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Brandon Lee Rare
Interview Germany 1992! 
After gathering a lot of information from diverse article and try to come up with a good biography, and knowing that there are a LOT of them on the web, writting one that would surpass them all seems practically impossible so I decided to include a text that came from The Crow: the movie book. The information is clear and accurate! Enjoy! =)
Full Name: Brandon Bruce Lee
Chinese Name: Lee Gwok Ho
D.O.B.: February 1st, 1965
D.O.D.: March 31, 1993
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Chinese Zodiac: Dragon
Place of Birth:
Oakland, California (East Oakland Hospital) He weighed 8Lbs, 11oz., had blond hair and grey eyes! His father used to say: "He is the only blond haired, grey eyed Chinaman in the world!"
Place of death:
Wilmington, North Carolina, while filming "The Crow". In Hannover Regional Medical Centre, at 1:04 pm. He was buried on April 3rd, next to his father in Lakeview Cemetary, Capitol Hill, Seattle. The memorial service took place at Polly Bergen's house.
Parents:
Linda Lee Emery (Cadwell) & Bruce Lee (Jun Fan Bruce Lee)
Siblings:
Shannon Lee Keasler (born April 19, 1973)
Fiancée:
Eliza Hutton (She was 2 years older than him) They were to be married April 17, 1993 in Mexico. Brandon died only 17 days before it was to take place.
Education:
La Salle School in Hong Kong (same as his father), Chadwick School, Palos Verdes, Miraleste High School (grade and high schools) Emerson College in Massachusetts, Lee Strasberg Academy, Eric Morris class in New York, Lynett Katselas actors class in L.A.
Likes:
playing ping-pong, shooting pool, drinking (too much) coffee, smoking, listening to Stevie Wonder, Eddie James, Tom Waits...
Favorite actors and directors:
His father, Bruce Lee, Michelle Yeoh, James Dean, John Woo, Yukio Mishima
Height: 6'
Weight: 160 Lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes: Grey
His first car was an Acura NSX-T and it costed him $80,000.
Brandon was named for his mother's favourite actor, Brandon De Wilde
He also owned a 1968 Datsun.
With his earnings from "Legacy of Rage", Brandon bought a 1959 hearse (used in the '70s movie "Harold and Maude", the first movie he ever loved).
As a teenager he liked playing pranks...and often got into trouble!
As a teenager, once drove his car in reverse through oncoming traffic on his high school campus. (See 'stats' for different high schools!)
Brandon was a self-confessed Jackie Chan fan, who in turn was a fan of Lee's father, Bruce. Brandon pays hommage to Chan by incorporating key moves from Jingcha Gushi (1985) and Fei long meng jiang (1987) in the final fight scenes.
He was originally cast to play Johnny Cage in "Mortal Kombat" (1995).
Turned down the part to play his father in "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story". The role went to Jason Scott Lee.
Brandon is one of 14 in the world who is a certified teacher of Tai Boxing.
He was a writer (who knew?). He wrote the story for the movie "The Border Line" which starred Lynn Redgrave! - Source: "Le Lundi" magazine.
Brandon stayed a couple of years in Calgary, Canada as a child after the death of his father.
He used to play backgammon with Polly Bergen. -- His funeral was also held at her house.
His favorite book (at least in 1989)
was The Sailor Who Fell from Grace With the Sea by Yukio Mishima.
Short novel about idealism and the conflict between compassion and dispassion. The main character is Noboru, a bright, fatherless 13-year-old boy who hangs out with a few of his schoolmates in a sort of ang. The "chief" of the gang, who thinks far beyond the level of a typical 13-year-old, is the gang's philosophical guide and leader. The chief believes that life is merely a result of the chaos of existence; that society's useless; that fathers, as procreators of society, are condescending and deceitful; and that school is a simulation of the society of adults and therefore is useless as well. He instructs Noboru to perform a morbid rite of passage, the purpose of which seems to be to demonstrate that there is nothing mystical about life; living beings are made up of nothing more than earthly materials and mechanical components, so destroying a living being is no different than breaking a machine.
He liked Corona and was a self-proclaimed "coffee addict".
His cologne was Avatar (source: Angel Lee)
His cats were named Kato & Mushroom (source: brandon2shoes)
"I was supposed to play one of the killer Marines in Rob Reiner's A Few Good Men. I'm sure this part would have asked for very intense training. I'm still sorry I didn't play in this movie because it turned out great and I love Rob Reiner's work."
'Got more trivia? (please include a source, if possible!)
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Brandon Lee
- Hollywod walk of Fame Petition -
Sign it!
For those who have not already signed it you may like to know that Brandle (who runs the Brandon Lee Movement site) started a petition to get Brandon a Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Please click on This Link to sign it. Thanks!
About Brandon Lee dead:
"We were very good friends. I never wanted to finish that movie," says Proyas, who says he's prone to depression. "I didn't give a damn about the movie frankly, my friend had died and that's all I could see. We shut down production and I went back to Sydney and spent a month trying to stop having nightmares."
-Alex Proyas
• Ed Pressman-"I felt compelled to finish this work to preserve Brandon's legacy, the incredible performance he'd given."
• Alex Proyas -"Brandon had put his heart into his character-he really cared about this film and wanted it to be something special. I think that shows. There will always be a lot of justifiable anger over Brandon's death, but there is one glimmer of optimism here-the film itself-Brandon's film. In years to come people will still be as dazzled by his brilliance as we were." (04/11/94)
• He refused the role of playing his father in the film Dragon:A Bruce Lee Story.
• He made a Guest Appearance in the 1987 Television Show Ohara which also starred Pat Morita (Myagi) and The Crow's own Jon Polito.
Behind the scene
lovemaking :
you actually see much more details here, very lovely
Save Myca :
Eric tries to save Myca from falling - weird
Brandon Lee
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Mike's Brandon Lee Page
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• Brandon Lee Forever
• Brandon Lee Remembered
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• In loving Memory of Brandon Lee
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"People used to think that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead, but sometimes…only sometimes the crow brings that soul back to set the wrong things right"
The Crow - an introduction
'The Crow' is an American action thriller featuring the late Brandon Lee (1965-1993) and was directed by Alex Proyas and released in 1994. It was produced by Crowvision Inc., Jeff Most Productions and Edward R. Pressman Films, released through Dimension Pictures and Miramax Films and filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina and Nacogdoches, Texas, USA.The film is "a gorgeous black valentine" incorporating the opposing extremities of human emotion with the action, violence and fast-moving plot of a Hollywood blockbuster. It is set in Detroit between the 30th-31st of October, the latter date being Halloween, or 'Devil's Night'. The city has become a dismal place, with rain pelting down onto the litter covered streets and sunlight, even daylight, being a thing of the past. Everywhere fires are burning, lighting the sky up red, and giving the audience the impression of the city being a corrupt industrial slum area. Rock guitarist Eric Draven (whose surname reflects the Draven>raven>crow idea) is resurrected from his grave and the land of the dead to avenge the murder of his fiancee Shelly Webster who had been brutally attacked a year beforehand. Eric himself was also murdered that night on the grounds that he and Shelly had submitted a petition against tenant eviction. Eric's restless soul, now back in his mortal body, is accompanied and guided by the crow that had been perched upon his gravestone, which leads him to those that he seeks. This crow is also his spiritual guide between the worlds of the living and the dead and for as long as the crow is with him he is invincible. He is gifted with new powers, and yet is caught up in a new world of pain, grief and emotional, physical and mental turmoil.
