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For many, The Crow was their first exposure to the realm of death and revenge, coupled with a love story. Yet, as with most stories, The Crow borrows many of its dark elements from other movies. It seems that, with every new decade, the whole genre of revenge fueled by love and death is reborn, to move another audience. In the late 60’s and early 70’s, revenge was a big business to be in. In 1968, Clint Eastwood set out to right the wrongs in ‘Hang ‘em High’. Eastwood followed that up in 1973 with ‘High Plains Drifter’. Then, in 1974, Charles Bronson’s movie ‘Death Wish’ hit a major chord with audiences. Bronson plays a man whose wife is brutally raped and murdered by a gang of thugs. He later looses his daughter the same way. Bronson, in a sense, takes on a totally different persona. At night, he dresses in black and walks the streets, hunting the men who killed his wife and daughter. Not satisfied with the justice system, he takes matters into his own hands. He eventually takes out the gang. This movie fostered, within the audience, a deep sense of need for justice. Everyone could empathize with Bronson’s character. His deep love for his wife and daughter allowed him to overcome the usual barriers that exist in everyday life. He, in a sense, was reborn into a man thirsting for one thing, revenge. The 80’s brought a supernatural element to revenge movies. In 1985, Eastwood, again, took on the role of a man set on revenge. This time, the writer alluded to a supernatural element that hinted at something more than just worldly revenge. Then, in 1987, Charlie Sheen’s movie, ‘The Wraith’, set the foundation that would later be used by the creators of The Crow to tap into another generation. The Wraith introduced audiences to a new style of revenge films. Sheen played a man back from the dead. His sole mission was to kill the gang who killed him and to be reunited with his one true love. Along with the supernatural element, The Wraith used a modern day rock soundtrack and a young cast to attract a younger audience. An audience on which the creators of The Crow would rely heavily to move the revenge story into the 90’s. The 90’s, of course, brought James O’Barr’s vision of pain and revenge to the big screen. Borrowing profoundly from the rudiments seen in ‘The Wraith’ and ‘Death Wish’, the creators of The Crow added the growing "Goth" element to the scheme. There are many opinions on what ‘Goth’ is, or should be. But, for the most part, Goth refers to a dark style of dressing, music filled with dark overtones, and an overall sense of non-conforming. The Crow was weighted with these elements in order to tap into a growing sector of the population. A sector comprised mainly of teen and early twenty-year-olds that, up until then, had no vision on the big screen. Since the success of The Crow, there have been a couple of direct influences that have made it to the screen. Kathy Long, a champion martial artist, made a movie in 1995 entitled ‘The Stranger’. In it, Long plays a woman who has come back from the dead to take revenge on the gang that killed her. There are obvious "Crow" influences throughout the movie. Long’s character is preceded, in some scenes, by a pair of crows. A movie, even more directly influenced by The Crow, was 1997’s comic to screen version of ‘Spawn’. In the late 90’s, the revenge theme, seen in The Crow, found its way to the small screen. Numerous series based on death and revenge came to be. The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Brimstone, and G Vs E, have the highest profiles of these new looks at revenge. Contrary to the previous themes, the main characters in these stories are out for redemption. This helped to put a different twist to the age-old revenge game and broadened the possibilities for story lines. It has allowed the audience to see the other side of revenge, the darker side. Revenge has its consequences, even for the victim. These shows have brought to light that revenge is not just black and white. Many elements play into it. With the year 2000 upcoming, I’m sure we will witness more chapters in this long running story line. No matter what year it is, or the events of the day, the appetite for revenge will always need to be satisfied. Who knows what form the avatar of the new millennium will take. One thing is for sure though. Whatever form it takes, the movies of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, will be used, yet, again to influence the ever evolving notion to set the wrong things right. Take care LLCruize
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