drama Born Free (1966). And you might make the observation that there is fifteen years between these two movies and think this strange, well that's because this flick took eleven years from start to finish! Its production met with all manner of set-backs such as fire, flood and disease; each of which put the film's schedule back. But more to the point, it was as dangerous to work on as it looks on screen. The opening credits state that no animals were hurt in the making of the film, what they could not say with as much confidence was that there were no humans hurt! As it was, seventy cast and crew were injured, including cinematographer Jan de Bont who was partially scalped, Tippi Hedren had her neck bitten, Melanie Griffiths almost lost an eye, Jerry and John Marshall both required extensive stitches, while Noel Marshall was attacked so often it took years for him to recover from his injuries. When you watch Noel in action in this film it is not exactly hard to see why! In fact some of the injuries can be seen happening on screen. It is madness, pure and utter madness.
But because of this, it makes for highly entertaining and bizarre viewing. Unfortunately, the public back in 1981 didn't seem to agree and Roar was a box office disaster. To be honest, this is not entirely surprising as this feels far more like a cult movie than blockbuster material, given its utter strangeness. For a start it doesn't really have a plot and it boils down to a few events that bring our human cast into contact with the big cats. The story barely makes sense if you think about it very long. But who needs a story when you've got this insanity on screen? The madness and health and safety black hole that the events on screen represent mean that a story needs be no more than an afterthought. For what it's worth, Noel Marshall - wrote, starred, directed and financed it and his wife Tippi Hedren, who was a wildlife activist who campaigned for the protection of big cats, was the big name draw. Hedren, of course, was previously most well-known for her starring role in The Birds (1963) where she was famously mauled and scratched by an assortment of flying fiends. Well, all I can say is that what she experiences on Roar makes the actions of the birds in Alfred Hitchcock's classic seem positively reticent by comparison.
The actors are all splendidly game and deserve huge amounts of credit for their nerve but the real stars of Roar are the big cats and rampaging elephants. This is the ultimate wet dream for any lover of the big cats in particular and we have the very strange scenario of seeing lions, cheetahs, panthers, leopards and tigers interacting with each other. Watching them violently wrestle is a pretty nerve shredding thing, except if you are Noel Marshall that is, he usually runs in to join them! But on the whole, while there are a few continuity errors and the editing is full-on and sporadic, this is exciting stuff that could never in a million years be described as boring. It truly defines the term 'one of a kind'. With health and safety legislation what it is now, there is no way in hell there will ever be another film like Roar. It's truly unique and I sure lapped it up.
Fauves walk
searchanddestroy-123 March 2018
Or Daktari meets a kind of Bill Dieterle's ELEPHANT WALK with lions and tigers instead of our pachyderm friends as the heavies of the film. Or, if you prefer, a sort of home invasion film with wild beasts instead of humans. You could decline the elements of this scheme for hours with all kinds of beasts. This most dangerous movie ever shot is far from being a masterpiece, but it remains worth watching. Poor Melanie Griffith who already had to deal with BIRDS nearly twenty years earlier, now she has to face wild animals !!!!
Irresponsible and confused
gbill-7487725 September 2020
Probably the best part of this was when the canoe carrying the family capsized, and someone in the group I was watching with quipped, "That's why they call her 'Tippy' Hedren." Another quality moment is when a lion skateboards, sort of. As for the rest, it's simply dreadful, despite the sheer spectacle of a swarm of big cats putting the lives of the cast and crew at incredible risk. The film is remarkably confused, showing the animals as a violent menace for 85 minutes, and then as sweet cuddly creatures for the last 10, at which point it cuts over to incredibly cheesy music.
If you're looking for a coherent film with any semblance of acting or a story, don't bother. If you're looking for an eyebrow raising exercise in imbecility, this is your film. It's hard to fathom this being viewed as something that sticks up for animal rights given how overcrowded, misguided, and dangerous it was, despite the American Human Society disclaimer at the beginning and conservation message at the end. It feels a lot more like a vanity project straight out of Tiger King, and about as stupid.
If you're looking for a coherent film with any semblance of acting or a story, don't bother. If you're looking for an eyebrow raising exercise in imbecility, this is your film. It's hard to fathom this being viewed as something that sticks up for animal rights given how overcrowded, misguided, and dangerous it was, despite the American Human Society disclaimer at the beginning and conservation message at the end. It feels a lot more like a vanity project straight out of Tiger King, and about as stupid.