Eric's retaliation is against the gang of lawless and dissolute thugs and arsonists (T-Bird, Funboy, Tintin and Skank) who were responsible for the double murder and who continue to wreak wanton havoc as henchmen under the control of gang-leader and crime-boss Top Dollar (Michael Wincott). Appropriately Draven leaves a symbol of the crow, whether it be in blood or flames, wherever and act of revenge has taken place. In the closing scenes Eric finally meets and faces Top Dollar and his sister Myca who sees fit to kill the crow and capture his friend and daughter-figure Sarah, thus leaving Draven defenceless. His only weapon is the unceasing grief he carries with him and this alone is power enough to kill the evil leader and save Sarah. The film ends emotionally as Draven is reunited with Shelly and returns to his grave, no longer a pained and restless soul.There is a particularly gothic feeling to the film in as far as its cinematography, emotion, music and costume are concerned. Gothic music has been described as "generally dark, angst-ridden and introspective" , the corresponding fashion centres very much around black clothing and the heavy use of dark eye and face make-up and gothic imagery features dark and gloomy representations of castles, vampires and medieval life. 'The Crow' mirrors this gothic culture. After clawing his way from the grave and making his way back to his flat (which is also the scene of the duel murder) Eric applies white make-up to his face and paints his eyes and lips black in imitation of a 'Pierrot' mask that had been on Shelly's dressing table and was featured in one of his flashbacks. His attire is black - a tight T-shirt, leather trousers, heavy boots and trenchcoat and his hair is long and bedraggled. Top Dollar is also a dark "Luciferesque" character with long black hair and a certain air of evil surrounding him.
The film's underlying aura and the key emotions picked up upon by its audience are that of the power of love to overcome all obstacles even to the point of death and beyond, Eric Draven's pain, misery and obsession with vengeance and the timeless battle for supremacy between good and evil. Draven's mission is pure, with the audience feeling very little compassion for his victims, as they are by no means victims in the true sense of the word. The Crow is an adaptation by David Schow and John Shirley of the highly original 1981 comic books of James O' Barr who's fiancee had suffered a similar fate to that of Shelly. The film is absolutely stunning visually, evoking perfectly the dark and dismal comic-book world of O'Barr's mind, with a soundtrack and score which enhance the foreboding emotions of the comic. 'The Crow' was described in Variety Magazine as "A seamless pulsating dazzlingly visual revenge fantasy that stands out as one of the most effective live-actioners derived from a comic strip." It is interesting to note that O'Barr makes a cameo appearance in the film as a crook stealing a TV set from Gideon's pawn shop at the conclusion of the scene where Albrecht has seen the resurrected Draven for the first time.Although the film was regarded by many critics as being visually stunning yet all together too predictable and formulaic, it has attained a cult status, perhaps due to the morbid curiosity of audiences fascinated by the death of its leading actor Brandon Lee on set, or perhaps due to the infectious nature of its fantasy tale of eternal love and the pursuit of justice.
The music in 'The Crow' is one of the most important aspects of the environment and emotion of the story. The film has, as one would expect, both a soundtrack (furthermore referred to as the OST) and an instrumental original motion picture score which was composed by Graeme Revell (b. 1955) who himself played and programmed all the keyboard and synthesiser lines within his score. The moody and atmospheric natures of both the soundtrack and score compliment and enhance the narrative interest and visual power of the film and amplify the emotions already present. The audience is made to feel angry, sad, empathic and comforted at appropriate moments within the action.Collectively the two sets of music (OST and score) are very varied, ranging from the types of hard and heavy sounds found in the underground rock club "The Pit" in the film, to the eerily beautiful ballads which accompany the dead souls as the Crow leads them over to 'the other side'. What makes the film a gothic masterpiece is the way it brilliantly mixes this industrial heavy metal for the soundtrack compounded by the excellent musical score by Graeme Revell.Revell graduated from the University of Auckland with degrees in economics and politics and is a classically trained pianist and French horn player. Before assuming composition as a career, he worked in various professions including regional planning in Australia and Indonesia as well as being an orderly in an Australian psychiatric hospital. He was also the keyboardist and percussionist of the 1970's band 'SPK', who's music has been referred to as the precursor to contemporary industrial music.
Revell later composed scores for films such as John Woo's "Hard Target" whose score contains Japanese Kodo drummers, and "Dead Calm", (1989) which used the theme from SPK's single "In Flagrante Delicto" for which he won an Australian Oscar for the best score. After he moved to Los Angeles he created scores for cinematic blockbusters such as "Body of Evidence", "Boxing Helena", "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" (1992), and "Tank Girl" (1995). He also composed the score to the sequel to 'The Crow' which was entitled "The Crow : City of Angels" and was released in 1996Revell's film music compositions often use rhythm as a focal point, with the composer frequently seeking to exploit the rhythmic interest found in everyday sounds, for example insects chirping and metal grinding. This eccentric and percussive sound is apparent in the music written for 'The Crow', where he merges African tribal percussion rhythms with operatic vocals, shakuhachi soli, lush strings, bizarre synthesised noise and industrial rock, thus gracing the film with a dramatic yet eerie and evocative score. The pacing of this score keeps perfectly in step and blends with the originality of the film. His music intermingles with the rock tracks and helps bring this gothic tragedy to life.The instrumentation of the score to the film is greater than a standard string orchestra in that it incorporates trumpets, a selection of African percussion instruments, standard drum kit, guitars, keyboards and synthesisers, Armenian duduk, shakuhachi and choir. The shakuhachi, a heavy Japanese bamboo flute with a range of over three octaves, is frequently blended with the traditional string music, voices and electric guitar to give the story its overall feeling of despair, sadness and love.Revell's interest in world music is apparent in the score. African drum sounds and polyrhythms feature prominently, for example in his 'Birth of the Legend' which accompanies the very opening scene, and in the second half of 'Tracking the Prey' which recurs several times throughout the film almost as the sound of the hunt. This drumming appears at times where tension is building, or at times where it can serve to heighten the dramatic impact. The composer may have learned about writing for shakuhachi whilst in Indonesia and this is used within the score either in combination with the drumming or in imitation with a female vocalist. The juxtaposition of the Eastern instrument and Western music adds a tinge of the oriental to the score at times.Conventionally the use of an instrument such as the shakuhachi in this context may signify touches of exoticism creeping into the music, especially as Revell's modal touches hint at non-western scales in places. The instrument, used in a melancholic and wandering melismatic way, to me portrays Draven's remoteness and disorientation, his lack of integration and the gloominess and misery of his situation and surroundings. Other exotic techniques include the frequent use of drones and pedal notes. These tend to be either very low pitched for a sense of ominous menace and threat, or high pitched strings holding the following chord:- This drone precedes each recurrence of the main romantic string theme (see below), creating a kind of calming ethereal sonority through its resonant wash of sound and is held throughout the string theme. One of the most moving of Revell's scored pieces is "Pain and Retribution", a choral section displaying Eric's raw human emotion coming to the fore as he realises he is dead and yet still alive. Its sound reminds me a great deal of Thomas Tallis's motet Spem in Alium although it cannot be proven that Revell took any influence from the composer. Revell also co-wrote and performed on the song 'It Can't Rain All The Time' from the soundtrack which was sung by Jane Siberry. Its haunting lyrics and music are evidence as to how in touch the composer was with the story of the film.
