The Crow with Wine at Mockingbird, Digbeth
Thank you to everyone who joined us at The Mockingbird for our Halloween screening of The Crow with Wine. Five wines, one unforgettable cult movie and a host with some very unfinished business!
As promised, read on for details of our five resurrected wines, our gallery of the evening's proceedings and plenty of fascinating behind-the-scenes trivia from the making of The Crow.
Back from the Dead – Our Five Wines
Our wines all shared something in common with Eric Draven. Each had a story of being overlooked, abandoned, forgotten or, in some cases, practically wiped out, before making an extraordinary comeback.
Wine 1 – Tesco Finest 1531 Blanquette de Limoux, France – Tesco £11
We started with a sparkling wine from Limoux in southern France, a place with a remarkable claim to fame. While Champagne enjoys all the glory, monks in Limoux were recording the production of sparkling wine as far back as 1531, more than a century before Champagne's famous Dom Pérignon.
Made predominantly from the local Mauzac grape, this is one of the world's oldest sparkling wine traditions, but one that remains relatively unknown outside France.
Awarded a Silver Medal at the International Wine Challenge, our first wine delivered lovely aromas of peach and apple, with a little toasted brioche.
Overlooked and almost forgotten. A fitting way to begin our evening.
Wine 2 – Fenaroli Pecorino Superiore, Abruzzo, Italy – Waitrose £11.50
Our first resurrection story! Pecorino is an ancient Italian white grape variety which almost disappeared altogether. Its naturally low yields made it less attractive to growers, who increasingly replaced it with more productive varieties.
Fortunately, a handful of determined winemakers recognised its potential and began replanting it. Pecorino has since enjoyed a remarkable revival and is now one of Italy's most exciting native white grapes.
Our example from Abruzzo was awarded 91 points and a Silver Medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards. Elegant citrus, acacia, lime and wildflowers on the nose, with white peach, pear, green apple and a lovely flinty freshness on the palate.
A grape that very nearly died, only to return stronger than ever.
Wine 3 – M&S Myrtia Xinomavro Rosé, Greece – Marks & Spencer £12
Greek wine has something of an image problem. Despite thousands of years of winemaking history and some exceptional indigenous grape varieties, the country remains relatively overlooked on the international wine stage.
For years, many Greek vineyards favoured familiar international grapes, including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. Fortunately, a new generation of Greek winemakers has been rediscovering the enormous potential of the country's native varieties.
One of these is Xinomavro, a grape whose name translates as 'sour black'. Usually responsible for powerful, structured red wines, it can also make wonderfully fresh, juicy rosé.
Our Myrtia Rosé delivered lovely aromas of strawberry and cherry, followed by peach, red berries and citrus on the palate.
A delicious example of Greece's winemaking revival.
Wine 4 – Catena Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina – Majestic £15 / £12 Mix Six
Where does Malbec come from? Argentina, right? Well, not originally!
Malbec is actually a French grape, once widely planted in Bordeaux as part of the region's famous red blends. However, it proved increasingly troublesome to grow, particularly when it struggled to ripen in Bordeaux's unpredictable climate.
As growers turned to more reliable grapes, Malbec began to disappear from the region.
Fortunately, French agronomist Michel Aimé Pouget brought grapevine cuttings to Mendoza in Argentina during the nineteenth century, where Malbec discovered an entirely new lease of life.
The Catena family played a particularly important part in its revival. Nicola Catena planted Malbec in Mendoza in 1902, while his grandson Nicolás Catena later pioneered high-altitude viticulture, helping establish Argentine Malbec as one of the world's most celebrated red wines.
Our Catena Malbec offered ripe red and dark fruits, delicate violet and lavender aromas, and lovely hints of vanilla and mocha.
From an increasingly neglected blending grape in Bordeaux to Argentina's most famous wine export. Quite a comeback.
Wine 5 – Bodega Volcanes Carménère, Chile – Majestic £12.50 / £11 Mix Six
And finally, our greatest resurrection story of the evening.
Carménère was once an important grape in Bordeaux until the devastating phylloxera epidemic of the nineteenth century destroyed vineyards across Europe.
Unlike many other varieties, Carménère was scarcely replanted and was effectively considered lost from Bordeaux's vineyards. Or was it?
Fast-forward to the 1990s, when researchers examining vineyards in Chile made an extraordinary discovery. Large quantities of what growers believed to be Merlot were, in fact, Carménère!
The grape had survived in Chile for generations, hiding in plain sight under another name.
Today, Carménère has become one of Chile's signature red varieties.
Our example came from Bodega Volcanes, established in 2009 to showcase the influence of Chile's remarkable volcanic landscape on its wines. Chile is home to thousands of volcanoes, and the winery takes its inspiration from the country's volcanic soils.
Rich black fruits and chocolate, with hints of olives, herbs and spice.
A grape thought lost to history, rediscovered on the other side of the world.
And there we had it. Five wines, five comeback stories. All brought back from the dead, just like Eric Draven. And, apparently, your host!
