1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:18,160 Speaker 1: Disgraceland is a production of Double Elvis. This is the 2 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: story of a curse, of a haunted legacy, of a 3 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: massive movie set, destroying storm, a car crash, and one 4 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: too many eerie coincidences leading up to the strange accidental 5 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,840 Speaker 1: death of one of Hollywood's brightest young stars at the time, 6 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: Brandon Lee. But it's also the story of a Goth masterpiece, 7 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 1: the movie The Crow, a film with a soundtrack filled 8 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: with great music. Unlike that music I played for you 9 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 1: at the top of the show. That wasn't great music. 10 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: That was a preset loop from my melotron called as 11 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: the Crow Dies m one. I played you that loop 12 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: because I can't afford the rights to Informer by Snow. 13 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 2: And why would I. 14 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: Play you that specific slice of Northern coxposure cheese? 15 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 2: Could I afford it? 16 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:20,119 Speaker 1: Because that was the number one song in America on 17 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:24,039 Speaker 1: March thirty first, nineteen ninety three, and that was the 18 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:28,280 Speaker 1: day Brandon Lee's life was tragically cut short by a 19 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: fatal mistake. 20 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:33,480 Speaker 2: On this episode, a curse. 21 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: A Goth masterpiece, an accidental death, and the Crows Brandon Lee. 22 00:01:40,600 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 1: I'm Jake Brennan, and this this disgrace Sland the five 23 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: year old sad in the wings as his father demonstrated 24 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: martial arts moves on stage. The Hong Kong television audience 25 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 1: went wild. Here Bruce Lee was a massive star, unlike 26 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: in America. In America, Bruce was just the sidekick. He 27 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: was the other guy on the Green Hornet, a mid 28 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,920 Speaker 1: sixties attempt to cash in on Batman's success. But here 29 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 1: in Hong Kong, the Green Hornet was known as the 30 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: Cato Show name, so after Bruce's character didn't matter if 31 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: it was a supporting character. 32 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 2: Bruce Lee was the star. 33 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: After the applause died down, Bruce looked off to the 34 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:58,520 Speaker 1: edge of the stage. He made eye contact with his 35 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: five year old son, and then he beckoned for him 36 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,079 Speaker 1: to come out of the dark shadows, and Brandon Lee 37 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 1: stepped into the spotlight to thunderous applause. His father held 38 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 1: out a board and said, just like I showed you. 39 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:13,399 Speaker 1: Bruce had been training his son in martial arts since 40 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:15,080 Speaker 1: practically before the kid could walk. 41 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 2: Brand embraced, he blocked out. 42 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: The eyes looking at him from the crowd. He took 43 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: his stance. He clenched the fingers on one hand tight, 44 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,799 Speaker 1: cocked his arm back straight and put his fist through 45 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:27,239 Speaker 1: the board. 46 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 2: The audience loved it. 47 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: Brandon stood there and bassed in their adoration, and looking 48 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: back on this moment later in life, you'd think maybe 49 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: they were really clapping for his father. But he was 50 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: just an extension of Bruce Lee's stardom, the way a 51 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: nunchuck can extend the fighter's reach. But in this moment, 52 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: Brandon Lee felt like a star. His father knew all 53 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: too well about being a star. You got all the attention, 54 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: positive and negative, but none of the power. 55 00:03:57,200 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 2: Bruce took hold of little Brandon and looked. 56 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 3: Him in the eye. Never become an actor, Be a 57 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 3: producer instead. 58 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 2: That's how you hold the real power. 59 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: In this Hong Kong trip was full of conflicting emotions. 60 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: For Bruce Lee, The Green Hornet had been canceled after 61 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: only one season. He'd failed to land any major American 62 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,840 Speaker 1: film roles, and here in Hong Kong, studios were ready 63 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 1: to go to war over the actor. But back in 64 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 1: his adopted home in America, things seemed cursed, and maybe 65 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 1: that was why Bruce Lee decided to tell his son 66 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 1: about an older curse, one that had haunted the family 67 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:36,360 Speaker 1: since before Bruce was born, Bruce's older brother died at. 68 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:37,359 Speaker 2: Just three months old. 69 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: Some superstitious members of the family believed this meant that 70 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: the next male child and the family would be marked 71 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: for death. Bruce's mother took this to heart, but when 72 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: she became pregnant with another child, she adopted a daughter 73 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 1: in an attempt to break the streak to distract any 74 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 1: hungry ghosts that might try to claim another baby boy 75 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: from the family in case that wasn't enough. When she 76 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: did