Recurrent Musical Themes within the Film Score
Throughout the score there are four recurring themes that appear to portray different feelings, places and human emotions. For ease of reference I have labelled these themes A-D:· A Music characterised by the use of African tribal percussion, shakuhachi melodies and imitative melismatic female vocals. · B The "It Can't Rain All the Time" theme in C major which recurs in different reorchestrations. · C A romantic and haunting string theme in C minor, preceded by a high string drone (see above). · D A six note musical idea derived originally from "Fire in the Rain" by Hangman's Joke, Eric Draven's band, but first heard in the opening scene. It is found mostly in Eric's guitar scenes. Theme A is used for turmoil, tension, fighting, aggression, the thrill of the chase and to represent the evil of Top Dollar and Myca (Bai Ling). It is stated in 'The Technique of Film Music', "Tension deliberately plays on the nerves of the audience when some climax of threat or violence is anticipated…Music can introduce the feeling of tension into a situation while the images on the screen retain their calm" The shakuhachi used within theme A evokes the oriental and exotic feelings discussed above, and the melismatic female vocal harmonies add an element of serenity into the intensely rhythmic music. 'Last Rites' by Graeme Revell, used in the final scene on the church roof as Top Dollar has Sarah captive, contains a single female voice singing very high notes, and bears a certain resemblance to Allegri's Miserere (written in the early 1600's).
In contrast to this, theme B is used at times of heightened emotion, sadness and remembrance, for example as Eric Draven sees Shelley die through policeman Albrecht's eyes. This theme is written below in a simple piano reduction:- This theme, written by Revell, is supposed to have originated from the song " Fire in the Rain" by Hangman's Joke, Eric Draven's old band. However, the first time it occurs is in Albrecht's flat and we do not hear Draven play it until halfway through the film. The melody is also used in the closing titles in Revell/Siberry's song "It Can't Rain All the Time" and several times in its instrumental form. Its recurrence throughout the film creates a kind of cohesive unity reminding the audience of Draven's purpose. Theme C is a beautiful string melody, reminiscent of a fragment of Elgar or Vaughan Williams, used at sentimental moments and whenever the graves of Eric Draven and Shelly Webster lying side by side in the church ground are shown. Its timing is a little ambiguous but the basic melody is as follows:- 
The motif D is first used in the opening credits of the film as the crow flies over the red and black skyline of Detroit. Its origin is also in "Fire in the Rain" by Hangman's Joke as it is the guitar solo Draven played on the recording. It does, however, recur frequently throughout the film, for example in the muted trumpet lines, and as Draven plays his guitar on the rooftops. The musical idea is as follows:- A very interesting and noteworthy point on the theme of the film's scoring is the almost complete silence that is reached at each of Eric Draven's moral passages. An example of this is the scene at Gideon's pawn shop where he quotes from Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven", saying "Suddenly I heard a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping on my chamber door". As he introduces himself to Gideon and explains why he has come to retrieve the engagement ring he had given Shelly the year before there is no accompanimental music. Later as Eric explains to Darla that "Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of all children…Morphine is bad for you" there is again complete silence. This again accentuates Eric's goodness, proving his violence is justifiable. Throughout the film the audience are made to empathise with Eric and feel compassionate pity for him despite the fact that his character performs several extremely violent acts.In terms of the diegesis of the instrumental score, it can be seen that the majority is non-diegetic and used solely to heighten emotion or accompany action on screen. However, there are points of metadiegesis present, for example the scene where Eric is sitting upon his rooftop playing his guitar which he had earlier recovered from Gideon's pawn shop. He plays a distorted rock guitar solo from Revell's track 'which is intrinsically linked to the "It Can't Rain All the Time" concept of the film discussed above. His anger is apparent and in a fit of rage he smashes his guitar and throws it from the rooftop. Another example of the metadiegetic treatment of Revell's score is as Sarah plays a record in Darla's flat. It is the opening section of 'Tracking the Prey' from the recording of the score, but in the film the song is called "Fire in the Rain" and is supposed to be by Eric Draven's band 'Hangman's Joke'. The "It Can't Rain All the Time" idea is once again made obvious due to the fact the needle of the record player sticks on this line of the song. Despite the fact the majority of Revell's score is non-diegetic "Gorbman makes the point that whilst most music in film scores is non-diegetic, the music can also be part of the diegesis, part of the implied spatiotemporal world of the actions and characters" . I would agree that the instrumental music in 'The Crow' could feasibly be a part of the spatiotemporal world of its characters.Revell composed music for many other films but he was at the zenith of his abilities when he put this score together and it is unimaginable that any other person would have given such a rich and unique accompaniment so full of emotion that would flow so seamlessly with the soundtrack material. All other music within the film is provided by the soundtrack ('The Crow' OST), which contains fourteen songs by popular rock artists. As Mundy states in 'Popular music on Screen' "the near-ubiquitous pop soundtrack in contemporary Hollywood films is and essential element of the popular cultural landscape in the 1990's" So powerful and influential was 'The Crow' OST in America that the Stone Temple Pilots won an MTV Award for the best movie song in 1995 with their single 'Big Empty'. Brandon Lee was also nominated as best actor in the same year for his performance in the film.
Use of Contemporary Rock & Metal 
The rock soundtrack is exceptional due to the way the songs so perfectly augment the mood of the film. Each track adds something to the darkness nature of the movie and helps to set the mood and tempo of the plot. The majority of bands featured on the soundtrack come from the American metal and industrial musical scene, for example Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, Pantera and Stone Temple Pilots. In my opinion, aside from purely commercial reasons such as soundtrack sales, the rock songs are included in the film to emphasise the fact that Draven used to be a rock musician before his life was taken, to enhance the mood created by the dark streets and buildings, and to make 'The Pit' seem like a real authentic rock/metal night-club . 
Notable integrations of popular music into 'The Crow' can be seen in the scene where Eric is applying make-up when you hear "Burn" by the Cure, or during the scene where he is running across the rooftops accompanied by "Dead Souls" by Nine Inch Nails with its lyrics "When figures from the past stand tall…They keep calling me". It is very rare when soundtrack music and film are so perfectly married, however, this is one of the cases when this is successfully done.The majority of the popular music within 'The Crow' is metadiegetic with the source appearing on screen. On two occasions bands are shown performing on stage at The Pit (these bands are Medicine performing "Time Baby III" and My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult performing "After the Flesh"). Soundtrack songs are also used metadiegetically from jukeboxes (Violent Femmes "Color Me Once") in the bar at The Pit, car stereos (Stone Temple Pilots "Big Easy")in the first driving scene with the villains, and hi-fis (Machines of Loving Grace "Golgotha Tenement Blues") in Funboy's apartment. However, some of the music used diegetically, for example when there is music playing in the pub/bar at The Pit.
The lyrics of the songs used within the film invariably have a strong message to carry in keeping with the film's key underlying philosophy. 'Burn' by the Cure is used in the scene where Eric experiences flashbacks in his apartment and paints his face before setting out to avenge Shelly's death. The lyrics that accompany these visuals non-diegetically are:-'Don't wake at night to watch her sleepYou know that you will always loseThis trembling, adored, tousled bird mad girlBut every night I burn, Every night I call your nameEvery night I burn, Every night I fall again'These words seems to mirror Draven's infernal suffering at the loss of his loved one. The next verse is timed perfectly as Eric paints his face:- '"Just paint your face" the shadows smile - Slipping me away from you'. The closure of the song which is not actually used within the scene, but is on the OST recording, mentions "Every night I burn, dreaming the crow black dream", which seems to fit Draven's personality and situation perfectly.