In the belly of the beast they ROAR!
Deepack21 December 2001
There's nothing fake about this film. It's shot beautifully, on real locations. Tippi Hedren and Melanie Griffith head a talented and fearless cast, who literally throw themselves in the jaws of the beasts over and over again. The picture has a terrific rhythm and is fun to watch but I couldn't help dwelling upon how dangerous a film it must have been to make. Although there were some poignant and funny moments like the scenes where dauntless John Marshall tries to pull his boat away from the shore but the lion keeps pulling it back or when he hides in a barrel filled with water and the lions begin to drink from it. The story seems simplistic in structure but is really quite profound in the way Marshall draws sympathy for the animals, brilliantly shot by John De Bont. The closeups of the dying beasts will bring tears to your eyes. This is must see for anyone who believes that filmmaking is artificial and safe.
Holy Roar
caroline_chupaa11 April 2021
This movie is truly terrifying. I can't imagine being chased by 100+ lions and tigers.
Crazy how this movie even got made. But at least it's entertaining and one of a kind. Worth seeing, unlike anything you've ever seen and will come across when it comes to wild life.
Crazy how this movie even got made. But at least it's entertaining and one of a kind. Worth seeing, unlike anything you've ever seen and will come across when it comes to wild life.
SPINELESS GARBAGE
Norwegianheretic12 September 2003
This movie, which I understand took years and years to make, should have been left unmade. The one man show of Noel Marshall, the producer-director-writer-star and who knows what else, is another example of how a Hollywood personality (in this case a former agent) makes it big (with the Exorcist) and blows his money to make a ludicrous vanity project. The story, which makes Marshall out to be a Hemingway warrior type, is laughable excrement. There are no characterizations and no intelligence behind the film making. The animals are good. They would have been better if they had eaten Noel Marshall.
A UNIQUE MOVIE EXPERIENCE
hagl7531 March 2004
I first saw this movie as a child and it has always stayed in my memory as an enjoyable experience. I just watched it recently as an adult and found it every bit as enjoyable as before. It's directed by Noel Marshall who spent a decade making this film. What really works the best is the fantastic music score. Unlike some films today, "Roar" doesn't drag on for hours and has no shallow character's or bad CGI. This is the way films should be made. Real lions and tigers involved in this amusing story of a family arriving at the wrong time to be greeted by the local wildlife. I don't understand the other reviewer and their negative comments. Watch this for yourself. It's not spineless garbage but a passionate and thoughtful film. Thank you for reading.
A real curiosity of a movie.
Hey_Sweden4 September 2022
Conceived by writer-director Noel Marshall, "Roar" is an insane animal-attack thriller clearly made with a LOT of cojones. Marshall plays Hank, an eccentric big cat lover in Africa who lets the beasts run wild over his estate. But his family is soon to be visiting, and they won't know just what is in store for them. They are then repeatedly menaced by the big furry predators, over and over in a practically plotless movie, while Hank, who has ended up miles away, hurries to get back to the property. And in the meantime, the vindictive Prentiss (Steve Miller) is determined to seriously cull the animal population.
Although obviously made with a lot of passion for big cats and the protection of wildlife, Marshall and company give you the impression that they were absolutely certifiable. This is some of the most reckless filmmaking that you'll ever see, with cast and crew often in real danger. A trouble-plagued production (with setbacks ranging from fire to flood to disease) that spanned several years, it resulted in serious maiming of 70 or so people - including young Melanie Griffith, Marshalls' stepdaughter at the time. Also co-starring Marshalls' then-wife Tippi Hedren (Griffiths' mother), and his sons Jerry and John, this doesn't give its cast fully-fleshed out characters to play, but just has them *react* a lot to the big cats, who were NOT trained and who were basically given free reign.
It's these very qualities that make "Roar" an interesting curio that is the kind of thing that film lovers just have to see for themselves.
One definite asset is the widescreen photography; the cinematographer Jan de Bont (also one of the camera operators) was one of the personnel that came to harm during the production; he was scalped by one of the lions!
One appropriate postscript is that Hedren DID become an animal-rights advocate afterwards, and presides over an animal preserve outside of Los Angeles.
Six out of 10.