give birth to an the boy Peter, they gave 77 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:04,920 Speaker 1: him a girl's nickname, and they dressed him in girl's clothes, 78 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:08,840 Speaker 1: and they pierced his ear to trick the ghosts. But 79 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:12,720 Speaker 1: there were no superstitious rituals when Bruce was born because 80 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 1: Bruce wasn't born in China. He was born in San 81 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:18,880 Speaker 1: Francisco while his father was touring the US as a 82 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 1: stage performer. He was given an American name, a boy's name, 83 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: and no one had thought to pierce his ear or 84 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: address him as a girl. That maybe being born in 85 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: America meant the hungry ghosts would never find him, or 86 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:40,240 Speaker 1: maybe it would just take more time. July twentieth, nineteen 87 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: seventy three, the phone rang in Bruce Lee's Hong Kong home. Brandon, 88 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:48,560 Speaker 1: not eight answered. It was unusual for the house to 89 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: be this quiet. Bruce had converted part of it into 90 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 1: a martial arts school. Men and women were often found 91 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: training in the backyard, swinging weapons and shouting as they 92 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:00,160 Speaker 1: threw themselves at each other. All that action can at 93 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 1: Brandon's friends away. The same violence they paid to see 94 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:05,559 Speaker 1: at the movies was a little too scary of close 95 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:09,040 Speaker 1: in real life. The man on the line was calling 96 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:12,359 Speaker 1: from Los Angeles and the assistant director of the film 97 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: that would be Bruce's major breakthrough in the West. They 98 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 1: were currently in post production, but the assistant director had 99 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 1: heard a rumor that Bruce Lee had died in a 100 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:24,280 Speaker 1: fight in Hong Kong, beaten to death by twenty guys. 101 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: The truth, though, was much stranger, but the outcome was 102 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:32,919 Speaker 1: the same. Bruce Lee had been found dead in a 103 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: Hong Kong apartment at the age of thirty two. Somehow, 104 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: though news had made it all the way around the 105 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,719 Speaker 1: world before it made it to Bruce's own home. The 106 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 1: assistant director on the phone didn't say any of this 107 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:47,080 Speaker 1: to Brandon. He just asked the boy if his father 108 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:51,559 Speaker 1: was there in Cantonese. Brandon replied his father wasn't home, 109 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: and the director asked where Bruce was. Brandon hadn't given 110 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 1: it much thought. His father was away most of the time. Movie, 111 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 1: he said in Cantonese. Enter the Dragon premiered one month 112 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: after Bruce Lee's death and became a massive box office hit. 113 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 2: US Studios followed it up by re. 114 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,160 Speaker 1: Releasing his Hong Kong film Way of the Dragon. Then 115 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: there was the question of the film Bruce had been 116 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: directing and starring it at the time he died. Game 117 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:21,360 Speaker 1: of Death, a Hong Kong film he'd put on pause 118 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: to make Enter the Dragon in the United States, and 119 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: the footage Bruce shot before his death was repurposed with 120 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 1: an entirely different plot and the version that was released 121 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:33,880 Speaker 1: five years later in nineteen seventy eight. Bruce plays an 122 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:37,080 Speaker 1: international martial arts star who gets shot during filming by 123 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 1: a stuntman turned assassin. Pieces of a bullet lodged themselves 124 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: in the actor's face, and he uses the opportunity to 125 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: fake his own death and adopt a series of disguises 126 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: to take revenge. This meant that the studio could slap 127 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 1: false beards and dark glasses on a Korean actor who 128 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 1: looked nothing like Bruce Lee, and complete the film using 129 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: only eleven minutes of the original film. Game of Death 130 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:06,080 Speaker 1: came out when Brandon Lee was thirteen years old. By 131 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: that point, his mother had moved the family back to 132 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: the United States, and every time he started at a 133 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:12,840 Speaker 1: new school, there were always a couple of kids and 134 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:15,160 Speaker 1: wanted to kick the shit out of Bruce Lee's kid. 135 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:18,880 Speaker 1: But when Brandon Lee got into a scrap, other people 136 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:21,640 Speaker 1: got hurt. He'd been trained to martial arts since he 137 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: was a baby, and after his father's death, he continued 138 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:28,080 Speaker 1: studying with one of his father's students, but every dojo 139 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:30,880 Speaker 1: in studio he trained in had his father's pictures on 140 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 1: the walls, as if Bruce Lee were some kind of saint. 