Other apt lyrical moments seem less important, but still portray the sense of the film, for example as Draven shocks Funboy in his flat the words "I'm shocked and I seethe, I don't want to believe no more" are playing on his stereo, and as the villains are driving down the road the Stone Temple Pilots sing;"Drivin' faster in my car, Falling further from just what we areSmoke a cigarette and lie some more, these conversations kill"As can be seen, incidences like this demonstrate the popular music of the soundtrack commenting upon the on-screen action rather than adding something to it as the song by the Cure seems to.What seems perhaps more interesting is the dynamic level of certain songs. Both Rage Against the Machine and Pantera are credited as having songs in the film and both acts appear on the OST recording, although in the scenes in which their respective songs occur they are so quiet as to be almost inaudible. It is strange to me that two of the most famous bands in the soundtrack line-up are virtually silenced. 
Whist the companies involved in the production and promotion of 'The Crow' were unwilling to comment about the financial aspects of the film it was possible to obtain the box office figures in both America and the United Kingdom. The budget of the film was an astounding $6 million, and the film grossed $94 million world-wide to date, with Britain adding at least £3. 8 million to this figure. Video rentals in the USA alone raised in excess of $19.263 million. Unfortunately the details most concerning the topic of this research were unavailable, although there are certain aspects that can be speculated upon. It is likely that record companies were keen for their artists songs to be included in the film, as it is known that "the exploitation of songs for film soundtracks and television 
productions, including those in the back catalogue, forms a major element of corporate profits" . As Phillips states "In large budget movies, sometimes the film music is selected with an eye to future recorded music sales" . There are countless record labels involved in the production of 'The Crow' OST, most notably the Atlantic Recording Corporation who released the album. The mention of so many companies begs the question of corporate interrelation, especially as "many corporations combine their interests in the music industry with other interests such as cable, satellite and broadcast television, magazine and book publishing, and film and television programming" It is notable that six songs from the soundtrack credit 'PressmanCherry Music', which seems to link to the fact that 'The Crow' was created by Edward R. Pressman films. It could be 
suggested that a certain link may be apparent here."Little things used to mean so much to Shelly - I thought they were kind of trivial. Believe me, nothing is trivial"A major issue surrounding the film and adding to its unique atmosphere is the fact that Brandon Lee, like his father Bruce Lee, died due to a tragic mishap on set during its filming. Lee died whilst filming a scene in which he was to be shot by Funboy (Michael Massee). A gun, supposedly full of brass-capped blanks without gunpowder, was used. After the first take, the propsmaster (not the armsmaster who was not on set that day) dry-fired the gun to get the cock off, knocking an empty cartridge into the barrel of the gun. In the next take it was this cartridge that was fired, shooting through a bag that Lee was carrying, puncturing the blood-pack that he had been wearing for special effect and actually killing him. All footage of the incident was immediately destroyed without ever being developed.
The film had to be completed using complex computer technology and animation techniques of digital compositing. There are many scenes that one would believe Lee had filmed himself, that were in fact acted out by a body double and had Lee's face substituted for that of the stand-in actor and there are several scenes where we do not see Draven's face at all, meaning that the entirety was filmed by the body double.The video release of the film includes an added section which is made up of footage of Brandon Lee's last on-camera interview filmed only days before his death. It is interesting to note that the plot and underlying emotion of the film had made him contemplate his own mortality and grasp the sense that all the trivialities of life are in fact precious and not as limitless as we may think:"Because we do not know when we will die we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well, and yet everything happens a certain number of times, a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon so deeply a part of your being that you cannot conceive life without it...maybe four or five times more. Maybe less than that? How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty, and yet it all seems limitless. This is the point of view that this character is coming from during the whole film. It has brought sharply into focus for him how precious every minute of his life is. This is the best role I've had the opportunity to get my hands on."
In my opinion the knowledge that Lee died during the filming of 'The Crow' adds a certain sombre pathos to the film. This is accentuated by the moving string and vocal writing and the repeated message that "It Can't Rain All the Time" implying that life isn't always so bad."I have something to give you. I don't want it anymore. Thirty hours of pain all at once, all for you"The music within 'The Crow' gains its power predominately from the emotion behind it and the way it interrelates with the emotion displayed by Eric Draven, but it also gains its mental impact from its use of repetition. One of the key themes throughout the movie is the everlasting love between Shelly and Eric, which is evoked each time the "It Can't Rain All the Time" idea is replayed and also each time the romantic string tune enters. The darkness and death is portrayed in a great deal of the OST songs and in the aggressive percussive nature of the score pieces containing the African drums and shakuhachi and throughout the entirety of the film the music portrays blackness. Whilst is seems strange to assign colours to sounds, the score and soundtrack to the film would be black and red through their sombre evocation of the melancholy, the scenery of industrial Detroit and the love and death dualism depicted in the film. Whilst 'The Crow' has on occasion been described merely as an extended and glorified rock video I would vehemently disagree and state that it is a powerful piece of cinematography with a strong plot and wonderful musical accompaniment. The film is violent and the subject matter is unpleasant at times, but through Revell's score, the apt placing of contemporary rock songs and the timely inclusion of Revell/Siberry's song "It Can't Rain All the Time" it manages to rouse feelings of sadness and empathy with Eric, for whom justice and love are the sole motives.
"If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them. Buildings burn. People die, but real love lives forever"
Write by desolateangel
At 15:09
commenti (1)
Eric's Lyric
I love your whispers
I love your screams
i love you in waking
I love you in dreams
I love you in turquoise
I love you in white
I love you in darkness
I love you in the light
I love you tomorrow
I love you today
I love you beyond what mortal words can say
I love you in fury
I love you in control
I love you in circles 7 times around my soul.
Write by desolateangel
At 14:40
commenti
Hangman's Jokes
Write by desolateangel
At 14:00
commenti
Brandon Bruce Lee
Brandon Bruce Lee was born on February 1, 1965 in Oakland, California. Son to the legendary Bruce Lee and Linda Emery. He started training in martial arts as soon as he knew how to stand on his own two feet. His father trained him in Jeet Kune Do, which he created himself. His father died when he was only 8 years old.
After his father's death, his mother, sister Shannon, and himself moved to Los Angeles. His mother wanted to take her kids out of the spotlight, so they could live a normal childhood. However, Brandon was always attracted to performing and wanted to be an actor ever since he was a little boy. He wanted to be known for his acting ability instead of who his father was.
"I don't want to be remembered as the son of Bruce Lee"
- Brandon Lee
Brandon died on March 31, 1993 in a hospital in Wilmington, North Carolina, after a shooting accident on the set while filming The Crow (1994).
Brandon started acting professional at age 20. He did a few movies, like Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) and Rapid Fire (1992) , but it was his last movie, The Crow (1994), that is, in my mind, the best of all. I'm sure a lot of people probably haven't seen this movie before, but I highly recommend it. The Crow is my favourite movie of all time. It has all the elements to make it an amazing movie. Love. Despair. Spirit. Sorrow. Justice.
"It's a story about justice for victims."
- Brandon Lee
People once believed that when someone dies a crow carries that soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes something so bad happens that terrible sadness is carried with it. And the soul can't rest. And sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right.
The Crow is about a couple in love and are brutally murdered one day before their wedding. One year later, Eric Draven is brought back to life by the crow, to avenge his murder and the murder of his fiancé, Shelley. Guided by the crow, Eric searches for his murderers and executes them one by one.
 |
A building gets torched. All that is left is ashes. I used to think that was true about everything. Families, friends, feelings. But now I know that sometimes, if love proves real, two people who are meant to be together, nothing can keep them apart. |
On March 31, 1993, the filming of a flashback scene in The Crow turned out to be disastrous. Brandon was suppose to be shot by dummy rounds while holding a bag of groceries which contained an explosive pack to give the impression of a gun shot. However, when switching the real bullets for dummy bullets, the metal tip of a bullet was left in the chamber of the gun. The gun was fired and hit Brandon in the abdomen damaging his vital organs. He was rushed to the hospital, but died 12 hours later with his fiancé, Eliza Hutton, by his side whom he was to marry 17 days after. On April 3, Brandon Bruce Lee was buried next to his father in Lake View Cemetary, Capitol Hill, Seattle.
