The Crow was filmed in a coastal town, primarily at night, in February and March.
Winter. Temperatures dropped below 20 degrees Fahrenheit; it poured rain, drizzled,
and misted, most of the time, and when it did stop, they used rain machines and hosed
down the set to get that wet, gloomy-dark look. A hurricane destroyed the set and it
had to be rebuilt. There was no budget for medics; people got hurt, and the company
was fined. They had to hire medics--Clyde Baisey and Dione Kirby. And on it went,
one thing after another. A carpenter, in a cherry picker, was electrocuted when his
crane struck a high-power line. Though severely burned, he survived. A dissatisfied
worker rammed his vehicle through the plaster shop, causing extensive damage that
had to be fixed. Another worked stumbled and impaled a screwdriver through his
hand. A stunt man fell through the roof of one of the sets and broke several bones.
The grip truck burst into flames, destroying much of the cab's interior and equipment,
and had to be replaced. And on and on...
By all accounts, as the clock ticked toward half-past midnight, Wednesday, March 31, 1993, The Crow was
over-budget and over-time. And production crammed as much as they could into 6/24; they cut the so-called fat.
Can you say weapons specialist Jim Moyer? Out the door. That's the equivalent of kicking the anesthesiologist
out of the operating room after a 20-hour surgery. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, isn't it? And they had already
filmed some awesome shoot-em-up scenes without incident, had they not? And nothing bad ever happens doing
that stuff, anyway, right? Just ask Jon-Erik Hexum
and Vic Morrow. If You fail to remember the past it is doomed to be repeated.
On Tuesday, March 30, at 8 p.m., day 50, the cast and crew were on stage 4, at Carolco Studios., to film the
murder scene. In the comic book, Eric and Shelly are murdered on the roadside by a gang of hopped-up junkies;
in the screenplay, the lovers were to be murdered in their loft. They rehearsed the scene a couple of times, then
it was time to shoot.
Winter. Temperatures dropped below 20 degrees Fahrenheit; it poured rain, drizzled,
and misted, most of the time, and when it did stop, they used rain machines and hosed
down the set to get that wet, gloomy-dark look. A hurricane destroyed the set and it
had to be rebuilt. There was no budget for medics; people got hurt, and the company
was fined. They had to hire medics--Clyde Baisey and Dione Kirby. And on it went,
one thing after another. A carpenter, in a cherry picker, was electrocuted when his
crane struck a high-power line. Though severely burned, he survived. A dissatisfied
worker rammed his vehicle through the plaster shop, causing extensive damage that
had to be fixed. Another worked stumbled and impaled a screwdriver through his
hand. A stunt man fell through the roof of one of the sets and broke several bones.
The grip truck burst into flames, destroying much of the cab's interior and equipment,
and had to be replaced. And on and on...
By all accounts, as the clock ticked toward half-past midnight, Wednesday, March 31, 1993, The Crow was
over-budget and over-time. And production crammed as much as they could into 6/24; they cut the so-called fat.
Can you say weapons specialist Jim Moyer? Out the door. That's the equivalent of kicking the anesthesiologist
out of the operating room after a 20-hour surgery. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, isn't it? And they had already
filmed some awesome shoot-em-up scenes without incident, had they not? And nothing bad ever happens doing
that stuff, anyway, right? Just ask Jon-Erik Hexum
and Vic Morrow. If You fail to remember the past it is doomed to be repeated.
On Tuesday, March 30, at 8 p.m., day 50, the cast and crew were on stage 4, at Carolco Studios., to film the
murder scene. In the comic book, Eric and Shelly are murdered on the roadside by a gang of hopped-up junkies;
in the screenplay, the lovers were to be murdered in their loft. They rehearsed the scene a couple of times, then
it was time to shoot.
"My dad said time was the most valuable thing a person had...that really struck me. I've made a
conscious effort not to waste it."
--Brandon Bruce Lee, The Son of Bruce Breaks Loose, People, September 7, 1992
conscious effort not to waste it."
--Brandon Bruce Lee, The Son of Bruce Breaks Loose, People, September 7, 1992
Six months later, Brandon was dead in Wilmington.