141 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: Brandon's feelings about his father were complicated, and they were 142 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 1: still raw even before his death. Bruce was away more 143 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 1: often than he was home. When he did show up, 144 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: he never knew what you were going to get. Either 145 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: he was happy about a big deal going through when 146 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:53,160 Speaker 1: he came bearing expensive gifts, or he was sulling over 147 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 1: how poorly things were going. Brandon was kicked out of 148 00:08:56,280 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 1: high school four months before graduation, after being a senior 149 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 1: class president in using his office to incite a rebellion, 150 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:07,520 Speaker 1: and despite his father's warning never to become an actor, 151 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:11,480 Speaker 1: he began studying at the famed Lee Strausburg Institute in 152 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:12,040 Speaker 1: New York. 153 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 2: He wanted to be like his father, but not that 154 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:15,920 Speaker 2: much like his father. 155 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 1: Casting directors came to him with kung fu rolls, clearly 156 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 1: itching to bill him as the son of the greatest 157 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 1: martial artist ever captured on film. Instead, Brandon looked for 158 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: parts that would allow him to step out of his 159 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:31,400 Speaker 1: father's shadow and into the light. He was still pushing 160 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:34,120 Speaker 1: against being cast in his father's image, but with his 161 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 1: leading role in the action movie Rapid Fire, Hollywood immediately 162 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:40,680 Speaker 1: identified him as part of a new generation of action 163 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,520 Speaker 1: stars and as the son of one of the best 164 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 1: to ever do it. 165 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:46,480 Speaker 2: All the attention got him. 166 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 1: Interviews, but all the interviews wanted to talk about was 167 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:55,439 Speaker 1: his dead father. In nineteen ninety one, Brandon Lee was 168 00:09:55,480 --> 00:10:00,439 Speaker 1: approached with a bizarre offer universal the studio option to 169 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:02,559 Speaker 1: memoir written by Brandon's mother. 170 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:05,319 Speaker 2: The studio was going all in. They were buying up the. 171 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:07,720 Speaker 1: Life rights to the Bruce Lee story, and they wanted 172 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: Brandon to play his dad. Maybe he was uncomfortable playing 173 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,520 Speaker 1: the romantic lead opposite an actress playing his own mom, 174 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:19,560 Speaker 1: or maybe the whole idea of playing his father felt haunted. 175 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 2: Either way, Brandon passed and the part went. 176 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 4: To Jason Scott Lee no relation. 177 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 1: Brandon went out of his way to make sure that 178 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 1: Jason knew he had the family's blessing. They ate dinner 179 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:33,680 Speaker 1: at Mister Child, the Beverly Hills restaurant that was a 180 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:35,360 Speaker 1: hotspot for celebrity sightings. 181 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 2: On his way to being a big star. Brandon made 182 00:10:38,559 --> 00:10:39,680 Speaker 2: a grand entrance. 183 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: He pulled Jason aside and told the younger star not 184 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:47,400 Speaker 1: to try to be like Bruce Lee, just be himself Dragon. 185 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 1: The Bruce Lee story includes a dream sequence in which 186 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: an actual demon, a manifestation of the curse Bruce Lee's 187 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:57,959 Speaker 1: family believed haunted them, smashes Brucely's face into his tombstone 188 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: and then turns to go after the little brand. But 189 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:02,440 Speaker 1: Brandon Lee never saw. 190 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:04,320 Speaker 3: That scene or that movie. 191 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: By the time the movie was filming, Brandon Lee had 192 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:11,280 Speaker 1: landed his dream role, a part that combined his physicality 193 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:14,960 Speaker 1: with his charisma as an actor Brandon Lee was going 194 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:16,600 Speaker 1: to become a. 195 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 4: Ghost nineteen eighty. 196 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:45,440 Speaker 1: The Marine put his tumbler of whiskey down on a 197 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:50,080 Speaker 1: discarded newspaper. His ghosts were after him again. Sometimes the 198 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:54,760 Speaker 1: whiskey chased them away. Sometimes it magnified them, like tonight, 199 00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:57,080 Speaker 1: when he looked through the bottom of his glass and 200 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:01,199 Speaker 1: saw an article about a couple murdered in Detroit, mugged 201 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:04,439 Speaker 1: for the girl's engagement ring, the killer shot them both. 202 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:08,480 Speaker 1: The Marine stared at the article. He read it again. 203 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:12,440 Speaker 1: It wasn't his story, but it was familiar. When he 204 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:14,559 Speaker 1: was eighteen and his fiance had been killed by a 205 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:17,240 Speaker 1: drunk driver, his whole life was in front of him, 206 00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:19,720 Speaker 1: and now he'd wound up here, drinking in a military 207 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: bar and not giving a shit whether he lived or died. 208 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:25,439 Speaker 1: Wishing he could get revenge on the man that killed 209 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:28,240 Speaker 1: the woman he loved, Wishing he could get revenge on 210 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:32,160 Speaker 1: the whole world. Broken snippets of poetry floated through his 211 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:32,920 Speaker 1: drunken mind. 212 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:34,319 Speaker 2: He picked up a pencil. 213 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 1: The ghost of all his pain, all his anger, whispered 214 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:40,600 Speaker 1: in his ear as he thought about that couple in Detroit, 215 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: thought about his fiance. He sketched a face, a clownish 216 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:49,000 Speaker 1: death mask in black. He thought, what if he could 217 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:52,800 Speaker 1: get that revenge? What if the worst thing imaginable happened? 