Although obviously made with a lot of passion for big cats and the protection of wildlife, Marshall and company give you the impression that they were absolutely certifiable. This is some of the most reckless filmmaking that you'll ever see, with cast and crew often in real danger. A trouble-plagued production (with setbacks ranging from fire to flood to disease) that spanned several years, it resulted in serious maiming of 70 or so people - including young Melanie Griffith, Marshalls' stepdaughter at the time. Also co-starring Marshalls' then-wife Tippi Hedren (Griffiths' mother), and his sons Jerry and John, this doesn't give its cast fully-fleshed out characters to play, but just has them *react* a lot to the big cats, who were NOT trained and who were basically given free reign.
It's these very qualities that make "Roar" an interesting curio that is the kind of thing that film lovers just have to see for themselves.
One definite asset is the widescreen photography; the cinematographer Jan de Bont (also one of the camera operators) was one of the personnel that came to harm during the production; he was scalped by one of the lions!
One appropriate postscript is that Hedren DID become an animal-rights advocate afterwards, and presides over an animal preserve outside of Los Angeles.
Six out of 10.
Unsettling and nerve wracking to watch.
Agent1024 November 2021
We all saw the original trailer released by Drafthouse. It looked whimsical and weird, but boy were we in for a trip.
Just watching this film leaves you with an eye opening experience. Every shot, and I mean every shot....feels tense. There is impending doom when you see the actors "play" and "frolic" with these untamed animals. To be honest, it was more intense than the trailer ever could have led on. Real injuries were being shown on screen. Real people were being "playfully" chewed on by various big cats. I can't imagine the wild conversations and fights that must have resulted from the filming of this mess. Either way, the stories about the film are just as insane as the movie itself.
I will be honest. This film has absolutely no plot. This is mainly the result of trying to film cats doing interesting things and then cobble a story together. It's not very entertaining, but the sheer craziness of each scene will keep you engrossed. Personally, this film should be in the Library of Congress. We will never see anything like this again, especially now that we are in an age where even movies that feature prominent animals have CGI (and obviously fake) animals. Watch and see just how wild some people can be.
Just watching this film leaves you with an eye opening experience. Every shot, and I mean every shot....feels tense. There is impending doom when you see the actors "play" and "frolic" with these untamed animals. To be honest, it was more intense than the trailer ever could have led on. Real injuries were being shown on screen. Real people were being "playfully" chewed on by various big cats. I can't imagine the wild conversations and fights that must have resulted from the filming of this mess. Either way, the stories about the film are just as insane as the movie itself.
I will be honest. This film has absolutely no plot. This is mainly the result of trying to film cats doing interesting things and then cobble a story together. It's not very entertaining, but the sheer craziness of each scene will keep you engrossed. Personally, this film should be in the Library of Congress. We will never see anything like this again, especially now that we are in an age where even movies that feature prominent animals have CGI (and obviously fake) animals. Watch and see just how wild some people can be.
Must see
harrihuhtakallio26 August 2021
Horrible
thedivinewoman22 April 2021
Animal exploitation of the worst kind. I don't give a damn about all the actors and crew involved, they were willing participants, but, the use of wild animals for entertainment is horrible.
No real story line, terrible acting, possibly one of the worst things I have seen. I would love to give it a 0/10, but, can't.
My advice to any true animal lover is to avoid because there is nothing nice about seeing animals fighting and those fights being real.
No real story line, terrible acting, possibly one of the worst things I have seen. I would love to give it a 0/10, but, can't.
My advice to any true animal lover is to avoid because there is nothing nice about seeing animals fighting and those fights being real.
this movie shouldn't exist, but it does, so I watched it, and good god...
Quinoa198424 November 2015
Noel Marshall and Tippi Hedren certainly had a, uh, interesting relationship for a while there in the 70's and early 80's. I don't know what their marriage was like behind closed doors of course, but somehow it's a great gift to the Earth that they produced the film ROAR. Why this is can't be easily explained in a review, but I can try with this: it's about a family that lives with lions and tigers and some elephants and panthers too. Or rather it's about a guy who LOVES these lions and tigers (by the way, why tigers, shouldn't they be in India and, oh, nevermind) and panthers and so on, and invites his wife to come live with him along with her and his kids. So here comes Tippi Hedren and actual real life children Melanie Griffith and John and Jerry (Marshall's kids), and when they arrive Noel is out uh doing stuff out in the plains or jungle, and they have to contend with a house full of lions. Oh, and these were UNTRAINED LIONS by the way.