Bruce Lee was a 22-year-old sophomore at the University of Washington and Linda Emery was a 17-year-old senior
at Garfield High School. He was dark; she was blonde. He was a martial artist; she was a cheerleader. She saw him
first when he came to her high school to lecture on Chinese philosophy. They met later when she went with a friend
to Bruce's Jeet Kune Do situ, the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. After class one day, they went to a Chinese
restaurant and that is where their love began to bloom.
They began dating in secret, because Linda feared her family wouldn't approve of their interracial
relationship. It wasn't long before they decided to marry.
at Garfield High School. He was dark; she was blonde. He was a martial artist; she was a cheerleader. She saw him
first when he came to her high school to lecture on Chinese philosophy. They met later when she went with a friend
to Bruce's Jeet Kune Do situ, the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. After class one day, they went to a Chinese
restaurant and that is where their love began to bloom.
They began dating in secret, because Linda feared her family wouldn't approve of their interracial
relationship. It wasn't long before they decided to marry.
When Bruce told his father that he was going to marry a white girl, Lee Hoi Chuen said that it would give
him much pleasure if his son married his own kind, but, if he truly loved Linda, the union had his blessings--after
all, Bruce's mother, Grace, was half German and half Chinese.
As she had feared, Linda’s family did not approve at all of their relationship. Linda's father had died when she was
young and her mother was understandably over-protective. She wanted the best for her only child, and she didn't
think Bruce Lee was it. Aside from the obvious, Mrs. Emery didn't think Bruce's teaching and Kung fu situhad a
future, much less support her daughter.
Determined to prove himself a worthy husband, Bruce opened another situ , Jan Fan Gung Fu Institute in Oakland,
California
In the end, the young lovers decided to elope, but when they applied for a marriage license, their names appeared in
the paper. One of Linda's aunts saw it, and the poop hit the high wind. A big family meeting was called to order
and the couple was called on the carpet. The aunt and her husband were religious and they thought interracial
marriage was an abomination. But nothing any of Linda's family said could persuade Linda and Bruce to even delay
their marriage, much less call the whole thing off. (Because Bruce died not many years after their marriage, and
their time together was so short, Linda has said that if they hadn't gotten married when they did there might not
have been a Brandon or a Shannon.)
Love won out.
Bruce Lee Jun Fan and Linda Emery were married at the Seattle Congregational Church, August 1964.
Then came Brandon.
Brandon Bruce Lee Gwok Ho was born in Oakland, CA, on Monday, February 1, 1965, on the Chinese New Year's
Eve, the last day of the Year of the Dragon. According to his mom, Linda, he had black hair that later
turned blond. His dad, Bruce, pronounced him the only blond, grey-eyed Chinaman on Earth. It grew
darker as he grew older. He was all boy, running circles around his mother, as boys will. According to the
Bruce Lee Movement, he was a tough kid, and Linda has said that he was hard to raise because he was always
challenging the norm. Bruce was away making movies much of the time and, although this made him sad,
he adored his father, who began training him in the martial art of Jeet Kune Do, when he was barely
walking, and later they appeared in expositions. He was a camera ham who always wanted to be an actor,
but not in his father's footsteps.
Brandon Lee was a rebel with a cause. He spent his whole life trying to erase that comma after his name, and would
have, had he time enough.
His father's death devastated him; he became a withdrawn, angry young man. Brandon was a poor
student, not for lack of intellect. He was just one of those bright students who do not see the need
for school and do not try or do not thrive in the traditional classroom. He had issues with authority,
always challenged the norm, and attended several high schools. When John Lennon was shot to
death in 1980, student union president Brandon dismissed his grade out of respect for the fallen
Beatle, and was expelled. He was expelled from Chadwick School, in Palos Verdes, CA,, for
insubordination, and never returned. He got his high school diploma at nearby Miraleste. He
attended Emerson Collage in Boston for a year; then transferred to New York City and attended the
Lee Strasberg Academy, and joined the famed Eric Morris's American Theatre Group. Linda has said
that while watching him act during those days she forgot he was her son.