218 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:58,440 Speaker 1: But then you came back. Over the next several years, 219 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:02,559 Speaker 1: James O'Barr worked on the character whenever he could. His protagonist, 220 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:05,600 Speaker 1: Eric Draven, was a rock star who was murdered along 221 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 1: with his fiancee. A year After his murder, however, Eric 222 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 1: Draven is resurrected to seek revenge. O Bar based the 223 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:16,360 Speaker 1: character visually on the face of Peter Murphy from the 224 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:20,679 Speaker 1: band Bauhaus, combined with the wiry, muscular body of iggy Pop, 225 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 1: but the character psyche. His drive for revenge was Obar 226 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:28,840 Speaker 1: wrestling with his own ghosts, and the resulting black and 227 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:31,440 Speaker 1: white comic book was seeped in the aesthetics of goth's 228 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:35,000 Speaker 1: subculture and music. Everyone in it was based on someone 229 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:38,360 Speaker 1: o Bar knew, and the users and lowlis he'd surrounded 230 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:41,440 Speaker 1: himself within his broken life, and if they weren't real, 231 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:44,520 Speaker 1: they came out of the worst parts of himself. He 232 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:46,320 Speaker 1: was just happy to get all that out of him. 233 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:48,880 Speaker 1: He didn't even care if he got published. But in 234 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:51,600 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty eight, the back cover of an underground comic 235 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: book featured a man dressed in all black with black 236 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 1: and white makeup, pulling a shotgun and a Samurai sory, 237 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: and proclaimed in its tagline for something, there is no forgiveness. 238 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:07,679 Speaker 1: The first issue of The Crow came out in early 239 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:11,520 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty nine, and it was a massive underground hit. 240 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:14,760 Speaker 1: It got picked up by Paramount for film development, and 241 00:14:14,800 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: Obar was heavily consulted in casting. The movie aimed to 242 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:22,520 Speaker 1: outdo the expressionist sensibilities of that year's Batman, portraying a 243 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:25,840 Speaker 1: totally self contained, hyper real world of dark shadows and 244 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 1: constant rain, but the production seemed cursed from the start. 245 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 1: Obar nearly walked away for the whole thing when the 246 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 1: initial script bore no resemblance to his comic. 247 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 2: A carpenter was. 248 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,200 Speaker 1: Electrocuted when live power lines hit the crane he was 249 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: working on, leaving him hospitalized for two years. On the 250 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:48,320 Speaker 1: same day, one of the film's equipment trucks mysteriously burst 251 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 1: into flames, and the film's publicist was in a car 252 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 1: accident in the city near where they were shooting. Another 253 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 1: construction worker slipped and put a screwdriver through his hand. 254 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 1: A sculptor who'd been working on sets for several days, 255 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 1: is lost as shit and drove his car through the 256 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:05,520 Speaker 1: studio's plaster shop. Another car crashed into one of the 257 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 1: sets barriers after the driver and passengers had been involved 258 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:11,720 Speaker 1: in a drive by shooting. The same publicist who'd been 259 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:14,440 Speaker 1: in the car crash joked that the movie was already 260 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:17,440 Speaker 1: contributing to the cause of justice by stopping the shooters, 261 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:22,000 Speaker 1: and on March thirteenth, three weeks before filming was finished, 262 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:27,280 Speaker 1: a massive storm destroyed several of the film's sets. As 263 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 1: the sets were rebuilt and shooting slogged along, prop masters 264 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: were getting ready for what came next. There was a 265 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 1: particular gun that was key to the plot, one that 266 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 1: would show up in two different scenes, first and close up, 267 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:46,080 Speaker 1: and then in action in a scene that showed the 268 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 1: murder of the main character and his fiance. That scene 269 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 1: would be one of the last to be shot. For 270 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,880 Speaker 1: the gun's first appearance, they'd need a revolver that could 271 00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:58,600 Speaker 1: be shot and close up, and there are two basic 272 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 1: things you need from a prop gun. One is the 273 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 1: flash and the bang, And for that prop masters used blanks, 274 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:08,240 Speaker 1: a bullet cartridge that has primer and gunpowder, but no slug. 275 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 1: There's an explosion, but there's nothing to fire. You get 276 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 1: the bang and the muzzle flash, but there's no risk 277 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 1: to it. But with a revolver, if you're shooting close up, 278 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:20,600 Speaker 1: you wanted to look like there are bullets, and the 279 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 1: gun blanks don't look like bullets. Since the projectile, the 280 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 1: part you actually see is the part that has been removed. 281 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 2: For a big budget production. 282 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:33,440 Speaker 1: The answer was to have two guns, one with blanks 283 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 1: and another with dummy rounds, but by this point the 284 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:39,960 Speaker 1: Crow was struggling to come in under budget. As an 285 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:43,000 Speaker 1: unidentified member of the crew said afterward, they wanted to 286 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,479 Speaker 1: make a thirty million dollar movie, but they only wanted. 