Drafthouse Films has partnered with Olive Films to release the Noel Marshall's sole––and career-derailing-–directoral effort, the notorious 1981 family affair with big cats, Roar. The film will have a limited theatrical release across the US this spring, and will be available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand platforms later this summer.
An unprecedented and wholly unpredictable action-adventure, Roar follows wildlife preservationist Hank (Marshall), who lives harmoniously alongside a menagerie of untamed animals, including cheetahs, elephants, lions and tigers on a preservation in the African plains. When his wife and children arrive for a visit, a long-brewing battle for dominance between two lions erupts and threatens their very lives.
“Traditionally, press releases give you a single press quote to sell you on a movie,” says Drafthouse Films CEO and founder Tim League. “Roar is so singular, so breathtaking, I have decided instead to deliver an essay that better contextualizes the incredible awesomeness of this film. You’ve never seen a movie like Roar and there will never, ever be a movie like Roar again.”
Here's the latest movie poster:
When the movie finally debuted in 1981, Roar was deemed by Variety as the "most disaster-plagued film in the history of Hollywood.” It was also a financial disaster. Fortunately, the passage of time affords us the perspective to view Roar for what it truly is: the most epic and amazing animal thriller ever made. It plays out like a fever-dream Disney movie. The lighthearted slapstick of the surface masks one of the most intense, white-knuckle, nail-biting thrillers ever seen. The cast is in constant mortal danger as dozens of adult lions “improvise” around them. At numerous times Marshall drips blood as he fends off ferocious advances from jaguars and tigers alike. Melanie Griffith’s real-life mauling is on display in the final cut. A jaguar licking honey off Tippi Hedren’s face was an untested idea that could have easily ended very, very badly. Knowing the backstory of the production, you can see perpetual terror in the eyes of the cast as an army of lethal predators close in around them.
Noel Marshall and Tippi Hedren pulled off the impossible: For 11 years they crafted a movie that everybody said couldn’t be made. And in so doing, they managed to contribute significantly to the methodology for humane treatment of big cats in captivity.
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