Scary to write about some films

[Trevor]

I saw the movie The Last Lion today after many years: scary when you know several people died making it.  

There have been many films and television shows produced over the years where one disaster or another has overshadowed the production, e.g., the tragic consequences of the location filming on Dick Powell’s The Conqueror - many cast and crew members developed cancer and some, including Powell himself, John Wayne and Susan Hayward, died as a result – Brandon Lee’s accidental shooting death by actor Michael Massee on the set of Alex Proyas’ The Crow, Paul Walker’s death during the production of James Wan’s Fast and Furious 7, Boris Sagal’s death on the set of the mini-series World War III , Vic Morrow’s death on the set of The Twilight Zone The Movie and cinematographer Halyna Hutchins ASC’s accidental shooting death by Alec Baldwin on the set of Rust.
Several tragedies occurred while this film was in production and afterwards including the death of soundman James Chapman who was mauled to death by a supposedly tame lion (its trainer was also brought up on murder charges which were later dismissed), the film’s star Jack Hawkins died of cancer before it was released and its’ composer Con Lamprecht also passed away before its’ release and for this reason is wrongly remembered as South Africa’s cursed film. *
This film – made partly in the former Rhodesia – was based on a novel by noted South African author A A Pienaar (writing as Sangiro) and boasted a script by another noted author Wilbur Smith, no less, with cancer stricken actor Jack Hawkins playing the lead role of Ryk Mannering, a rich, ageing hunter who has spent his entire professional life tracking down a lion which has always managed to elude his bullets. When he finally manages to shoot the lion, he himself later dies and it is left to the shocked game ranger David Lang, who is looking at the orphaned lion cubs with Ryk’s doctor to say “Thank God, at least there’s something left.”
Tragedies aside this film is a well-made film about an innate human desire to achieve once unattainable goals before dying and for this reason it has always resonated well with me. Starring Jack Hawkins, Dawid van der Walt and Karen Spies.

[ER]

Like stunt people? The big cinema death when I was growing up was Brandon Lee on the set of The Crow.

[Trevor]

Like stunt people? The big cinema death when I was growing up was Brandon Lee on the set of The Crow.

The sound man on the film was mauled to death by a supposedly tame lion, the music composer on the film died before the film was released, the person who was in charge of the lion's training was brought up on charges of murder and the film's star Jack Hawkins died before the film was released. 

[ER]

Then a cursed movie indeed, and a cautionary tale to all filmmakers on the hazards of not paying off the gypsy protection racket.

(Was the lion handler convicted?)

[Trevor]

Then a cursed movie indeed, and a cautionary tale to all filmmakers on the hazards of not paying off the gypsy protection racket.

(Was the lion handler convicted?)

No, the charges were dismissed.

The movie is OK to watch if you don't know the backstory. I had a lot of enquiries about the movie over the years and when people were preparing to watch it with me, I would ask if they wanted to hear about what happened while the film was in production before or after the screening. A few said 'before' and then didn't want to watch it at all. 

[RCMerchant]

^ I heard about that, Trev. Losta folks died during the making of a film.
From the early 1900's to now.
Here's list-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_film_and_television_accidents

[chainsaw midget]

And now that Trevor has written about it ...  well, it was nice knowing you, buddy. 

[Trevor]

And now that Trevor has written about it ...  well, it was nice knowing you, buddy. 

 

It's 6 pm here and that was my first LOL of the day.