287 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:46,080 Speaker 2: To spend twelve. 288 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:51,240 Speaker 1: So the prop masters decided to improvise. They made their 289 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:54,560 Speaker 1: own dummy cartridges for the close up out of live rounds, 290 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: and they took up the gunpowder but left the primer 291 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:01,600 Speaker 1: and the cartridge. This is different than what allegedly happened 292 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:04,400 Speaker 1: more recently on the set of the film Russ, when 293 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 1: Alec Baldwin fired a gun that killed the cinematographer and 294 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 1: wounded the director. That was apparently a live gun firing 295 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:15,120 Speaker 1: off a live round a loaded gun that should never 296 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,040 Speaker 1: have been on set in the first place. That film 297 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:21,919 Speaker 1: had a licensed armorer on set, a requirement that the 298 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:25,919 Speaker 1: Motion Picture Association put in place after the filming of 299 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:27,760 Speaker 1: this movie that we're talking about. 300 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:27,960 Speaker 2: The Crow. 301 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:32,240 Speaker 1: But the armorer on Alec Baldwin's movie had only worked 302 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:35,639 Speaker 1: on one other film, where she received complaints for firing 303 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:38,879 Speaker 1: off a weapon without warning, and the assistant director had 304 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:41,480 Speaker 1: been fired from another movie when a firearm went off 305 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: and injured a crew member. None of those safety precautions 306 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 1: were in place on the set of The Crow. The 307 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:51,480 Speaker 1: prop gun got used in one scene earlier during shooting 308 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:55,040 Speaker 1: when it was fired and the primer sparked. It wasn't 309 00:17:55,119 --> 00:17:57,120 Speaker 1: enough to fire the dummy bullet, but it was enough 310 00:17:57,119 --> 00:17:59,639 Speaker 1: to push the bullet out of the cartridge, lodging it 311 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:01,119 Speaker 1: in to the barrel of the gun. 312 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:02,320 Speaker 2: The rest of the. 313 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 1: Dummy bullets were removed. Nobody noticed they were won short. 314 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:09,439 Speaker 1: The prop gun was set aside, and a hungry ghost 315 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:11,480 Speaker 1: was waiting for the last. 316 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:12,000 Speaker 3: Day of shooting. 317 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:19,400 Speaker 2: We'll be right back after this. We're, we're, we're. 318 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:28,160 Speaker 1: The shoot was almost over. Brandon Lee was coming back 319 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:31,240 Speaker 1: to life. The production of The Crow had been grueling. 320 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:34,119 Speaker 1: A lot of that had been due to Brandon's own decisions. 321 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 1: He'd fallen in love with the script and the comic 322 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 1: book that it was based on, and when the character's creator, 323 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:42,760 Speaker 1: James O'Barr threatened to walk out over changes to the story, 324 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:45,159 Speaker 1: it was Brandon who got the changes mixed. 325 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:46,720 Speaker 2: He took Chris. 326 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:49,440 Speaker 1: Robinson of the Southern rock band The Black Crows as 327 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:53,440 Speaker 1: his visual inspiration for the character he was playing. Robinson 328 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 1: was skinnier lankier than Brandon, so Brandon put himself on 329 00:18:57,280 --> 00:18:58,320 Speaker 1: the strict diet. 330 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:00,479 Speaker 2: And workout regiment before production even started. 331 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:03,879 Speaker 1: For the first scene they shot, though, when Eric Draven 332 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 1: claws out of his own grave, Brandon had bags of 333 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:09,800 Speaker 1: ice brought to the set. He plunged himself into a 334 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:12,919 Speaker 1: tub of ice naked to get himself mentally prepared. He 335 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:17,640 Speaker 1: was playing at corpse and corpses were cold. The character's 336 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: iconic makeup looked simple, but it had to be in 337 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:23,320 Speaker 1: exactly the right place to avoid continuity errors In shooting. 338 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 1: At the beginning of each day, which usually met in 339 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:29,399 Speaker 1: the middle of the night, makeup artists laid a death 340 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:32,439 Speaker 1: mask over Brandon's face with slits cut out where the 341 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:36,320 Speaker 1: long streaks of black were filled in, and almost all 342 00:19:36,359 --> 00:19:41,000 Speaker 1: the shooting was at night in freezing winter temperatures. Brandon 343 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:44,359 Speaker 1: was often shirtless and barefoot. The script called for almost 344 00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:48,200 Speaker 1: constant rain, and the weather mostly complied, and when it didn't, 345 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:50,960 Speaker 1: the crew fired up rain makers and flung freezing water 346 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:54,119 Speaker 1: at the actors. Brandon would wake up at four in 347 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:57,000 Speaker 1: the afternoon to go into makeup, shoot all night, and 348 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:00,400 Speaker 1: collapse into bed at nine in the morning. One day 349 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,280 Speaker 1: off a week, which ideally he spent with his fiance. 350 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:09,399 Speaker 1: Brandon Lee and Eliza Hutton met when she was working 351 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:11,439 Speaker 1: as an assistant to director Renny Harlan. 352 00:20:12,119 --> 00:20:13,400 Speaker 2: Brandon flirted with her. 353 00:20:13,359 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 1: During the meeting, and soon the two were a regular item, 354 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:18,800 Speaker 1: with Eliza accompanying Brandon on the worldwide. 