In a way I should be critical of Roar. Marshall, with the exception of one sequence that takes on the qualities of a Night of the Living Dead picture with wild cats in place of the un-dead, doesn't really set up suspense very well. The fascination with watching Roar is basic but constant: these are real people, many of them likely not exactly used to the f***ing idea of hanging out with things like lions and tigers, being knocked around, chased, bombarded by their paws and jaws and bodies, and that should in all likelihood they could/should kill these people.
There's also the behind the scenes drama that imbues real danger with what's on screen so much; right on the cover of the blu-ray it states that 70 cast/crew were harmed, and looking up who got what is just staggering (to give you an idea of the extent, director of photography Jan de Bont got his skull practically knocked off, and Melanie Griffith got facial reconstructive surgery, though the fact that we didn't notice in those movies she starred in in the 80's shows how good that surgery must have been). If there was a documentary on the making of this film it might make Herzog's Grizzly Man look like kids stuff.
Indeed the hero to me of this film is de Bont; he gets his camera into places that I just couldn't think would be possible, right in the faces of these lions, capturing action that seems impossible - certainly with the knowledge that these lions didn't have proper, you know, TRAINERS. It's just a feeling of constant WTF that goes on with this - likely why it got picked up by Drafthouse Films as Drafthouse CEO Tim League is all about finding the freshest and brightest of those WHAT IS THIS sort of flick (they also released Miami Connection some years back) - and it's amazing just on that basis alone. It's also just hysterically funny in that way that the movie lacks that awareness of the danger. Or, let me rephrase that, I think the director knew that there would be danger with these cats, but, well, why carp? The attitude is that Man is the biggest enemy - the closest thing to antagonists are under-developed hunters, you know they are as they get lines showing that I guess and they have the guns - and that, with the exception of one memorable/super-bloody lion named Togar, the lions would be just peaceful and lovable creatures if left alone.
But the ethos of the filmmakers is constantly at odds with what IS shown on screen. The actors, to their credit (at least Hedren and Griffith to an extent), get this and play this fear well through a long mid-section. There's really the feeling like there isn't really any, shall we say, 'acting' going on here; to this end, Melanie is named Melanie as are the Marshall sons, though why Hedren is a different character name is anyone's guess. I'd be surprised if there even was a solid script - how do you get these lions et al to do the things they do? It's an entirely maddening enterprise to see unfold, the kind of movie that shouldn't have been made, and may even be (borderline?) unethical, but as it is here you can't look away from the metaphorical train-wreck.
In a way I should be critical of Roar. Marshall, with the exception of one sequence that takes on the qualities of a Night of the Living Dead picture with wild cats in place of the un-dead, doesn't really set up suspense very well. The fascination with watching Roar is basic but constant: these are real people, many of them likely not exactly used to the f***ing idea of hanging out with things like lions and tigers, being knocked around, chased, bombarded by their paws and jaws and bodies, and that should in all likelihood they could/should kill these people.
There's also the behind the scenes drama that imbues real danger with what's on screen so much; right on the cover of the blu-ray it states that 70 cast/crew were harmed, and looking up who got what is just staggering (to give you an idea of the extent, director of photography Jan de Bont got his skull practically knocked off, and Melanie Griffith got facial reconstructive surgery, though the fact that we didn't notice in those movies she starred in in the 80's shows how good that surgery must have been). If there was a documentary on the making of this film it might make Herzog's Grizzly Man look like kids stuff.
Indeed the hero to me of this film is de Bont; he gets his camera into places that I just couldn't think would be possible, right in the faces of these lions, capturing action that seems impossible - certainly with the knowledge that these lions didn't have proper, you know, TRAINERS. It's just a feeling of constant WTF that goes on with this - likely why it got picked up by Drafthouse Films as Drafthouse CEO Tim League is all about finding the freshest and brightest of those WHAT IS THIS sort of flick (they also released Miami Connection some years back) - and it's amazing just on that basis alone. It's also just hysterically funny in that way that the movie lacks that awareness of the danger. Or, let me rephrase that, I think the director knew that there would be danger with these cats, but, well, why carp? The attitude is that Man is the biggest enemy - the closest thing to antagonists are under-developed hunters, you know they are as they get lines showing that I guess and they have the guns - and that, with the exception of one memorable/super-bloody lion named Togar, the lions would be just peaceful and lovable creatures if left alone.
