Fan Film Theatre - Coming Attractions: "Grayson" (John Fiorella, 2004)
Written
and Directed by John Fiorella
Based
on the DC Comic Characters Created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Siegel, Joe
Shuster and William Moulton Marston
Produced
by … John Fiorella and Gabriel Sabloff Cinematography
by … Gabriel Sabloff Editing
by … John Fiorella and Gabriel Sabloff Costume
Design by … John Fiorella and Virginia Medina
After
the tragic murder of Batman at the hands of his foes, his ward Dick Grayson
seeks to avenge the death of his mentor, despite attempts by Superman, Wonder
Woman and others to stop him.
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One
of the most appreciated fan films isn’t even a film at all; though it boasts a
budget that some independent features would be envious of.
Writer/Director/Star
John Fiorella, along with his company Untamed Cinema, unleashed “Grayson” upon
audiences in 2004.
A
trailer based upon a wonderful feature length script by Fiorella, “Grayson”
tells of the unthinkable as Batman has finally met his end; murdered in the
midst of his crusade to preserve law and order in Gotham City.
But
the time of sorrow quickly passes as the caped crusader’s former protégé, Dick
Grayson (Fiorella) suspects that his mentor wasn’t simply killed by some
no-name punk. In fact, he suspects foul play. Looking into the murder, Grayson
finds himself being shut out and left aside by Police Chief Clancy O’Hara
(Anthony Heartly) as well as Clark Kent (Paul Hasenyager).
With
nothing more than the aid of Commissioner Gordon (Mark Brodkin), Dick begins
re-training his body to take up the fight his mentor had left behind. And much
to the dismay of his wife, and former Batgirl, Barbara (Gloria Payne), he
assumes the mantle of Robin once more to uncover the truth behind Batman’s
death; a truth everyone from the Joker (Brian C. Bethel) and Catwoman (Kimberly
Page) to Wonder Woman (Kate Clarke) and Green Lantern will fight to keep
hidden.
Now
as a trailer, one obviously has to look at it more as a trailer than the film
its representing. Since there’ll never be an opportunity to see what’s going on
between the scenes, you have to take it at face value.
And
at face value the trailer, put frankly, is a fanboy’s dream.
At
a time when the thought of seeing a collection of heroes in one piece was
unfathomable, a good eight years prior to the release of “The Avengers,” to
feature Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern together with a respectable
budget to back them up was just fantastic.
In
its own small way, it proved the weight and impact of putting all these powerhouses
together in a film. The anticipation, the elation and the expectation of
something comic book fans thought they would never have the opportunity to see.
As
much as I’m looking forward to “The Avengers,” I can only hope that the day
comes when we get to see a “Justice League” film grace the silver screen.
The
story of the trailer is certainly shocking; the thought of Warner Brothers ever
sanctioning a film that kills off DC Comics’ most popular character (sorry,
Superman, but let’s just go ahead and be honest) is highly unlikely. It’s
unfortunate because the story also happens to have a wealth of emotional
material and subsequent visual potential.
The
backbone of the plot here details the importance of legacy; its pressures and
consequences as Grayson takes it upon himself to continue his mentor’s crusade
despite the fact that it’s reasonable to assume he hasn’t been fighting crime
for a while, settling down with Barbara and raising a daughter. It’s difficult
to determine whether Dick needs to carry on the legacy or he has to do it.
On
the one hand, it can be interpreted in terms of a concept like the pupil
rightfully avenging his mentor through simple obligation. But you could also
say that, in this mundane existence he’s been placed in, Grayson isn’t as alive
as he could be, as he wants to be. With the death of Batman, a trigger is put
in place to give Dick an excuse to go back to the life he wants.
It’s
just a trailer, but it’s fun to speculate.
I
think it’s a great benefit to the piece that it aligns itself specifically with
the universe of the Bill Dozier television series. Fiorella could’ve easily
just set it within the parameters of the comic books or more contemporary fare
like the animated series or the Burton/Schumacher films. But there’s something very
clever to be found in putting a dramatic twist on the camp of the Adam
West/Burt Ward regime.
This
explains why Grayson returns as Robin instead of Nightwing; because within the
paradigm of the TV show and at that time in the books, the Nightwing mantle
hadn’t been conceived.
There’s
just something about it that I can’t put my finger on but it works. It works
when you know that this is carrying over from the 60s show; knowing that
creates a strange dynamic that fits the project.
Making
Chief O’Hara a villainous bastard after all those years of his lovable
buffoonery alongside Commissioner Gordon just clicks in your brain in a way
that’s charming.
Fiorella
himself provides a commanding presence as Grayson; it certainly exudes the idea
that this is an older version of Burt Ward, hardened by the loss of Batman.
The
Joker is rightfully very creepy and I love his presence in the trailer; he’s
got a great look and a tremendous laugh. The shot of the door opening on him
with the axe is chilling, as is the image of him skipping through the park with
Grayson’s daughter as if he were just a harmless street performer when we all
KNOW he’s anything but.
That’s
the thing about the trailer to. Watch it once, and its images stick with you.
They have a power.
The
sequence of shots depicting a fist fight between Robin and Superman on the
beach is iconic. When Dick takes a swing and it connects with a jaw of steel as
he reels back in pain; I’ll never forget that image!
Very
emotionally charged and packed with explosive visual extensions of a fresh and
inspired narrative, “Grayson” achieves in the sum of a few minutes what a lot
of fan films that are two to three times longer fail to do.
On
top of everything, it’s a great case for proving just how bad ass Robin can
actually be.
If
the boy wonder were ever handled like this in an official movie, I don’t think
anyone would question the validity of his presence in the Batman universe.
Obviously, I was Born to be a Fan, as Bruce Wayne IS my Real Name! I was Fascinated by this trailer when I first saw it, as well as the making-of video, and come back to it every couple of years. That it has now been almost 20 years...and Still it Impresses! I worked in The Biz myself, so can appreciate everything that went into this amazing project. We can only Imagine what Might Have Been...but at least we have This! ^^X^^
Obviously, I was Born to be a Fan, as Bruce Wayne IS my Real Name!
ReplyDeleteI was Fascinated by this trailer when I first saw it, as well as the making-of video, and come back to it every couple of years. That it has now been almost 20 years...and Still it Impresses! I worked in The Biz myself, so can appreciate everything that went into this amazing project. We can only Imagine what Might Have Been...but at least we have This!
^^X^^