355 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:19,720 Speaker 2: Press tour for Rapid Fire. 356 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 1: They moved in together, adopted a cat they named Cato, 357 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:25,680 Speaker 1: a nod to Brandon's father, and. 358 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:27,879 Speaker 2: They were engaged to be married. After The Crow was 359 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:30,560 Speaker 2: finished shooting, Eliza flew. 360 00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:32,879 Speaker 1: To North Carolina whenever she could to be around Brandon 361 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:35,560 Speaker 1: on set. He even got the producers to hire her 362 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: as an assistant, and by the end of March as 363 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 1: shooting moved into its final phase. She was in California 364 00:20:42,119 --> 00:20:47,120 Speaker 1: planning for the wedding. The Crow was almost finished filming, 365 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:50,480 Speaker 1: but one of the best things for Brandon was that 366 00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:51,480 Speaker 1: he no longer. 367 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:52,720 Speaker 2: Had to sit for makeup every day. 368 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:57,040 Speaker 1: The final set of scenes to her flashbacks happier scenes 369 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:00,159 Speaker 1: of Eric Draven this doomed fiance all shot and which 370 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:02,680 Speaker 1: color to contrast the rest of the film's stark rays 371 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:06,400 Speaker 1: and reds. That also finished most of the stunt work, 372 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:09,439 Speaker 1: which was a relief for Brandon, who was physically exhausted 373 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:12,520 Speaker 1: for weeks spent throwing himself off buildings in the rain. 374 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:18,840 Speaker 1: One particularly gluing shot involved Brandon's indestructible character being shot 375 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:23,000 Speaker 1: over fifty times with semi automatic weapons, and for each 376 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:26,560 Speaker 1: bullet that supposedly hit him, a squib fired off a 377 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:30,000 Speaker 1: tiny explosive device that made it look like he'd actually 378 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,720 Speaker 1: been hit. Most of the shooting scenes were done now 379 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:37,000 Speaker 1: in the film's weapons expert had already left the set, 380 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:41,640 Speaker 1: moving on to another project. In fact, there was only 381 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:44,919 Speaker 1: one more scene of violence to shoot, the murder of 382 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:48,520 Speaker 1: Eric Draven and his fiance, and after that it was 383 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,439 Speaker 1: just more scenes of the couple's happy days together, and 384 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:53,679 Speaker 1: it would make a great segue from Brandon out of 385 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 1: the dark work at the Crow and into the preparations 386 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 1: for his real life wedding. He also hoped it would 387 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:01,600 Speaker 1: be the last time he evolved in violence on screen 388 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:02,159 Speaker 1: for a while. 389 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:04,840 Speaker 2: Brandon had embraced the label. 390 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 1: Of action star while doing the press junkit for Rapid Fire, 391 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:10,160 Speaker 1: but even then he thought of himself as a different 392 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 1: kind of action star, not another Jean Claude von Dam 393 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:17,200 Speaker 1: or Adolph Lundgren, more like Mel Gibson or Bruce willis 394 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:19,679 Speaker 1: a guy who could do shoot him up action on 395 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:22,800 Speaker 1: film and then turn around and play an actual, honest 396 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:23,680 Speaker 1: to God Hamlin. 397 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:26,000 Speaker 2: The Crow was going to put him on the. 398 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:29,120 Speaker 1: Map as a serious actor, not just Bruce Lee's air. 399 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:33,760 Speaker 1: For his next film, he wanted to leave the punching aside. 400 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:38,800 Speaker 1: On the evening of March thirtieth, nineteen ninety one, the 401 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:41,639 Speaker 1: set was ready to shoot the murder scene. The scene 402 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:44,480 Speaker 1: called for Brandon to enter his apartment carrying a bag 403 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:47,080 Speaker 1: of groceries, only to be shot by a thug played 404 00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:50,480 Speaker 1: by Michael Massey. Brandon was supposed to slump forward so 405 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:52,600 Speaker 1: that he could be dragged into the apartment by Massey 406 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:56,320 Speaker 1: and the other thugs. Michael Massey was handed the prop gun. 407 00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:59,399 Speaker 1: The revolver had been loaded with dummy bullets for a 408 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:02,040 Speaker 1: close up show earlier in filming, one of which was 409 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:04,560 Speaker 1: still lodged in the barrel, and the revolver was now 410 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:07,800 Speaker 1: loaded with blanks cartridges with gunpowder and primer, so that 411 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 1: when Massy fired the gun there'd be muzzle flash and 412 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:14,159 Speaker 1: an appropriate bang. Then Brandon would trigger a squib in 413 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:17,080 Speaker 1: the grocery bag, a small explosive to make it look 414 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:20,119 Speaker 1: like he'd been shot, But no one knew that all 415 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:23,480 Speaker 1: the necessary pieces of a live bullet were actually still 416 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:27,080 Speaker 1: lodged in the gun, all lined up, separated by just 417 00:23:27,119 --> 00:23:30,240 Speaker 1: a hair's breath, the bullet in the barrel and the 418 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:35,119 Speaker 1: blank in the chamber. The director called action. The thugs 419 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:37,560 Speaker 1: in the apartment were tossing the fiance around the room. 420 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:40,800 Speaker 1: Brandon made his entrance, Massy turned on him from a 421 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:43,520 Speaker 1: few feet away, leveled the prop gun at his chest 422 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:47,439 Speaker 1: and fired. The hammer of the gun struck the primer, 423 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:50,639 Speaker 1: igniting the gunpowder in the blank, and the explosive force 424 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:53,480 Speaker 1: of the gunpowder dislodged the dummy slug from the barrel 425 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:57,119 Speaker 1: of the gun and fired the actual bullet into Brandon 426 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 1: Lee's stomach, where it lodged against his spine. The squib 427 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 1: in the grocery bag went off and Brandon fell backward 428 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:06,439 Speaker 1: out of the camera's frame. 