Write by desolateangel
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Brandon Lee
Almost all of the photographs in this story come courtesy of Cathy and Dave Bradford. Cathy (bitch) and Dave (sigh) were residents of North Carolina, and asked me if I needed any help in the area. When I came to them with my plea, they enthusiastically took up the challenge. (Well done Angels!) They went beyond the call of taste and duty, risking life, limb and embarrassment - to obtain these pictures. I’ve wanted to see these locations for years. They did a bang up job. So did Brandon (HRR!). This is how he died.
We all know about Brandon and his famous father, Bruce. Bruce Lee died in Hong Kong in 1973, when Brandon was only 8. At the time of his own death, Brandon was becoming a successful actor on his own, living down the stigma of being Bruce Lee’s son. He was also engaged to marry writer Eliza Hutton. By the way, Brandon lived at 1905 Benedict Canyon, in LA. Wanna see his mailbox? Of course you do! Many thanks to Findadeath.com friends Mark Cramer, Lilieth Lawrence and Janet Schiessl for those snaps.
Brandon and Eliza were going to get married right after the filming his latest movie, The Crow, was completed.
Brandon supposedly believed that the males in his family were cursed because his grandfather angered some Chinese merchants. Some say that Brandon was so obsessed with death, that he took to driving around LA in a hearse, and visiting Jim Morrison’s grave in Paris. Sounds pretty normal to me. He told friends that he would never live to see 30. Guess what - he was right.
The set of The Crow was plagued with problems from the get go, including one worker that was severely burned by a live electrical wire, another flipped out and drove through the studio’s plaster workshop, and another carpenter accidentally drove a screwdriver through his hand. There was one particularly disturbing incident in which an actor was double-checking the gun he was supposed to shoot a person with, and found a live bullet instead of blanks. These things probably happen all the time, but in retrospect they become very important to this story’s mystique.
The film was being shot in Wilmington, North Carolina, at Carolco (now Screen Gems) Studios. Carolco is located at 1223 N. 23rd Street. They were shooting the film on Stage 4. It was the 50th day of a 58-day shoot. The crew was partially non-union, if that means anything to anybody. (Q: How do you know if a union person is tired? A: They drop their donut.)
Brandon’s last sane words were supposedly, "Bang! Bang! Don’t forget to send flowers!" He was telling another actor to remember to bring the flowers for his characters upcoming funeral scene.
In preparation for the scene – prop man Daniel Kuttner filled the gun being used with blanks. The error he made was not checking the gun barrel for obstructions.
Shortly after midnight on March 31st, 1993, filming the scene began. It was a flashback scene, intended to show how his character was killed. (The premise of the flick was that his spirit returns, and avenges his death.) Brandon was wearing a black leather jacket, black boots, corduroys and a T-shirt with the name of his character’s band on the front, "HANGMAN’S JOKE."
Actor Michael Masee played a drug dealer that had broken into Lee’s apartment, and was in the process of raping Lee’s girlfriend. Brandon was to enter the apartment, and Masse was to shoot Lee. It went wrong.
Brandon was carrying a grocery bag that contained a small explosive charge, used to simulate gunfire. Massee was to fire a pistol full of blanks at Brandon, from a distance of about 12 feet. Rehearsal went fine. While camera’s were rolling, and the gun was fired, Lee pulled a trigger hidden behind the grocery bag to set off a "squib," a small explosive device designed to create the appearance of the grocery bag bursting within, stuck by a bullet. After setting off the squib, Lee collapsed on the set, bleeding profusely through the right side of his abdomen. He let out a groan and just collapsed. The scene played on, with Massee’s co-villain muttering in a panic, that Massee had shot the man. Things appeared normal, although Lee didn’t hit the floor the same way as they rehearsed. Brandon motioned with his arm, trying to signal distress, but everyone was too involved in the action to notice. Some thought Lee’s acting was extraordinary. One person on the set remembered hearing a faint call from Lee as he lay clutching his belly on the floor, "Cut, cut, somebody please say cut…" The director yelled, "Cut!" Lee did not get up.
At first the crew thought he was joking, but when realization kicked in, panic erupted - mostly from Michael Massee. Who could blame him?
This next photograph is of Brandon after he was shot. It’s pretty bloody, and if you are offended by this sort of thing, please DO NOT! click here. I only included it because I’m getting a lot of requests for this sort of thing. I didn’t find it too gross, but its crossing a line that I am SURE a lot of you don’t want to cross. Please be warned.
MAY 2002 Unfortunately for us, findadeath.com friend Sandie send us information which proves that the Brandon photo is not authentic. Thanks for clearing that up Sandie! xx
Findadeath.com friend Maria sends this report about that picture:
"Nice try on the picture of Brandon after he was shot - it's the deleted kissing scene from rapid fire. Sorry if you have been told this a thousand times before but a drinking buddy and I got into a "debate" over the footage that was filmed when he was shot. FYI - because I do think the rest of the Brandon Lee area of your site is VERY tastefully done, here's the skinny on the footage:
After it was discovered that Brandon was shot the film was put (as is standard operational procedure) in a light tight box and stored (sometimes on the camera truck, or at the production offices) as was the rest of video and stills,then the set was closed, and everyone told to go home, and to stay available for updates to shooting (no pun intended) schedule changes. When it was confirmed he had died, everyone was to stay available for police questioning. Any film, video, stills, etc. from that night was immediately handed over to authorities. After it was examined and people questioned -
it was sequestered for evidence should legal action against anyone take place. this is where it gets fuzzy due to rumor and innuendo :
SUPPOSEDLY -
The reason that Linda Lee Cadwell settled out of court was due to the fact that - to prove negligence - the DEVELOPED - yes developed (as it was studied to find fault and or negligence for police work) film shot that evening in question would be have to be viewed over and over again by jury, and possibly Ms. Lee-Caldwell herself, the stills from the shooting would be displayed as evidence in court for as long as the trial lasted. Obviously too much heart ache for a mother to take. Out of court settlement was
reached, the film, video, and stills from that scene destroyed. ALSO A RUMOR - this has not been able to confirmed - the reason for the destroying of the film was not only out of respect for the Lee family and Brandon but also to force the film company to use other footage. They had planned on using as much of the footage as possible to finish the scene - when they had to destroy the film that is why the character Eric is not shot in the final version of the film, yet first stabbed (knife thrown by Tin-Tin) and then
shot. The reason rumor flew of the footage being used is due to the close up of Funboys gun - it was that shot shown in the film where the projectile that killed Brandon got stuck in the gun - so you are, in a way, seeing the shot that killed him."
Interesting. Thanks for filling in the gap! - Scott
An on set medical technician attempted CPR, and ordered an ambulance to be called. The crew had to file past Brandon as he lay on the set, to leave the soundstage and wait for the ambulance outside the studio, in the dark. Paramedics arrived, and put inflatable pants on Brandon, to push the blood from his legs back to his upper body.
Brandon was rushed to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center, located at 2131 S. 17th Street. They arrived at the Emergency Room entrance about 30 minutes after the accident. Lee’s heart had stopped once on the set and once in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Here’s the hospital. Brandon was taken to the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) where he was operated on for six hours, and he given 60 pints of blood. His body just wouldn’t hold it. Here’s a close up on the ICU sign.