The Crow Gallery – It Can't Rain All the Time!
The Crow – Behind the Scenes Trivia
As promised, here are some of the fascinating stories and behind-the-scenes facts we shared throughout our screening, along with a few extras we couldn't squeeze into the evening.
Brandon Lee's final film
The Crow stars Brandon Lee, son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Tragically, Brandon was accidentally killed during filming in March 1993, aged just 28, when a prop firearm malfunctioned during a scene.
Actor Michael Massee, who played Funboy, fired the weapon, unaware that a projectile was lodged inside the barrel. Massee was devastated by the accident and continued to suffer nightmares about it for years afterwards.
The incident remains one of the most tragic accidents in Hollywood history and drew renewed attention to the importance of firearms safety on film sets.
The dedication to Brandon and Eliza
At the end of The Crow, the film is dedicated to Brandon and Eliza. Eliza Hutton was Brandon Lee's fiancée, whom he had planned to marry shortly after completing the film.
Following Brandon's death, Eliza supported director Alex Proyas and the filmmakers in their decision to complete the movie, ensuring that Brandon's extraordinary performance would be seen by audiences.
A film rescued from the dead
Following Brandon's death, production stopped and Paramount Pictures withdrew from the project. For a while, it looked as though The Crow might never be completed.
Additional financing and the involvement of Miramax allowed the filmmakers to finish the movie, using body doubles, rewritten scenes and pioneering digital effects.
Rather fittingly, The Crow itself had to be resurrected.
Brandon Lee appears in scenes he never filmed
Several scenes were completed after Brandon's death using a combination of stunt doubles and computer-generated imagery.
When Eric returns to his apartment after emerging from the grave, existing footage of Brandon was digitally incorporated into newly filmed material.
His reflection in the shattered mirror was another carefully constructed digital effect.
The filmmakers also used doubles in scenes where Eric's face was obscured, including moments inside the apartment.
These effects were remarkably ambitious for 1993, when computer-generated imagery was still in its infancy.
The mask that nobody wanted to use
The production team had originally made a mould of Brandon Lee's face, intending to use it to create masks for his stunt doubles if required.
After his death, filmmakers experimented with using a realistic mask to complete certain scenes. However, the experience proved deeply unsettling for members of the cast and crew.
The approach was abandoned in favour of other techniques, including digital compositing.
Brandon almost didn't get the part
James O'Barr, creator of The Crow comic book, initially had serious reservations about casting Brandon Lee.
Having seen some of Lee's earlier films, O'Barr wasn't convinced he possessed the acting ability required to portray Eric Draven.
However, after meeting Brandon and seeing his extraordinary commitment to the character, particularly his knowledge of the original comic, O'Barr changed his mind completely.
Brandon's performance ultimately won over both the creator and generations of fans.
A very different Eric Draven
Brandon Lee lost around 20 pounds in preparation for the role, despite already being extremely lean.
He was reportedly so disciplined with his diet that he weighed his food before eating and even refused a slice of his own birthday cake on set.
All to create the gaunt, almost skeletal appearance of a man returned from the dead.
Sleeping in his makeup
Brandon wasn't initially happy with the pristine appearance of Eric's distinctive black-and-white face paint when applied by the makeup department.
He wanted something more worn, battered and lived-in.
The solution was wonderfully simple. Brandon would apply the makeup himself before going to bed, allowing it to become naturally distressed overnight.
The result was the iconic look we recognise today.
The ice-cold resurrection
To prepare for the scene in which Eric emerges from his grave, Brandon Lee decided that returning from the dead would probably feel absolutely freezing.
He took ice baths to familiarise himself with the sensation and even requested bags of ice inside the grave during filming.
Considering the scene was already being shot outdoors, at night, in winter rain, this was commitment well beyond the call of duty!
The Crow was nearly a black-and-white movie
Director Alex Proyas originally wanted to shoot The Crow almost entirely in black and white, using colour primarily for Eric's flashbacks to happier times.
The studio rejected the idea.
Instead, Proyas and his team created the film's distinctive desaturated look, dominated by greys, blacks and occasional vivid splashes of colour, particularly red.
The result is one of the most visually distinctive comic-book adaptations ever made.
Michael Jackson as The Crow?
Yes, really!
According to James O'Barr, executives once floated the extraordinary idea of turning The Crow into a musical starring Michael Jackson.
O'Barr initially thought they were joking.
They weren't.
Fortunately, the project eventually took the much darker direction we know today, particularly following the involvement of Brandon Lee and Alex Proyas.
Quite how a Michael Jackson musical version of The Crow would have worked is anybody's guess!
Other actors who might have played Eric
Before Brandon Lee secured the role, River Phoenix and Christian Slater were among the actors approached or considered for Eric Draven.
James O'Barr had also been particularly enthusiastic about Johnny Depp.
It's difficult to imagine anyone other than Brandon inhabiting the role now, but Hollywood history could have been very different.
Not a single crow in The Crow?
Here's a wonderful piece of movie trivia.
Despite the title, the birds used during production were reportedly ravens rather than crows.