According to Linda, Brandon's first role was at age six when he kicked his way though one of his father's early
films, but his first professional movie was Kung Fu: The Movie 1986, based on the hit TV show by the same name.
David Caradine was set to reprise the role of Chang Caine, the renegade Shoalin monk, who wanders
the West helping people in trouble. The TV series had been Bruce Lee's idea, but the producers didn't
want to cast him in the lead because he was too Chinese-looking. Duh. How much that affected
Brandon isanyone's guess, but when he was approached to play Caine's son in the movie version,
he was reluctant.He was unhappy about the martial arts stuff; he didn't want his own skills compared
with Bruce's and he felt doing the movie would cast him deeper into his father's shadow. The producers
sat him down and told him this movie would be the perfect vehicle to begin his career. In the end, of
course, he caved in.
He didn't want to do O'Hara, 1986, either, but, again, he gave into pressure from producers.
Unhappy with the roles he was being offered in the USA--like his father before him--Brandon Lee went to Hong
Kong and made action movies. He made Legacy of Rage in 1986. During the filming of Legacy, Brandon earned a
reputation of being an arrogant, rich brat, but a couple years later he had matured and come to terms with his
father's fame, blossoming into a sweet, charming young man, a joy to work with. Back in the USA, in 1987, he
made Kung Fu: The Next Generation, a modern version of the series, in the role of Johnny Caine, grandson of the
character he played in Kung Fu: The Movie. Laser Mission followed in 1990; Showdown in Little Tokyo 1991; and
Rapid Fire 1992.
He was offered the part of his father in Dragon: the Bruce Lee Story, but turned it down and opted to make The Crow.
The Crow is based on the comic book series by the same name, written and
illustrated by James O'Barr of Detroit, Michigan.
Ironically, just as the filming, in March 1993, died in tragedy, so the comic was born
in tragedy. When O'Barr was sixteen, he met the love of his life, and they planned
to marry after graduation. But when she was two weeks shy of eighteen, she was
struck and killed by a drunk driver, and O'Barr went into a tailspin of anger and
poisoned soul. Writing The Crow comics was his therapy, the way he worked that poison out of his life. Eric Draven
is James O'Barr. For years, he kept the comic for his eyes only. Then, one day, he showed it to Gary Reed, owner
of his comic book shop haunt, Comics Plus. Reed liked it so much he began publishing The Crow series, and Caliber
comics was born.
illustrated by James O'Barr of Detroit, Michigan.
Ironically, just as the filming, in March 1993, died in tragedy, so the comic was born
in tragedy. When O'Barr was sixteen, he met the love of his life, and they planned
to marry after graduation. But when she was two weeks shy of eighteen, she was
struck and killed by a drunk driver, and O'Barr went into a tailspin of anger and
poisoned soul. Writing The Crow comics was his therapy, the way he worked that poison out of his life. Eric Draven
is James O'Barr. For years, he kept the comic for his eyes only. Then, one day, he showed it to Gary Reed, owner
of his comic book shop haunt, Comics Plus. Reed liked it so much he began publishing The Crow series, and Caliber
comics was born.
The Series sold fairly well by word of mouth. And Hollywood called with an offer.
The writer turned producer John Shirley (The Specialist), Jeff Most (Top 40 Videos),
and Ed Pressman (Badlands) were directly responsible for leading The Crow into
production.
It has been said that Brandon Lee lobbied for the part of Eric Draven.
Perhaps--casting did consider Christian Slatter, Johnny Depp, River Phoenix, rocker
Charlie Sexton--but, in the end, Brandon Lee was the only actor offered the role. It's
screenplay waswritten by John Shirley and David J. Schow, directed by Alex Proyas, Carolco
Studios, Wilmington, N.C, on a low-budget start-out $11 million--some say $14--smackers sounds
like a lotof money, until you start cutting it into budgets for all your departments: payroll and
benefits, insurance, and incidentals; Brandon Lee was paid $300,000--another source says $750,000;
James O'Barr was paid the traditional $1 with more to come; the
costume department got $130,000 and so on down the line from photography to art, got their
respective budgets. The problem with fixing budgets is that things happen that no one can control.