About 30 people from the film went to the hospital, and waited in the emergency room until morning, when a doctor came out and told them he had done what he could, and it didn’t look good.
The entry would was the size of a silver dollar, and it extended in a straight line to the spine. Surgeon Warren W. McMurry, who attended to Lee, said that Brandon had "suffered intestinal injuries and major vascular injuries consistent with a bullet wound, and that X-rays appeared to show the bullet lodged in Lee’s spine.
Meanwhile, detectives arrived on the set, and reviewed videotape made of the scene during filming, which indicated that Lee’s right side was in line with the angle of the pistol that was fired for the scene. Technicians on the set had unloaded the gun and placed it and the spent shell of a blank round into a plastic bag. They learned that one of the dummy shells in the gun case was missing the slug from its tip.
Brandon’s fiancée arrived at the hospital around noon, and his mother Linda was on her way from her home in Idaho. At 1:03pm, Brandon died. He was 28 years old.
His mother arrived 5 hours later.
Brandon’s body was taken to Jacksonville for an autopsy, where it was confirmed that he died from a gunshot wound of the abdomen.
A press conference was held at the Wilmington Police Station, where the autopsy findings were released. Not sure, but could this be the same station used in the film? Here’s another shot of it.
Detectives say that the gun was loaded with the dummy bullet for a close-up shot. When the gun was unloaded, the slug could have been dislodged from the dummy shell casing, with the tip remaining in the cylinder or barrel. When the blank round was inserted, the pistol could have been discharged like a loaded firearm.
Feb 2002, Findadeath.com friend Tony Williams sends this: Ever wonder how the bullet got stuck in the gun? I saw a show that explained how it happened. It seems they didn't have any ammo for the close up scene so the prop guy went out and brought some real ammo and removed the bullets and emptied the powder and removed the primers from the cases and then put the bullets back in the cases and loaded the gun for the scene but it seems he forgot one of the primers and during the taping of the close up scene the gun was fired. People said they heard a small bang but nothing happened. But in fact the bullet had lodged itself in the barrel of the gun. Thanks Tony!
November 2002, a friend sends in: One of the guy's at the Brandon Lee information page explains his death by saying "there were no blanks available on the set, so someone went out to buy real ammunition.". First of all, his explanation of the guy pulling the bullet apart were all wrong, and would have led to the bullet being defective altogether. Second, ALL gun stores and ammunition stores sell blanks. All of them, for all calibers.
Figured I'd clear up the misinformation.
Brandon’s body was taken to the Andrews Mortuary, located at 1617 Market Street. Here is the building. UPDATE: Thanks to findadeath.com friend Jamie Farley: "His casket was a solid copper deposit just like his fathers" Great info, Jamie. Thanks) I seem to recall that the crew had a memorial service for him before his body was shipped back west. If that did happen, it happened in this chapel. Friends and family certainly came in through this entrance hall, or sat in this waiting room. I know how Cathy and Dave got these pictures, and it is hysterical. Per Dave's suggestion, Cathy told the proprietor that she was shopping for a nice funeral home, for their soon to be dead grandmother. Grandma wanted to see photos of all the funeral homes in the area. I love it. (in fairness, grandmother is dead already, so it wasn't too bad.) Truly gifted people. I bow to you.
Brandon’s body was flown back to Washington State, and on April 3rd, he was buried next to his father Bruce. Thanks to Findadeath.com friend Danny Steward for the photograph.
On the 4th, there was a memorial service at Brandon’s backgammon partner Polly Bergen’s home, in Beverly Hills. Over 300 people attended including Steven Seagal, David Carradine, Kiefer Sutherland (ugh.), and Brandon’s family and friends.
The District Attorney, Jerry Spivey said, "Brandon Lee’s death was the result of ignoring basic and well recognized safety guidelines." I’ll bet that won’t happen with this crew again.
March 2002, Findadeath.com friend Bill Murray (no, not that one) sends this in: Just a few bits of trivia which may be of interest to you... The other film which was being filmed on the Carolco lot at the time of "The Crow" was the Coen Brothers' film "The Hudsucker Proxy". I walked through the back lot sets of The Crow about a week before the fatal shooting took place. Friends of mine who were working on the Coen Brothers' film told me at the time that working in Wilmington really sucks because NC is a "right to work" state meaning that film producers don't have to hire all "union" crew members and a lot of the regular union rules don't apply... like sane working hours etc. The crew of The Crow was really getting overworked. Many had been putting in 14-15 hour days for over a month. People around the Carolco lot were already joking about the "Curse of The Crow" because several odd accidents had occurred among crew members. The guy who put the screwdriver through his hand did that after falling off a scaffold. The other guy who was electrocuted was operating a hydraulic lift and lifted himself right into a live overhead power line. By the way, have you ever heard the origin of why on a film set the electricians assistant is referred to as the "best boy"?... It goes back to the old silent movie days when D.W. Griffith was making The Birth of a Nation... Think about it... The "best boy" typically is nicknamed "sparky" and gets all the dangerous assignments. Anyway, those accidents should have been a warning to everyone to slow down and remember "safety first" but after all, the film business is a business, time is money, and crew members are pretty much expendable. Brandon Lee's death was a tragic accident that should have never happened. He was a really nice guy.
By the way, the Carolco studio was originally built by Dino DeLaurentis for his epic remake of King Kong. The Kong head was still on the back lot along with one of the huge prop hands. Also kicking around the back lot was the Green Goblin truck hood from that great classic Steven King opus "Maximum Overdrive".
Very interesting web site...
Bill
Wow, Bill. Thanks for the interesting perspective. - S
MAY 2002, this just in from findadeath.com friend Russell:
Just a little trivia to add to this section. It is said in your article that David Carradine attended a memorial service for Brandon Lee. I found this quite odd, though not unbelievable. When Bruce Lee was trying to hit it big in showbiz, he approached producer William Dozier, whom he'd been working with on The Green Hornet, with an idea for a show. It was about a Shaolin Gung Fu (the proper spelling is Gung) warrior coming to America to find his long lost .... in the old west bla bla bla, you know. Anyway, Dozier loved the idea...but execs felt that Bruce, and I quote, "looked a little too Asian" and hired Carradine, who couldn't even pronounce the show's title, to fill the spot. This caused more than a little tension between the Lee family and Carradine.
Another tidbit, Linda Lee Cadwell is not well received in the Lee household. You see, after Brandon's death, Linda took a lot of Bruce/Brandon's things and auctioned them off. She failed to share the proceeds with any of Bruce's family members.
I've studied Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do for a long time, and have read many books on him and his family. In fact, my screen name is Bruce's real name (lee Jun Fan) and his death date. I think you've handled Brandon's death, as well as many of the other deaths on your website, in a very informative and tasteful manner. Keep up the good work.
Wow, thanks Russell. Great stuff!
Trivia: Just a few blocks from the studio where Brandon suffered the fatal bullet, our detectives Cathy and Dave Bradford found this sorta eerie street sign. Cool, huh? Thanks guys. Outstanding work.
Trivia June 2000 - findadeath.com friend Bryon Gordon sends us this fact regarding Brandon's famous father:
August 2, 1964- Bruce gives a demonstration at Ed Parker's International Karate Tournament in Long Beach, California. Hollywood hairstylist Jay Sebring (and one of the infamous Manson murder victims) is present and is very impressed by Bruce Lee. He later brings him to the attention of producer William Dozier (Batman). No doubt this lead to Bruce being cast as KATO in the Green Hornet.