429 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:10,280 Speaker 3: The director called cut. 430 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:15,640 Speaker 1: He assumed Brandon was just trying something new. Brandon regularly 431 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:20,520 Speaker 1: improvised action scenes, experimenting with falls and punch combinations. Not 432 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:22,800 Speaker 1: everything worked, but when it did work, it was brilliant. 433 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:26,160 Speaker 1: Everyone reset to do the shot again, and that's when 434 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:29,520 Speaker 1: they noticed that Brandon Lee was still lying on the ground. 435 00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:34,280 Speaker 1: That's when they also noticed he was bleeding. Brandon Lee 436 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,040 Speaker 1: was rushed to the hospital. The doctors worked on her 437 00:24:37,119 --> 00:24:39,359 Speaker 1: for hours, pumping him with over sixty pints of blood 438 00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:44,880 Speaker 1: as he hemorrhaged from his shredded intestines. In the California 439 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:48,720 Speaker 1: home Brandon shared with his fiance, the phone rang, not 440 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:51,000 Speaker 1: unlike the phone that had rung in the Lee family 441 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:54,560 Speaker 1: home in Hong Kong back when Brandon was eight. Eliza 442 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: Hutton got on the first plane to North Carolina. She 443 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:01,440 Speaker 1: arrived the next morning, had been moved out of surgery 444 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:04,800 Speaker 1: and into an intensive care unit. The doctors had done 445 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:07,560 Speaker 1: all they could but he'd lost a staggering amount of 446 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:10,399 Speaker 1: blood and the dummy bullet had ripped up his guts. 447 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:15,919 Speaker 1: Brandon Lee never regained consciousness. He was pronounced dead the 448 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:19,960 Speaker 1: next afternoon. He was two months past his twenty eighth birthday, 449 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:23,760 Speaker 1: three weeks short of his wedding. Brandon Lee wasn't a 450 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:49,520 Speaker 1: ghost anymore. Brandon Lee was gone in February nineteen ninety three. 451 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:53,240 Speaker 1: While The Crow was still shooting, producers worked to put 452 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:57,160 Speaker 1: together the soundtrack. They needed bands that matched the dark 453 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:01,399 Speaker 1: gothic tone of the movie, The Cure, Rage Against the Machine, 454 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:04,920 Speaker 1: Nine Inch Nails, The Jesus, and Mary Chean. But there 455 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:08,119 Speaker 1: was one band whose involvement to the filmmakers was the 456 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:11,880 Speaker 1: most crucial to the movie. They wanted to get New Order. 457 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:15,439 Speaker 1: New Order was formed by members of Joy Division in 458 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:19,080 Speaker 1: the wake of singer Ian Curtis's suicide. Joy Division was 459 00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 1: a huge influence on James O'Barr when he wrote his 460 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:25,640 Speaker 1: original comic. He even dedicated the book to Ian Curtis. 461 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:30,560 Speaker 1: Chapter titles in the book, like Atmosphere Atrocity Exhibition were 462 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:34,399 Speaker 1: direct lifts from Joy Division songs. The cop character in 463 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:36,120 Speaker 1: the book and in the movie he was named after 464 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:40,200 Speaker 1: one of the band members. So the producers reached out 465 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:42,960 Speaker 1: to the Manchester Band and they provided a list of 466 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:45,359 Speaker 1: the other bands that had signed on. They sent the 467 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:48,679 Speaker 1: film's entire script, They sent the copy of the comic book, 468 00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:50,680 Speaker 1: and they asked New Order if they would cover a 469 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:54,560 Speaker 1: Joy Division song Love Will Tear Us Apart or Dead Souls. 470 00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:58,080 Speaker 1: The members of New Order read the story of a 471 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:01,159 Speaker 1: dead guitarist who comes back to life. It wasn't the 472 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:04,800 Speaker 1: story of their own band, not exactly, but something about 473 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:08,280 Speaker 1: it felt too close. New Order had played their first 474 00:27:08,359 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: show only months after Ian Curtis's death, adopting a new 475 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:16,040 Speaker 1: band name because as Joydavision, they swore even before Curtis's 476 00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:18,440 Speaker 1: death that if any member of the band ever left, 477 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:22,040 Speaker 1: they'd stop using the name. It took them years to 478 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:24,399 Speaker 1: find their own sound, in years to no longer be 479 00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:27,359 Speaker 1: haunted by the ghost of their deadly and singer, but 480 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:31,160 Speaker 1: not long enough to forget about it all. New Order passed. 481 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:34,480 Speaker 1: Nine Inch Nails provided the bit of Joy Division the 482 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:38,000 Speaker 1: movie needed with a cover of Dead Souls. The Crow 483 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:41,480 Speaker 1: soundtrack album was released along with the movie. More than 484 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:44,520 Speaker 1: a year after Brandon Lee's death. They went to the 485 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:50,040 Speaker 1: top of the charts. The movie, however, nearly didn't get finished. 