But the ethos of the filmmakers is constantly at odds with what IS shown on screen. The actors, to their credit (at least Hedren and Griffith to an extent), get this and play this fear well through a long mid-section. There's really the feeling like there isn't really any, shall we say, 'acting' going on here; to this end, Melanie is named Melanie as are the Marshall sons, though why Hedren is a different character name is anyone's guess. I'd be surprised if there even was a solid script - how do you get these lions et al to do the things they do? It's an entirely maddening enterprise to see unfold, the kind of movie that shouldn't have been made, and may even be (borderline?) unethical, but as it is here you can't look away from the metaphorical train-wreck.
The Most Dangerous Movie Ever Made
elicopperman11 September 2020
Arguably one of the most dangerous attempts at making a movie has to be the controversial adventure-comedy Roar, the brainchild of Hollywood producer Noel Marshall. What started as an observatory for Marshall's then wife Tippi Hedren to protect lions and other wild cats, they spent their lives with these animals, and then decided to make a movie around said cats, which ended up taking years to make due to the untrained animals causing problems for the crew. Nowadays, it is highly regarded as a cult classic "the most dangerous film ever made", and while it might not pass as a cohesive feature, it's sure a fascinating sight to behold.
The film focuses on a naturalist named Hank residing on an African nature preserve with lions, tigers, and other big cats, who end up confronting his visiting family. As far as the storyline goes, that's as basic as the movie gets, and it doesn't help that much of the film's plot barely has any focus at all. One minute the movie will focus on Hank and his friend Mativo trying to preserve the cats, then it will focus on Hank' family barely surviving the animals, then it will focus on these supposed evil poachers trying to kill the cats for no other reason than because they're dangerous, with no proper cohesion. A large part of the lack of narrative consistency is because of the disastrous production the movie went through given the trouble the wild cats inflicted on the crew, so whenever they would attempt a story, the animals would mess things up. As a result, the movie is often really tedious to sit through, as you're more annoyed by the characters in danger than you are fearing for their lives. Plus, the ending moral is very confusing, since it feels like a contradiction of all the terror these cats inflicted on the characters.
However, in spite of the weak story and questionable morality, what does make the movie somewhat worth checking out is everything revolving around the cats. What's funny about the movie is that some of the cats got actor credits, and one can tell how important their roles were in this feature, whether it'd be intentional or unintentional. Although one can tell it was a nightmare just to control them during the making of the film, the shear antics they cause are beyond fascinating. Anytime they come on screen, you can never tell what they're gonna do next, even if it means mistaking the cast as prey. There's even a variety of other animals from tigers, to panthers and even some angry elephants, so you know there's never just one threat of lions lurking about. In addition to their frightening presence, there are times when the film shows off how friendly they can be if given the necessary time of day, which is where the film occasionally shows off its more heartfelt side. I never thought I'd see the day where animals overrule humans in a movie's creative decisions.
So overall. while Roar might not work that well as a cohesive movie, it's still an intriguing watch for its unpredictability and wild animals. Even though this movie did nothing but damage to Marshall and Hedren's lives during the making and aftermath (they lost a lot of money on it), it's still worth preserving in the history books as a fascinating specimen. We all now know why it's never a good idea to film a movie with a large variety of wild animals as the co-stars, but it took brawn over brains to really hammer that point in. And for that, Roar will go down as one of the most important studies in filmmaking.
The film focuses on a naturalist named Hank residing on an African nature preserve with lions, tigers, and other big cats, who end up confronting his visiting family. As far as the storyline goes, that's as basic as the movie gets, and it doesn't help that much of the film's plot barely has any focus at all. One minute the movie will focus on Hank and his friend Mativo trying to preserve the cats, then it will focus on Hank' family barely surviving the animals, then it will focus on these supposed evil poachers trying to kill the cats for no other reason than because they're dangerous, with no proper cohesion. A large part of the lack of narrative consistency is because of the disastrous production the movie went through given the trouble the wild cats inflicted on the crew, so whenever they would attempt a story, the animals would mess things up. As a result, the movie is often really tedious to sit through, as you're more annoyed by the characters in danger than you are fearing for their lives. Plus, the ending moral is very confusing, since it feels like a contradiction of all the terror these cats inflicted on the characters.
