Spider-Man versus Kraven the Hunter (lost short superhero fan film; 1974): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:59, 20 February 2022

Kraven the Hunter as he appears in the film.

Status: Lost

Spider-Man vs Kraven the Hunter is a 1974 fan film produced by students at New York University. Directed by Bruce Cardozo, it was adapted from the comic boom storyline of the same name from The Amazing Spider-Man #15 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The film was not an officially licensed production but it did receive the unofficial blessing of Stan Lee before starting production, as well as his approval of the finished product.^[1]

Background

NYU student Bruce Cardozo initially proposed the project to his experimental film class. The idea was to create a 16mm, full-colour, 30-minute Spider-Man movie, so faithful to both the character and story that audiences would feel as though they were looking at the comic book come to life. Many of his classmates were skeptical, but his instructor agreed to let the film shoot proceed. Costumes were created by Daphne Stevens and Marilyn Hecht. Spider-Man's costume is heavily inspired by the work of Steve Ditko.

By all accounts the production team showed great care and creativity in enacting Cardozo's vision. Graphics were designed by Richard Eberhardt and included such obscure details as Spider-Man's Spider-Signal, a device that the webslinger used very early in his career to project his image as a warning. The film also reportedly used unusual lighting effects created by Art Schweitzer and implemented many travelling matte shots of New York elements, including a neon-lit Times Square to simulate the effect of Spider-Man swinging through the city instead of using static backdrops. There were large building sections built and laid horizontal to simulate Spider-Man climbing on buildings as well.

Synopsis

The plot of the comic book storyline begins with Spider-Man defeating a gang of thugs; one escapes and calls on Kraven the Hunter, who is immediately intrigued by the idea of adding the notoriously elusive Spidey to his trophies and agrees to track him down. It culminates in a final battle where Spider-Man, having discovered that Kraven is secretly drugging his opponents to maintain his reputation, must defeat both the master hunter and the lions he unleashes to ensure Spidey's silence. As a coda, the thug who summoned him in the first place turns out to be fellow Spider-Man villain Chameleon, who is revealed as Kraven's half-brother.

The film reportedly sticks very closely to this original story but adds Parker's girlfriend Gwen Stacy, who had since become an iconic supporting character in the comics. Joe Ellison played Peter Parker out of costume, with Richard Eberhardt playing Spider-Man. Andrew Pastorio played J. Jonah Jameson. It is unknown who played Kraven the Hunter, Gwen, or any other characters. Rumour has it that the the actors in the film all had prominent New York accents, another nod to authenticity not always present in bigger-budget productions.^[2]

Availability

Cardozo initially hoped to distribute Spider-Man vs Kraven the Hunter commercially but at some point abandoned the idea, instead opting to hold screenings of the film only occasionally at comic book conventions (such as Marvel Con 76) ^[3] over the years. The last known screening of the film was at the Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles in 2005.^[4]

As the years passed and Cardozo continued to guard it closely for reasons that remain unclear, the film was largely forgotten. In 2004, Dan Poole - director of the 1992 fan-made project The Green Goblin's Last Stand - emailed Cardozo asking if he could see his film. Cardozo refused to send a video file online (very likely, one didn't exist) but said he would happily screen it personally at his home in California if anyone desired.^[5]

Cardozo would go on to work as a visual effects artist from 1980 until his death in 2015. Included on his resume are films such as The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and uncredited work on Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

Despite renewed interest on the back of Spider-Man's great mainstream film success, this one is currently lost, with only a few screenshots proving it even existed. Unlike many other fan productions, it has never surfaced as a bootleg at comic book conventions or online, and no-one besides its creator has ever claimed to have a copy. With Cardozo's passing, and so little information on who else was involved in the project, it seems increasingly unlikely that it will be found.

Gallery

Videos

EmbedVideo is missing a required parameter.

Images

Production crew behind the film.

External Links

References

[1] Scan of a fanzine article, with screenshots, describing the project and Cardozo's hopes for it.

[2] Fan Film Follies podcast interview with Dan Poole.

[3] Marvel Con program higlighting a showing of the film.