Ravens are generally considerably larger than crows, with more substantial beaks and an imposing appearance, making them particularly effective on screen.
So perhaps the film should have been called The Raven?
Although Edgar Allan Poe might have had something to say about that.
Spot the creator
James O'Barr makes a brief cameo appearance in the film.
Following the explosion at Gideon's pawnshop, watch carefully for a man carrying away a stolen television. That's O'Barr himself, making the most of the chaos!
The film was plagued by accidents
Long before Brandon Lee's death, the production had developed a reputation for extraordinarily bad luck.
On the first day of shooting, a carpenter was badly burned when his crane came into contact with live electrical cables.
Other incidents included a grip truck catching fire, a crew member accidentally driving a screwdriver through his hand and a disgruntled sculptor crashing his car into the studio's plaster workshop.
A hurricane also caused substantial damage to the outdoor sets.
For a film about death, resurrection and supernatural forces, it's perhaps unsurprising that stories of a supposedly cursed production began to circulate.
A gruelling production
The Crow was filmed largely in Wilmington, North Carolina, with a relatively modest budget for such an ambitious-looking movie.
The crew endured punishing night shoots, often in freezing temperatures.
Conditions reportedly became so cold that camera tracks had to be de-iced using blowtorches.
Despite these difficulties, the filmmakers managed to create an atmospheric world that looked considerably more expensive than its budget suggested.
Miniature movie magic
Some of the film's most impressive sequences were created using traditional practical effects rather than computer-generated imagery.
The opening views of the burning city employed miniatures and projection techniques to create the illusion of a sprawling, decaying metropolis.
The production also lacked the budget and physical space to stage an elaborate car chase, so miniature models were used instead.
Sometimes the smallest sets create the biggest spectacle.
Music was central to The Crow from the beginning
Music played a huge part in the creation of the original comic book.
James O'Barr was heavily influenced by bands including Joy Division, The Cure and Iggy Pop while developing the world of Eric Draven.
The film continued this relationship with alternative music, featuring an extraordinary soundtrack including The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots and The Jesus and Mary Chain.
For many fans, the soundtrack is every bit as iconic as the movie itself.
Why is Officer Albrecht called Albrecht?
Ernie Hudson plays Sergeant Albrecht, the sympathetic police officer who gradually discovers that Eric Draven is rather more than an ordinary murder suspect.
His surname is a nod to Bernard Sumner of Joy Division, who briefly used the name Albrecht during the band's early years.
Another reflection of the enormous influence that music had on James O'Barr's original creation.
The Cure and a song that took 19 years to perform
The Cure contributed the atmospheric song Burn to The Crow soundtrack.
Despite the song becoming a firm favourite with fans, the band waited an extraordinary 19 years before performing it live for the first time in 2013.
A long wait for one of the soundtrack's most memorable recordings.
The mysterious Skull Cowboy
One significant character was removed entirely from the finished movie.
The Skull Cowboy, played by Michael Berryman, was intended to be a supernatural guide for Eric, helping him navigate the strange world between life and death.
The character would have explained some of the rules governing Eric's resurrection and his mission for revenge.
Scenes involving the character were planned and partly filmed, but the role was eventually eliminated as the filmmakers restructured the story following Brandon Lee's death.
It's fascinating to imagine how different the finished film might have been with him included.
James O'Barr gave away much of his earnings
Following the film's release, James O'Barr donated much of the money he earned from The Crow to charitable causes.
He had become close friends with Brandon Lee during production, and following Brandon's death felt deeply uncomfortable profiting from the movie.
O'Barr kept many of his donations private for years, explaining that he didn't believe charitable giving should be about receiving public recognition.
A remarkable gesture from the man who created the story.
The Crow lives on
The success of the 1994 film led to several sequels, a television series and, more recently, a reboot.
The Crow: City of Angels followed in 1996, featuring an older Sarah from the original story.
The Crow: Salvation arrived in 2000, followed by The Crow: Wicked Prayer in 2005.
There was also The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, a television series that ran for 22 episodes between 1998 and 1999.
In 2024, Bill Skarsgård took on the role of Eric Draven in a new adaptation.
The decision to revisit Eric's character was controversial, with original cast member Ernie Hudson among those expressing reservations. Hudson felt that Brandon Lee's portrayal of Eric was so definitive that any new film would have been better served by following a different character.
Of course, the 1994 film remains the definitive version.
A legacy that continues
Whatever its troubled production history, The Crow has endured as a genuine cult classic.
Its striking visual style, extraordinary soundtrack, powerful central performance and themes of love, loss and redemption have ensured that it continues to find new audiences more than thirty years after its original release.
And perhaps that's the most fitting resurrection story of them all.
It can't rain all the time.
Thank You Once Again!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for The Crow with Wine. We hope you enjoyed the movie, the wines and our unconventional approach to wine tasting!
We look forward to welcoming you back to another Movies with Wine event very soon.
Keep an eye on our website for upcoming screenings and sign up to our monthly mailing list to hear about new events before they sell out.
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