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The Filming of Roar
🕑 Added 2023-06-06 10:15:01 +0000 UTCWatch the finished film
I read about Roar long before I actually sat down and watched it, but nothing I read could quite prepare me for the reality of it. It’s such a strange film! The tone is all over the place, reeling back and forth between moments of genuine terror and moments of slapstick farce.
Of course, I should mention that the film includes a number of upsetting scenes. No animals are hurt (the scenes where animals appear to have been shot were filmed when these animals were tranquilised for their annual veterinary checkup), but many, many humans are. You’ll see real blood many times throughout the film.
And one other curiosity to look out for: some of the animals involved are given a writing or directing credit. This was because so many scenes were made up of footage captured while filming the animals acting naturally and unpredictably – and thus it was considered that the animals truly had contributed to the creative direction of the film.
The Shambala Preserve
The preserve set up in the wake of the film is called The Shambala Preserve, and Tippi Hedren is still – at the time of writing – the president of the charitable organisation that runs it. Here’s the preserve’s website if you’d like to take a look.
It’s possible to visit and even volunteer at the Shambala Preserve, which to date has given sanctuary to more than 200 exotic animals. As well as the animals who featured in Roar, there are also animals who have been abandoned, rescued, or retired from zoos and circuses.
However chaotic the filming of Roar was, it’s reassuring to see that something stable, lasting, and genuinely positive came from it. It’s certainly not what you might expect when watching the film for the first time!
Comments
Fascinating Horror
Interesting. I don't think I've covered a case yet where there was this much disagreement about the cause. One for the list!
Michael Rutherford
I'd like to see a video on SilkAir Flight 185. Similar to the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 that I recommended a couple weeks ago, there's some disagreement in the official reports in regards to the cause. The NTSB concluded that it was a Suicide by Pilot, while the Indonesian NTSC (National Transportation Safety Committee) stated that the cause was inconclusive. The LA Supreme court came to their own conclusion of it being mechanical failure. Also like the EgyptAir flight, the SilkAir flight also has an episode of Mayday that I highly recommend watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZixQxWy9f28
Amy Frushour Kelly
Right?!?! At some point, they should have thrown up their hands and redirected their efforts.
Marie Horton
Tippi Hedren has always been one of my favorite actresses. Let's face it most actors are very eccentric. And, this is very strange - despite injuries - they kept going... The show must go on. Wow, $17million dollars - just think what they could have done with the money to actually help animals rather than blow it on an altruistic endeavor.