Including Mother Nature. You can't control the weather. Them's the breaks.
Ed Pressman
Wednesday, March 31, 1993, shortly after midnight, wearing a leather jacket, snug velvet pants,
black boots, and a tee with his character's rock band, Hangman's Joke, emblazoned on the front,
carrying a grocery bag with a blood squib inside, Brandon Bruce
Lee as Eric Draven opens the prop door, steps into the loft set, before the rolling cameras. Michael
Massee's character Funboy, who is raping Shelly, whirls, waves and aims a .44 Magnum prop revolver
at Eric, and pulls the trigger. Boom! The squib discharges, splattering fake blood and milk from a
carton inside the grocery bag. Eric grabs his stomach, spins around, and slides down to sit on the
floor, with his back against a corner of the wall. This is not the way they had rehearsed the scene,
but everyone thought Brandon had just changed things on the spur of the moment, as he often did.
Director Proyas yelled "Cut!" But Brandon did not get up. Everyone thought he was pulling a prank,
as he often did. And the cast and crew went on filming.
black boots, and a tee with his character's rock band, Hangman's Joke, emblazoned on the front,
carrying a grocery bag with a blood squib inside, Brandon Bruce
Lee as Eric Draven opens the prop door, steps into the loft set, before the rolling cameras. Michael
Massee's character Funboy, who is raping Shelly, whirls, waves and aims a .44 Magnum prop revolver
at Eric, and pulls the trigger. Boom! The squib discharges, splattering fake blood and milk from a
carton inside the grocery bag. Eric grabs his stomach, spins around, and slides down to sit on the
floor, with his back against a corner of the wall. This is not the way they had rehearsed the scene,
but everyone thought Brandon had just changed things on the spur of the moment, as he often did.
Director Proyas yelled "Cut!" But Brandon did not get up. Everyone thought he was pulling a prank,
as he often did. And the cast and crew went on filming.
It took awhile for anyone to realize that something had gone terribly wrong. Brandon was not playing with them.
Brandon's best friend and stunt coordinator, Jeff Imada thought that Brandon had simply hit his head against the
wall and knocked himself out. He and others walked over and began talking to Brandon, who did not respond, but
sat there with a blank look in his gray eyes. Brandon's leather jacket was removed and they saw a tear in his
T-shirt. They pulled it up and discovered a scratch to the right of his naval. There was very little blood. Imada
thought the exploding squib had somehow injured Brandon. The cast and crew were ordered out of the room; most
left, but a few could not force themselves to walk past Brandon and out the door. So they waited, frozen, as the
medic, Clyde Baisey, worked on Brandon. Someone called 911. Paramedics slipped him into pressure pants to push
all of his blood toward his heart and brain and lungs, and rushed him to New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
Thirty minutes had passed since the shooting.
At the hospital, ER doctors began trying to stabilize Brandon Lee. They hooked him up with two IVs of blood, and
had x-rays taken. The x-rays revealed a projectile lodged against his spine. When they determined that he was as
stable as they could hope for, in that situation, he was rushed to the OR. The surgeon, Dr.
Warren W. McMurry, discovered that the projectile had entered the abdomen just below and to
the right of the belly button, punched through all the organs, into the center of the fork of the
artery that supplies blood to both legs, and slammed into the spine. Had it entered a fraction to
the left or right, Brandon Lee might have survived his wound. He spent five hours on the
operating table, doctors trying desperately in vain to staunch the internal bleeding, but Brandon's vascular system
had been devastated and the blood poured out, oozing from every orifice as fast as they could pump it back in. He
was eventually transfused with sixty pints of blood--enough for five grown men. Brandon Bruce Lee, son, brother,
friend, fiancé, actor, martial artist, budding guitarist, died at 1:03 P.M., some twelve and one-half hours after the
.44 lead tip slammed twisting into him.