486 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:53,400 Speaker 1: James O'Barr couldn't bring himself to come back to the set. 487 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:57,080 Speaker 1: He blamed himself for Brandon's death. It was like losing 488 00:27:57,080 --> 00:28:00,119 Speaker 1: his fiance all over again. He wished he'd never and 489 00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:04,840 Speaker 1: that stupid comic book to begin with. Brandon's fiance and 490 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:08,240 Speaker 1: his mother sued the filmmakers for negligence and eventually settled 491 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:11,439 Speaker 1: out of court for an undisclosed sum. In addition to 492 00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:14,879 Speaker 1: the settlement, it became a requirement that all film productions 493 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:18,520 Speaker 1: have a licensed armorer on set at all times. There 494 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:21,520 Speaker 1: were strict protocols created for the handling of firearms to 495 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:26,200 Speaker 1: prevent another tragedy like Brandon's. Paramount got nervous and dropped 496 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:29,320 Speaker 1: the movie. With the extremely violent nature of the film, 497 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:31,159 Speaker 1: there was no way they could bring it to market. 498 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:34,200 Speaker 1: It would be like some gruesome joke, a movie about 499 00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:39,320 Speaker 1: a corpse played by a dead man. But then Mirrimax 500 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:43,800 Speaker 1: swooped in. Miramax was an independent distributor that specialized in 501 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:47,320 Speaker 1: art house and foreign films, but with The Crow, they 502 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:50,560 Speaker 1: saw a chance to walk the line between superhero blockbuster 503 00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:54,680 Speaker 1: and dark brooding art film. The studio pumped millions more 504 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:58,160 Speaker 1: into the film's budget, most of which went to CGI efforts. 505 00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:01,720 Speaker 1: To fill in missing pieces of Brandon Lee's performance. A 506 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 1: fleet of writers reconfigured the script without James O'Barr's help, 507 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 1: arranging the pieces that had already been shot into a 508 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:13,080 Speaker 1: coherent story. No footage of Brandon Lee's death was used 509 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:16,440 Speaker 1: in the film. The scene in question was rewritten with 510 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:19,800 Speaker 1: Brandon's character being stabbed and thrown out a window rather 511 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:23,520 Speaker 1: than shot, but rumors would continue that there were versions 512 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:25,960 Speaker 1: of the movie where you could see the real life shooting, 513 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:30,640 Speaker 1: and when The Crow was finally released, hordes of teenage 514 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:33,400 Speaker 1: fans lined up dressed in black, decked out. 515 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:34,920 Speaker 3: And make up to see it. 516 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:38,080 Speaker 1: It became a slow burn hit, a defining artifact of 517 00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:42,520 Speaker 1: the nineties goth culture, all driven by ghosts, by James 518 00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:46,920 Speaker 1: O'Barr's dead fiance, by the murdered couple in Detroit, by 519 00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:51,840 Speaker 1: Bruce Lee's dead brother, by Brandon Lee's dead father, and 520 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:58,400 Speaker 1: by the tragic death of Brandon Nutt. I'm Jake Brennan 521 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:13,960 Speaker 1: from This Is Disgrace Slam All right, guys, hope you 522 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:17,440 Speaker 1: dug this episode obviously, Brandon Lee left us too soon. 523 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:20,280 Speaker 2: So this week's question of the week is it's kind 524 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:22,240 Speaker 2: of like that old Billy Joel lyric. Only the good 525 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:25,280 Speaker 2: die young? Which young artists? They could be actors, they 526 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:26,400 Speaker 2: could be athletes, they could be. 527 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 1: Musicians, left us too soon and left a giant hole 528 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:33,520 Speaker 1: in your heart. Let us know six one seven nine 529 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 1: oh six six six three eight, Send me a voicemail, 530 00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:37,200 Speaker 1: lead me a text, hit me up. 531 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:38,840 Speaker 2: And you might hear your own voice. 532 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:41,360 Speaker 1: Or your own text on the next after party episode. 533 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:44,280 Speaker 1: You can also hit me at Disgrace Slam pod on Instagram, 534 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: X and Facebook. Leave a review for the show on 535 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:49,000 Speaker 1: Apple podcasts for Spotify, Win some free merch. 536 00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:50,600 Speaker 2: All right, here come some credits. 537 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:54,920 Speaker 1: Disgrace Slam was created by Yours Truly and is produced 538 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 1: in partnership with Double Elvis. Credits for this episode can 539 00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:02,120 Speaker 1: be found on the show notes page disgracelampod dot com. 540 00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 1: If you're listening as a Disgracelan All Access member, thank. 541 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:07,600 Speaker 2: You for supporting the show. We really appreciate it. 542 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:10,160 Speaker 1: And if not, you can become a member right now 543 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:14,719 Speaker 1: by going to disgracelampod dot com slash Membership members can 544 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 1: listen to every episode of disgracelan ad free, Plus you'll 545 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:22,960 Speaker 1: get one brand new exclusive episode every month, weekly unscripted 546 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:26,960 Speaker 1: bonus episode, special audio collections, and early access to merchandise 547 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:32,000 Speaker 1: and events. Visit disgracelampod dot com slash membership for details, 548 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:35,240 Speaker 1: Rate and review the show, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, 549 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:39,200 Speaker 1: and Facebook at disgracelampod and on YouTube at YouTube dot 550 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:43,200 Speaker 1: com slash at disgracelampod Rock a roll up. 551 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:48,320 Speaker 3: He then