Thanks Bryon!
A big thank you also goes to Bob Siler for donating some of the text of this story. Thanks as usual, Bob.
This just in, March 2003, from Findadeath friend James Pierce:
Thanks for the info, James! Lov - Ya Beth
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The son of legendary martial artist Bruce Lee and his wife Linda, Brandon Lee did not plan to become an action star like his father. A professionally trained actor, he hoped to play mostly dramatic roles. But, like the older Lee, he was a skilled martial artist and used this talent to break into the movie business. Brandon's tragic death on the eve of his dramatic film breakthrough was both eerily reminiscent of his father's untimely demise and a tremendous loss to movie fans.
Born on February 1, 1965 in Oakland, CA, Lee spent his early years in Hong Kong, where he learned Cantonese and studied the martial art of Jeet Kun Do. He was only eight when his father died suddenly of a brain edema, and his mother moved Lee and his younger sister Shannon back to the States. They settled first in Seattle and then in Rolling Hills, CA, where Lee acquired the reputation of a troubled, wild child. He dropped out of high school twice, and was expelled from the private Chadwick School in Palos Verdes only months before graduation. After finally receiving his diploma from Miraleste High School, he studied drama at Boston's Emerson College and commuted to New York for private acting lessons at the Lee Strasberg Institute.
In 1985, after getting his feet wet in several off-Broadway plays, Lee moved to Hollywood. He worked as a script reader before landing a role in the television film Kung Fu: The Movie (1987) with David Carradine. Lee then returned to Hong Kong to appear in the Cantonese film Legacy of Rage (Long zai jiang hu) (1987). Starring roles opposite Ernest Borgnine in Laser Mission (1990) and Dolph Lundgren in Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) soon followed. His next U.S. vehicle, Rapid Fire (1992), had audiences on their feet with its nonstop fighting sequences (which Lee choreographed himself).
Thus, the actor was poised for true stardom when he landed the lead in director Alex Proyas' The Crow. It was his dream project: An adaptation of James O'Barr's graphic novel, The Crow promised to combine Lee's captivating stunts with a brooding gothic atmosphere and a tight revenge-driven story line. He was shooting his character's death scene on location in Wilmington, NC, when an improperly cleaned prop gun fired a dummy tip into his midsection. The tip tore through Lee's abdomen and lodged in his spine. After losing a considerable amount of blood, he died on the operating table at New Hanover Regional Medical Center at 1:04 P.M. on March 31, 1993.
Lee, who had planned to marry his longtime girlfriend that April, was laid to rest next to his father at Lakeview Cemetery in Seattle. His friend Polly Bergen held a memorial service for Lee at her California home. Over 400 people showed up to pay their respects to the young actor, including Kiefer Sutherland, Steven Seagal, David Hasselhoff, and David Carradine. After much deliberation, Proyas and his production team finished The Crow as a tribute to its star. Distributed by Miramax, the film opened in 1994 and sold out theaters across the nation. It amassed quite a following, inspiring a television show and two sequels and transforming Lee into a cult hero
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site under construction
phone: + 39 3388749871
mail: beth68@virgilio.it
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BRANDON LEE'S DEATH TURNS A FILM ABOUT HIS FATHER INTO A POIGNANT DOUBLE MEMORIAL by Tim Appelo
When Bruce Lee died three weeks before the premiere of his 1973 martial-arts classic, Enter the Dragon, one Hollywood producer enthused, "His death was like a $2 million publicity campaign!" Such tasteless ghoulishness can repeat itself. When Lee's 28-year-old son, Brandon, was killed in an accidental shooting on the set of The Crow just a month before the premiere of Universal's Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, a rival studio marketing executive said, "I'd kill for a break like that."
But Dragon's cowriter-director Rob Cohen did not feel fortunate. After four years spent working with Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce Lee's widow and Brandon's mother, to film the biography of the action-film legend, he felt devastated. "This thing with Brandon- it would have completely destroyed me, but she has this strength. I love Linda," says Cohen.
Although the director says Cadwell had no veto power over Dragon's marketing or release, he says he called her soon after Brandon died and placed the film's fate in her hands. Universal had been holding test screenings of Dragon, which stars newcomer Jason Scott Lee (no relation) and Lauren Holly of Picket Fences, since February, but Cohen says he was willing to risk the studio's wrath if Cadwell wanted him to alter the film or delay its May 7 release.
"I asked her, 'Do you want me to cancel the premiere (or) get Universal to change the movie? I'll do my best,'" says Cohen. Cadwell, who had just buried her son next to his father in their hometown of Seattle, asked for a day or two to think it over. "It's all so horribly fresh," she told him. Cohen gave her time, still assuming that she might want to cancel not only the premiere but also her promotional appearances, including the dedication of Bruce Lee's posthumous star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame.
Instead, Cadwell asked that the release of Dragon go forward as planned, with the now-painful scenes of Brandon as a baby kept intact throughout the film. She requested only one change: an end title dedicating Dragon to Brandon Bruce Lee, with an appropriate quote. Recalls Cohen, "I said, 'How about the Saint Augustine quote I had on the frontispiece of the original script: "The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering." It applies to Brandon as much as it does to Bruce.' She said, 'Oh, that's perfect.'"
Actually, Dragon was lucky to get made at all. Back in August 1991, Universal took a look at an early script, based on Cadwell's 1975 book about her husband, Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew, but the studio eventually rejected its strange mix of martial-arts action and woman's-eye-view romance.
When Cohen later sold another screenplay to Universal, MCA Motion Picture Group chairman Thomas Pollock and vice president of production Nina Jacobson suggested he take a crack at rewriting Dragon. The project then came alive, but a problem-plagued shoot in Hong Kong and Macao last year almost sank the $13.7 million movie.
Even before cameras rolled, there were setbacks: Cohen had a heart attack on Feb. 6, 1992, and filming was delayed for one month while the then-43-year- old director recuperated. "Rob was a changed man afterward," says Jacobson. "He cut his cholesterol in half (and) became a die-hard vegetarian." But other woes followed. Like Brandon Lee's The Crow, Dragon lost time and money to storms. Monsoons and mishaps cost Cohen his entire $1.3 million contingency fund (a safety cushion for such emergencies), swelling the budget to $15 million. Cohen then had to face the fearsome Completion Bond Company, which monitors films' expenditures and can assume control of productions that go over budget. "They set a date for pulling the plug," he says. "They wanted Dragon done and their money back ASAP."
Cohen edited Dragon in six weeks, four fewer than the directors' union minimum. When Universal saw the first cut, the studio repaid the bondsmen and ponied up $1 million more for Dragon's Dolby digital fight-scene sound effects, as well as a lush symphonic score by Randy Edelman.
The investment in a romantic soundtrack was appropriate. Dragon's love story between Linda and Bruce Lee, with its exploration of interracial love between a Caucasian and an Asian, is even more central to Dragon than its eight fight scenes are. All along, the filmmakers made a conscious attempt to create a movie that would appeal to both men and women.
"Ordinarily, action is skewed to men," says Jacobson, a veteran of Joel Silver's action-movie company. "You figure, well, maybe a few of them will drag their dates to see it." But Cohen deliberately infused Dragon with scenes of courtship and longing. "I think those moments really mean something for women," he says. "And this is not a difficult guy to watch with his shirt off."
Despite the stunning blow of Brandon Lee's death, Cohen and Universal maintain that no eleventh-hour changes were made in Dragon's advertising campaign. "Brandon's death was never part of the marketing," insists Cohen. Even the decision to change the poster to emphasize the love story, he says, was made before Brandon's death. "If it were a chopsocky picture, you could just use a poster with Jason Scott Lee jumping across the sun," says Cohen.