Brandon's best friend and stunt coordinator, Jeff Imada thought that Brandon had simply hit his head against the
wall and knocked himself out. He and others walked over and began talking to Brandon, who did not respond, but
sat there with a blank look in his gray eyes. Brandon's leather jacket was removed and they saw a tear in his
T-shirt. They pulled it up and discovered a scratch to the right of his naval. There was very little blood. Imada
thought the exploding squib had somehow injured Brandon. The cast and crew were ordered out of the room; most
left, but a few could not force themselves to walk past Brandon and out the door. So they waited, frozen, as the
medic, Clyde Baisey, worked on Brandon. Someone called 911. Paramedics slipped him into pressure pants to push
all of his blood toward his heart and brain and lungs, and rushed him to New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
Thirty minutes had passed since the shooting.
At the hospital, ER doctors began trying to stabilize Brandon Lee. They hooked him up with two IVs of blood, and
had x-rays taken. The x-rays revealed a projectile lodged against his spine. When they determined that he was as
stable as they could hope for, in that situation, he was rushed to the OR. The surgeon, Dr.
Warren W. McMurry, discovered that the projectile had entered the abdomen just below and to
the right of the belly button, punched through all the organs, into the center of the fork of the
artery that supplies blood to both legs, and slammed into the spine. Had it entered a fraction to
the left or right, Brandon Lee might have survived his wound. He spent five hours on the
operating table, doctors trying desperately in vain to staunch the internal bleeding, but Brandon's vascular system
had been devastated and the blood poured out, oozing from every orifice as fast as they could pump it back in. He
was eventually transfused with sixty pints of blood--enough for five grown men. Brandon Bruce Lee, son, brother,
friend, fiancé, actor, martial artist, budding guitarist, died at 1:03 P.M., some twelve and one-half hours after the
.44 lead tip slammed twisting into him.
Eliza Hutton was present at the hospital when Brandon was pronounced
dead; a doctor gave her the news. Because of flight schedules, it took Linda
Lee Cadwell and Brandon's sister Shannon a whole day to reach Wilmington,
and they arrived well after Brandon died. Jeff Imada and Eliza met their
plane and gave them the news.
Brandon was laid to rest on April 3, 1993,
beside his father, at Lake View Cemetery, in
Seattle, Washington. The next day, a memorial
service was hosted at family friend Polly
Bergen's home in Beverly Hills. Members of
The Crow's cast and crew, David Caradine,
Kiefer Southerland, Lou Diamond Phillips,
Steven Seagel, who was not a friend or even an
acquaintance, and David Hasselhof, among
others, attended. Brandon's close friend
Melissa Etheridge sang.
dead; a doctor gave her the news. Because of flight schedules, it took Linda
Lee Cadwell and Brandon's sister Shannon a whole day to reach Wilmington,
and they arrived well after Brandon died. Jeff Imada and Eliza met their
plane and gave them the news.
Brandon was laid to rest on April 3, 1993,
beside his father, at Lake View Cemetery, in
Seattle, Washington. The next day, a memorial
service was hosted at family friend Polly
Bergen's home in Beverly Hills. Members of
The Crow's cast and crew, David Caradine,
Kiefer Southerland, Lou Diamond Phillips,
Steven Seagel, who was not a friend or even an
acquaintance, and David Hasselhof, among
others, attended. Brandon's close friend
Melissa Etheridge sang.
Why? How could The Crow's safety net fail so
miserably? Was Brandon's death accidental?
Or was he murdered? Was he the victim of the
Dragon's curse? The Chinese mafia?
Asian-hating Neo Nazis? Or the so-called Joy
Division Curse? Or was his death a hoax?
Is Brandon Lee still alive? Or was it a careless,
tragic accident?
Judge for yourself.
miserably? Was Brandon's death accidental?
Or was he murdered? Was he the victim of the
Dragon's curse? The Chinese mafia?
Asian-hating Neo Nazis? Or the so-called Joy
Division Curse? Or was his death a hoax?
Is Brandon Lee still alive? Or was it a careless,
tragic accident?
Judge for yourself.
| Part I: Child of Fate |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Alex Proyas
| GunSmoke |
| Filmlogy |
| Video |