[4] ttps://www.cbr.com/august-14th-la-scifi-comic-book-con-details/?view=list ]

[5] Fan Film Follies podcast interview with Dan Poole.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 The plot of the comic book storyline begins with Spider-Man defeating a gang of thugs; one escapes and calls on Kraven the Hunter, who is immediately intrigued by the idea of adding the notoriously elusive Spidey to his trophies and agrees to track him down. It culminates in a final battle where Spider-Man, having discovered that Kraven is secretly drugging his opponents to maintain his reputation, must defeat both the master hunter and the lions he unleashes to ensure Spidey's silence. As a coda, the thug who summoned him in the first place turns out to be fellow Spider-Man villain Chameleon, who is revealed as Kraven's half-brother.
-The film reportedly sticks very closely to this original story but adds Parker's girlfriend Gwen Stacy, who had since become an iconic supporting character in the comics. Joe Ellison played Peter Parker out of costume, with Richard Eberhardt playing Spider-Man. Andrew Pastorio played J. Jonah Jameson. It is unknown who played Kraven the Hunter, Gwen, or any other characters. Rumour has it that the the actors in the film all had prominent New York accents, another nod to authenticity not always present in bigger-budget productions.<ref>https://www.fanfilmfollies.com/podcast/episode-57/[Fan Film Follies podcast interview with Dan Poole.]</ref>
+The film reportedly sticks very closely to this original story but adds Parker's girlfriend Gwen Stacy, who had since become an iconic supporting character in the comics. Joe Ellison played Peter Parker out of costume, with Richard Eberhardt playing Spider-Man. Andrew Pastorio played J. Jonah Jameson. It is unknown who played Kraven the Hunter, Gwen, or any other characters. Rumour has it that the the actors in the film all had prominent New York accents, another nod to authenticity not always present in bigger-budget productions.<ref>[https://www.fanfilmfollies.com/podcast/episode-57/ Fan Film Follies podcast interview with Dan Poole.]</ref>
 ==Availability==
-Cardozo initially hoped to distribute ''Spider-Man vs Kraven the Hunter'' commercially but at some point abandoned the idea, instead opting to hold screenings of the film only occasionally at comic book conventions (such as Marvel Con 76)<ref>https://2warpstoneptune.com/2014/08/15/marvel-con-76-program-1976/ Marvel Con program higlighting a showing of the film.]</ref> over the years. The last known screening of the film was at the Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles in 2005.<ref>https://www.cbr.com/august-14th-la-scifi-comic-book-con-details/?view=list ]</ref>
+Cardozo initially hoped to distribute ''Spider-Man vs Kraven the Hunter'' commercially but at some point abandoned the idea, instead opting to hold screenings of the film only occasionally at comic book conventions (such as Marvel Con 76) <ref>[https://2warpstoneptune.com/2014/08/15/marvel-con-76-program-1976/ Marvel Con program higlighting a showing of the film.]</ref> over the years. The last known screening of the film was at the Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles in 2005.<ref>https://www.cbr.com/august-14th-la-scifi-comic-book-con-details/?view=list ]</ref>
-As the years passed and Cardozo continued to guard it closely for reasons that remain unclear, the film was largely forgotten. In 2004, Dan Poole - director of the 1992 fan-made project ''The Green Goblin's Last Stand'' - emailed Cardozo asking if he could see his film. Cardozo refused to send a video file online (very likely, one didn't exist) but said he would happily screen it personally at his home in California if anyone desired.<ref>https://www.fanfilmfollies.com/podcast/episode-57/ [Fan Film Follies podcast interview with Dan Poole.]</ref>
+As the years passed and Cardozo continued to guard it closely for reasons that remain unclear, the film was largely forgotten. In 2004, Dan Poole - director of the 1992 fan-made project ''The Green Goblin's Last Stand'' - emailed Cardozo asking if he could see his film. Cardozo refused to send a video file online (very likely, one didn't exist) but said he would happily screen it personally at his home in California if anyone desired.<ref>[https://www.fanfilmfollies.com/podcast/episode-57/ Fan Film Follies podcast interview with Dan Poole.]</ref>
 Cardozo would go on to work as a visual effects artist from 1980 until his death in 2015. Included on his resume are films such as ''The Avengers'' (2012), ''Captain America: The First Avenger'' (2011), and uncredited work on ''Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980).