However, in spite of the weak story and questionable morality, what does make the movie somewhat worth checking out is everything revolving around the cats. What's funny about the movie is that some of the cats got actor credits, and one can tell how important their roles were in this feature, whether it'd be intentional or unintentional. Although one can tell it was a nightmare just to control them during the making of the film, the shear antics they cause are beyond fascinating. Anytime they come on screen, you can never tell what they're gonna do next, even if it means mistaking the cast as prey. There's even a variety of other animals from tigers, to panthers and even some angry elephants, so you know there's never just one threat of lions lurking about. In addition to their frightening presence, there are times when the film shows off how friendly they can be if given the necessary time of day, which is where the film occasionally shows off its more heartfelt side. I never thought I'd see the day where animals overrule humans in a movie's creative decisions.
So overall. while Roar might not work that well as a cohesive movie, it's still an intriguing watch for its unpredictability and wild animals. Even though this movie did nothing but damage to Marshall and Hedren's lives during the making and aftermath (they lost a lot of money on it), it's still worth preserving in the history books as a fascinating specimen. We all now know why it's never a good idea to film a movie with a large variety of wild animals as the co-stars, but it took brawn over brains to really hammer that point in. And for that, Roar will go down as one of the most important studies in filmmaking.
Hark! I Hear the Lions Roar. (Is It the King Approaching? I Sure Hope Not...)
genekim5 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
"Roar" is a movie that manages to be nerve-wracking as well as tedious to sit through. Tedious because there's no story to speak of; nerve-wracking because of what the cast and crew reportedly went through to produce it.
"Roar" is about an American named Hank (Noel Marshall) who has gone to Africa where he can study lions up close - *really* close. To this end, he's constructed a private refuge and house where lions are free to wander about, inside and out. A *lot* of lions. And tigers. And leopards. And cougars. On this particular day, Hank is awaiting a visit from his estranged wife Madelaine (Tippi Hedren) and their grown children, who have traveled all the way from the States. But due to a lack of communications, Hank spends several hours headed to the airfield while his wife, sons and daughter make it to the refuge on their own. Once there, wife and kids are intimidated, when not downright terrified, by their close encounters with Hank's "friends" until they eventually decide the creatures aren't so bad after all. Dad finally shows up - and that's it, really. That's the whole movie, aside from a half-hearted subplot involving a couple of villainous big game poachers. You'd think that once the family settles down, "Roar" would start to tell a real story about something more substantial, but instead we get a cheerful, hopeful song accompanying a montage of the family interacting with the animals, and... the movie ends. (Just as well. At this point, I really didn't want it to keep going.)
Said to have been a pet project (you should forgive the term) of Tippi Hedren and her then- husband, Noel Marshall, "Roar" reportedly cost $17 million, much of it their own money, and earned back only a fraction of its cost. It's certainly a sincere and heartfelt plea for wildlife conservation. But as I sat there, the film's opening disclaimer about how only "untrained animals" were used kept rattling in my brain.
Untrained animals. It was alarming to see all these lovingly filmed scenes of lions playing (i.e. fighting) with each other. And seeing the actors let themselves be swarmed or pursued by the lions was downright heart-pounding. (I soon lost track of how many times I silently shouted, "Are you crazy?") "Roar" was a true family affair, with Noel Marshall's real-life sons and Tippi Hedren's real-life daughter, Melanie Griffith, playing the kids. (If I ever get to meet Melanie Griffith, who here plays a character named "Melanie," I must ask her about the scene in which she allowed one of the lions to pin her to the floor, face-down.)
"Roar" seems to tell you that lions are just a bunch of oversized pussycats with big, sharp claws - treat 'em right, don't let them sense fear, stand up to them when necessary, let them lick and paw you to their hearts' content, and everything will be just fine, the occasional bad scratch notwithstanding. The thing is, just about everyone connected with this production was injured by the animals at one point or another, including the actors. (By unhappy happenstance, I saw this film about a month after the death in South Africa of Hollywood visual effects editor Katherine Chappell, who'd made the awful mistake of rolling down a car window during a visit to a lion park to take a picture, and was attacked and fatally bitten by a lioness.)
Perhaps instead of making a "real" movie, Hedren and Marshall would have done better to have made a documentary about the wildlife they obviously admire so much. And speaking of documentary, if they had done a behind-the-scenes film about the making of this movie, that film could very well have been much more interesting than "Roar."
