Roar (1981 film)
| Roar | |
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Official re-release poster
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| Directed by | Noel Marshall |
| Produced by |
Tippi Hedren Noel Marshall |
| Written by | Noel Marshall |
| Starring | Tippi Hedren Melanie Griffith Noel Marshall |
| Music by | Terrence P. Minogue |
| Cinematography | Jan de Bont |
| Distributed by |
Filmways Drafthouse Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $17 million |
| Box office | $2 million |
Roar is a 1981 American adventure exploitation film written and directed by Noel Marshall, produced by and starring Marshall and his then wife Tippi Hedren, and co-starring Hedren's real-life daughter Melanie Griffith and Marshall's real-life sons John and Jerry. . The film follows a family who are attacked by a range of ravening jungle animals at the secluded home of their keeper.
Roar became notorious for its troubled 11-year production, which resulted in 70 members of its cast and crew being injured by the many predatory animals used in the film, including its main stars sustaining life-threatening injuries ranging from bone fractures to scalpings and gangrene. Much of the footage capturing the injuries was included in the final cut of the film, resulting in real blood on screen. It has been considered the most dangerous film shoot in history.
The film was released theatrically in Europe in 1981, but was a financial failure. It was released theatrically in the United States for the first time on April 17, 2015. Hedren co-wrote the 1985 book Cats of Shambala about her experience of filming Roar.
Hank (Marshall) lives contentedly with his wild animals: two elephants, and 110 lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, cougars, and jaguars. One day, his wife (Hedren) and three children arrive to visit him. The only trouble is he is not at home, but all his animals are.
The film was conceived by Noel Marshall and Tippi Hedren after the two had completed a film together in Africa in 1969. The two came across an abandoned plantation house that had been overrun by a pride of lions, and were inspired by the discovery. Hedren, an animal rights activist, had envisioned making the film as a response to the dwindling population of endangered cats on the African continent.
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