"But I asked them to ghost in an image of Bruce kissing Linda above that." Inevitably, the sad, unsought publicity surrounding Brandon Lee's death has put Dragon in the spotlight, and given its climactic scene, a dream sequence in which Bruce Lee saves his young son from a demonic apparition, an emotional force it would otherwise lack. Ironically, the sequence was one of those that could have fallen victim to the belt-tightening when Dragon ran over budget; now Cohen is especially glad he was able to film it. "It was always a touching scene," the director says. "Now it's touching and chilling."
Entertainment Weekly Copyright 1993 Time Inc.
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JAMES O'BARR
Born : January 1960, Detroit, Michigan
James O'Barr conceptualized The Crow in the early '80s as a response to a personal tragedy. A self-taught artist, O'Barr first began the series while in the Marines stationed in Germany, where he was on loan to the Army illustrating hand-to-hand combat manuals. Inspired by such diverse sources as the works of French poets George Bataille and Anton Artaud, the music of punk artists Ian Curtis and Iggy Pop, and the stories of Lewis Carroll and Edgar Allan Poe, James O'Barr conceived the character of The Crow as a supernatural force driven by equal parts of love and revenge.O'Barr credits his distinctive visual style to studying classical Renaissance sculpture, film noir, and his two years of medical training. He currently lives in the Detroit area where he is working on a new graphic novel and screenplay entitled Gothik (to be made into a feature film produced by Jeff Most).
> RARE JAMES O'BARR CROW DRAWINGS
+ rare crow pic#1 +
+ rare crow pic#2 +
+ rare crow pic#3 +
+ rare crow pic#4+
+ rare crow pic#5+
Courtesy of Eric Harris
> OTHER JAMES O'BARR CROW DRAWINGS
NEW! + crow doing shoot em up+
Picture Submitted by Metal Crow
> OTHER O'BARR COMICS
J.Obarr Presents:
Pink Dust 'Morphine Dreams'(1999)
Based on the story of ?
Published By:Kitchen Sink Comix / Top Dollar Comics
James O’Barr returns to creating comic books with a powerful and romantic all-new story called “Pink Dust”—a story filled with the hot, white light of the sun and the heat of passion. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before from the pen of James O’Barr. Also included is the story “Slave Cylinder,” presented for the first time in stark, raw black & white—as it was meant to be seen.The first new comic book by J. O’Barr since THE CROW!
Script By:James O'barr
Pencils By:James O'barr
Inks By:James O'barr
Comic Covers By:James O'barr
© 1999 James O'Barrr
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Before Brandon Lee's Tragic death one final interview was conducted on the film set.
If you own the director's cut video or DVD, You'll be able to see that interview.
Here is a short impression on what was said in the interview.
"The crow in the film, the bird in the film; you could really look at as a guide...Almost a piece of his own personality that guides him back into his life and reminds him of who he was, what happened to him. This is a person who has been pushed right to the limits of his ability to cope what is going on. And in a sense is quite mad sometimes... In a sense completely insane, almost in a sense that you might think of an insane person having voices. More rational voices that try to guide him...More irrational voices that come from a more emotional... More deep-seated place. I think that the crow his that rational voice, the crow is his guide.
The crow helps Eric to do what he has to do in a very practical sense; it leads him to places where he has to be, it helps him find people he has to find.
It’s a story about justice for victims.
His mission is to find the people who killed himself and his fiancée, and kill them.
Its a wonderful role, it really is a role that you can take risks with, and gives you a wonderful opportunity to take those risks & stretch, because after all can you tell me how someone who has come back from the dead will behave.
That is one of the wonderful things about playing this character, its a real.... you can really take the gloves off in playing this part because
there are no rules on how a person who has come back from the dead is going to behave.
There is a part of him that is filled with rage towards what was done to him. And another of the things that I like about this movie is that all the parts of the character are given balance on the screen. He is torn up really badly, both physically and psychically. I think the appeal of Eric’s mission is that it is a very pure one. He has come back to seek justice.
I have done other films that have had violence in them, but I have never done anything where I felt that the violence was as justified as this. There is very little need to worry about compassion
for his victims.
This is justice, and I truly feel that it is, and I truly feel if I was in the same situation I would do the same thing: It is something that he has to do, and he is forced to put aside his own pain long enough to do what he has to.
This film deals with the concept of a solution being struck between good and evil.
Because we do not know when we are going to die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well and yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood? An afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you cannot conceive of your life without it? Perhaps 4 .... 5 times more. Perhaps not even that.
How many times will you watch the full moon rise ...... Perhaps twenty and yet it all seems limitless.
This is the point of view this character is coming from in the whole film, because it has brought sharply into focus how precious each moment of his life was.
This is the best role I have had the opportunity to get my hands on".
-Brandon Lee 1993
BRANDON LEE (1965-1993)
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Career
1994 ~ The Crow
1992 ~ Rapid Fire
1991 ~ Showdown in Little Tokyo
1990 ~ Laser Mission
1987 ~ Kung Fu: The Next Generation (TV)
1986 ~ Legacy of Rage
1986 ~ Kung Fu: The Movie (TV)
Also
1997 ~ Brandon Lee: The E! True Hollywood Story (archive footage)
Recommended Sites
Bruce and Brandon Lee Association [Enter]
*loading* Thanx a lot for visit!
Banner
Brandon Lee
Mega Rare Interview Clip
The Fan List
- The Crow -
Extremely Rare
Behind The Scenes
...Take a letter with... Brandon Lee
"Beth's Interview Brandon Lee Rome '92"
Actor Cast for new Bruce Lee TV Show
(December 2006) Looking like Bruce Lee has paid off for Hong Kong actor Chan Kwok-kwan. The actor played a Lee look-alike in the 2001 comedy Shaolin Soccer and has now landed the lead role in a new Chinese television series on the late kung fu star, newspapers reported Saturday. Chan got the role because Lee's wife and daughter, who were consulted on the casting for the series, were impressed by his physical likeness to the late star, the Apple Daily said. In the Hong Kong martial arts comedy Shaolin Soccer, Chan played a goalkeeper who sported Lee's signature yellow track suit and had the late star's gestures and expressions. Chan has also played Lee in television commercials.
Chan said he worked out and learned Jeet Kune Do — or the Way of the Intercepting Fist, a fighting style pioneered by Lee - to show his determination to get the role in the new TV series, the Ming Pao Daily newspaper said. He has even sent monthly tapes of his kung fu classes and clips of him mimicking Lee to Lee's wife and daughter, the paper said. "I'm really very happy that I got the lead role. This isn't about the money. I'm really excited to play Bruce Lee," the paper quoted Chan as saying.
The mainland Chinese television series will tell Bruce Lee's story in 40 episodes, and is due to begin filming in February, the Apple Daily said.
Sex, lögner & videovåld
press the pic to see the short video of movie!
If you want to learn more, you should buy the book about the making of the film. That way you can read first hand accounts from people who were actually there. Press the Pic:
New Brandon's interview!
WallPapers
press images to enlarge!
You wanna see much more? mail me...
Bruce and Brandon Lee Gravesites
- The Crow -
Alternate Cut Of Resurrection
Brandon & Shannon Lee
Interview, Documentary
(Pics take to documentary)
Clips from the making of
Love me with your spirit
promise we'll never part
we are not the same as other
we are... forever lovers
Shelly Webster
and
Eric Draven
In Memory......"I really thanx Brandon"