By the way, "Roar" was beautifully photographed in Metrocolor. As in MGM. As in... lion? (Coincidence? Of course, but I couldn't resist.)
"Roar" is about an American named Hank (Noel Marshall) who has gone to Africa where he can study lions up close - *really* close. To this end, he's constructed a private refuge and house where lions are free to wander about, inside and out. A *lot* of lions. And tigers. And leopards. And cougars. On this particular day, Hank is awaiting a visit from his estranged wife Madelaine (Tippi Hedren) and their grown children, who have traveled all the way from the States. But due to a lack of communications, Hank spends several hours headed to the airfield while his wife, sons and daughter make it to the refuge on their own. Once there, wife and kids are intimidated, when not downright terrified, by their close encounters with Hank's "friends" until they eventually decide the creatures aren't so bad after all. Dad finally shows up - and that's it, really. That's the whole movie, aside from a half-hearted subplot involving a couple of villainous big game poachers. You'd think that once the family settles down, "Roar" would start to tell a real story about something more substantial, but instead we get a cheerful, hopeful song accompanying a montage of the family interacting with the animals, and... the movie ends. (Just as well. At this point, I really didn't want it to keep going.)
Said to have been a pet project (you should forgive the term) of Tippi Hedren and her then- husband, Noel Marshall, "Roar" reportedly cost $17 million, much of it their own money, and earned back only a fraction of its cost. It's certainly a sincere and heartfelt plea for wildlife conservation. But as I sat there, the film's opening disclaimer about how only "untrained animals" were used kept rattling in my brain.
Untrained animals. It was alarming to see all these lovingly filmed scenes of lions playing (i.e. fighting) with each other. And seeing the actors let themselves be swarmed or pursued by the lions was downright heart-pounding. (I soon lost track of how many times I silently shouted, "Are you crazy?") "Roar" was a true family affair, with Noel Marshall's real-life sons and Tippi Hedren's real-life daughter, Melanie Griffith, playing the kids. (If I ever get to meet Melanie Griffith, who here plays a character named "Melanie," I must ask her about the scene in which she allowed one of the lions to pin her to the floor, face-down.)
"Roar" seems to tell you that lions are just a bunch of oversized pussycats with big, sharp claws - treat 'em right, don't let them sense fear, stand up to them when necessary, let them lick and paw you to their hearts' content, and everything will be just fine, the occasional bad scratch notwithstanding. The thing is, just about everyone connected with this production was injured by the animals at one point or another, including the actors. (By unhappy happenstance, I saw this film about a month after the death in South Africa of Hollywood visual effects editor Katherine Chappell, who'd made the awful mistake of rolling down a car window during a visit to a lion park to take a picture, and was attacked and fatally bitten by a lioness.)
Perhaps instead of making a "real" movie, Hedren and Marshall would have done better to have made a documentary about the wildlife they obviously admire so much. And speaking of documentary, if they had done a behind-the-scenes film about the making of this movie, that film could very well have been much more interesting than "Roar."
By the way, "Roar" was beautifully photographed in Metrocolor. As in MGM. As in... lion? (Coincidence? Of course, but I couldn't resist.)
Well worth viewing.
rlillig1 January 2004
Having both seen the film & visited the amazing home of the star, Tippie Hedren, to see the wonderful animals, I can't recommend the film highly enough. Cats of different species living together in the beautiful setting of Roar is stunning to see. Ms. Hedren shares her home at Shambala with as many as 80 great cats of all varieties, & provides a permanent home for them. The Roar film project taught Ms. Hedren & her family the importance of protecting these "wild ones" & she shares this with the public by opening her home twice a month to visitors over 18 years of age. I have experienced being up close & personal with the "wild ones" at Shambala twice & was able to, in a very special way, live "Roar". See the film & visit Shambala, you will be very happy you did.
40 years on
safenoe12 February 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I saw Roar in the cinemas all those years ago when people went to the cinema in droves.
There was so much drama behind the scenes as in real life many of the cast and crew suffered injuries. Now with CGI anything is possible without all those injuries, so Roar is quite a landmark in film production.
There was so much drama behind the scenes as in real life many of the cast and crew suffered injuries. Now with CGI anything is possible without all those injuries, so Roar is quite a landmark in film production.
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