# 1981 movie "Roar" - This has to be the most insane film ever made! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 16, 2016, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068 "2016-09-16T07:56:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/1 "2016-09-16T07:56:11Z")
I get there are some weird films out there but as[a tomato reviewer said](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/roar/) > [@](#): > > It can best be described as a cross between a nature special, a home movie, a snuff film, and a key exhibit at a sanity hearing. The wiki entry is tame. You see the looks on the faces of the “actors” in the clips and there is true mortal panic in their eyes. Discussion clip here [Roar" actors battle animals in newly-released 1981 film](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeX4Zveho7k) [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roar_(1981_film)) > [@](#): > > Roar is a 1981 American adventure exploitation film written and directed by Noel Marshall, produced by and starring Marshall and his wife Tippi Hedren, and co-starring Hedren’s real-life daughter Melanie Griffith and Marshall’s real-life sons John and Jerry. The film follows a family who are attacked by a range of ravening jungle animals at the secluded home of their keeper. > > Roar became notorious for its troubled 11-year production, which resulted in 70 members of its cast and crew being injured by the many predatory animals used in the film, including its main stars sustaining life-threatening injuries ranging from bone fractures to scalpings and gangrene. Much of the footage capturing the injuries was included in the final cut of the film, resulting in real blood on screen. It has been considered the most dangerous film shoot in history.[1] > > The film was released theatrically in Europe in 1981, but was a financial failure.[2] It was released theatrically in the United States for the first time on April 17, 2015. and in Split,Croatia in 2015.[1][3] Hedren co-wrote the 1985 book Cats of Shambala about her experience of filming Roar. As a final note per the below quote Tippi Hedren must have a brain the size of a baseball. > [@](#): > > Tippi [Hedren] disputes the number. I believe that number is inaccurate – I believe it’s over 100. It’s somewhere between 70 and 100. It is the most dangerous film ever made in history. Nowadays, there’s so much regulation, if you’re working on a film and two people get injured, they come in and they shut you down. They have safety meetings and they say, ‘What are we gonna do to change this situation?’ If they did that to us after two bites, we would have said, ‘I don’t know what else we can do differently. Should we do it with dogs? I don’t know!’ If we wanna make a movie with lions, people are gonna get bitten. We just hope that nobody dies and we’ll do everything we can to makes sure that doesn’t happen.[5] ---
**Author:** ![Mavic\_Chen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mavic\_Chen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavic_Chen)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/2 "2016-09-16T13:48:27Z")
That sounds completely insane. Not sure if I want to see it really… Love the tagline “no animals were harmed in the making of this film - 70 cast and crew members were”. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/3 "2016-09-17T03:08:13Z")
Darn, it’s not on Netflix. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/4 "2016-09-18T01:14:55Z")
Wow…America must not have been a litigious society yet. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/5 "2016-09-18T03:50:15Z")
I wonder if this movie was one of **MyLord** ’s citations in his [Lion vs Tiger](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=661555) thread. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/6 "2016-09-18T04:01:40Z")
Someone has never seen [Visitor Q](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visitor_Q). ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/7 "2016-09-18T04:03:57Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > Darn, it’s not on Netflix. > > Dennis It’s on YouTube. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AN6v_yYc_0) ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/8 "2016-09-18T06:17:11Z")
This movie was released in Australia in 1981, and it actually aired numerous times on Aussie TV later in the 1980s. I can’t remember if we saw it in the theater, but i know that my mother, my sister and i watched it together at least once, possibly more, on VHS and/or on TV. The movie never seemed especially gory or scary to me, partly, i guess, because i was a teenage boy who reveled in that stuff anyway, and partly because i also assumed that all of the blood and the attacks were carefully choreographed and fake. I don’t think i had ever heard before about all the real attacks and other problems on the set. Pretty crazy! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/9 "2016-09-18T13:52:09Z")
The imdb Trivia page on this film is outrageous: > **[Roar (1981) - Trivia - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083001/trivia/?ref_=tt_trv_trv)** > > Roar (1981) - Trivia on IMDb: Cameos, Mistakes, Spoilers and more... My favorite item: > [@](#): > > During the promotion of this picture, Tippi Hedren categorically stated that there would never be a ‘Roar 2’ sequel. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/10 "2016-09-19T05:06:21Z")
> [@](#): > > It can best be described as a cross between a nature special, a home movie, a snuff film, and a key exhibit at a sanity hearing. I’ll never listen to that Katy Perry song the same way again. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/11 "2016-09-19T06:01:34Z")
funny thing is I live near a big cat preserve… I think that’s the one … ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/12 "2016-09-19T17:50:28Z")
I am not sure I want to actually watch this movie but after watching that CBS clip I think I would find a full length making of documentary utterly fascinating. Certainly one of the most bizarre episodes in movie history. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/13 "2016-09-19T18:10:32Z")
White people. _smh_ ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/14 "2016-09-19T18:23:00Z")
If they cut out all the parts where people were running from the cats, the movie could have been done in 15 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/15 "2016-09-19T19:58:46Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > White people. _smh_ #notalllions ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/16 "2016-09-19T20:44:19Z")
You know, “getting eaten by lions” is not something I’d normally consider a white people’s problem. ---
**Author:** ![Dains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dains)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/17 "2016-09-20T04:08:53Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > You know, “getting eaten by lions” is not something I’d normally consider a white people’s problem. Unless the white people in question actually went and gathered the lions, then arranged themselves on a buffet table for said lions so they could film the attacks to … make money? Jeebus cripes. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that other peoples may have done or do the same, but we white folk certainly are the poster children for _smh_ sometimes. On another point, did they not realize that by introducing those predators to the taste of human flesh, they were training them as maneaters? How many were killed after, and how many were released which may have later targeted people as food due to their experiences? … _smh_ doesn’t cover it. This is closer tho. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/18 "2016-09-20T23:53:25Z")
> [@Dains](#): > > On another point, did they not realize that by introducing those predators to the taste of human flesh, they were training them as maneaters? How many were killed after, and how many were released which may have later targeted people as food due to their experiences? … _smh_ doesn’t cover it. This is closer tho. :eek: All of these animals were gathered and kept on a private game reserve owned by the family. They lived and interacted with big cats regularly. Most if not all of the attacks were in the nature of playing or other incidental behaviors, not hunting. None of the animals were released into the wild. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/19 "2016-10-24T19:18:03Z")
> [@astro](#): > > As a final note per the below quote Tippi Hedren must have a brain the size of a baseball. That quote was from John Marshall, not Tippi. She probably wouldn’t refer to herself in the third-person anyway. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1981-movie-roar-this-has-to-be-the-most-insane-film-ever-made/766068/20 "2016-10-24T23:31:40Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > White people. _smh_ Americans _wtf_