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Trog
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==Production== Based on an original story by Peter Biyan and John Gilling, the film was initially developed by [[Tony Tenser]] at [[Tigon Films]], which sold the project to producer [[Herman Cohen]].<ref name="x cert">{{cite book |first=John |last=Hamilton |title=The British Independent Horror Film 1951–70 |publisher=Hemlock Books |year=2013 |pages=186–189}}</ref> In July 1968, Cohen announced he had signed a contract with Warner Bros-Seven Arts to produce ''[[Crooks and Coronets]]'' and ''Trog'', with the latter to begin filming in September.<ref>Martin, Betty (1968). "Geraldine Page Signs Pact", ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 11 July 1968: e17.</ref> Filming was delayed for several months, until after [[Joan Crawford]] agreed to star in the production in May 1969.<ref name="LAT">Martin, Betty (1969). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: Mariette Hartley to Star", ''Los Angeles Times'', 22 May 1969: e22.</ref> ''Trog'' was the second of two films that she starred in for Cohen, the first being ''[[Berserk!]]'' in 1967. It also paired her again with [[Michael Gough]], who costarred with Crawford in that earlier film. Crawford's character in the original script had been a man but Cohen rewrote it specifically for Crawford.<ref name="LAT"/> The director Freddie Francis later commented on the benefits and challenges that he experienced working on the film:{{blockquote|''Trog'' wasn't my sort of picture. For political reasons, I'd rather not go too deeply into this. The only good thing...well, not the ''only'' good thing, but the best thing that happened on that picture was that I formed an association with Herman Cohen. He was delighted with what I did for him on ''Trog'', even though in a case like that you know you're going to take a beating no matter what you do.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/Fangoria_030|magazine=Fangoria|date=October 1983|number=30|page=[https://archive.org/details/Fangoria_030/page/n18 16]|title=The British Terror of Freddie Francis}}</ref>}} ===Filming=== Crawford described ''Trog'' as "a low-budget picture", adding "I supply most of my own wardrobe."<ref>Oakes, Philip (1969). "Joan Crawford Can Still Cry on Cue", ''Los Angeles Times'', 2 September 1969: e14.</ref> Just weeks after she committed to performing in the project, the film began shooting on 30 June 1969.<ref>Weiler, A. H. (1969). "Stark to Film Sarah Bernhardt Story", ''The New York Times'', 27 May 1969: 42.</ref> The production also features actor [[David Warbeck]], who has a small role as Alan Davis.<ref>[https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16124/trog "Trog (1970)"], cast and crew, [[Turner Classic Movies]] (TCM), Atlanta, Georgia. Retrieved September 3, 2019.</ref> In a 1992 interview with the horror-film fan magazine ''[[Fangoria]]'', Cohen notes that ''Trog'', which was shot at [[Bray Studios (UK)|Bray Studios]] and on location on the English [[Moorland|moors]], was more expensive to produce than ''Berserk!''<ref name="fan">{{cite magazine|magazine=Fangoria|url=https://archive.org/details/Fangoria_111_1992_Sleepwalkers_QualityControl-BONES_c2c|year=1992|title=Crime and Crimson Part Three|first=Tom|last=Weaver|page=[https://archive.org/details/Fangoria_111_1992_Sleepwalkers_QualityControl-BONES_c2c/page/n15 17]}}</ref> Cohen in that same interview also recalls the problems he had with Crawford's increased use of alcohol during filming:{{blockquote|Well, on ''Trog'', her drinking was worse than it was when we were doing ''Berserk''. I had to reprimand her a few times for drinking without asking. She had a huge frosted glass that said [[Pepsi-Cola]]—but inside was 100-proof vodka! In fact, when she arrived to do ''Berserk'' as well as ''Trog'', she arrived with four cases of 100-proof vodka, 'cause you can't get it in England.<ref name="fan"/>}} The [[Stop motion|stop-motion]] dinosaur sequence in the film is [[stock footage]] originally produced by special-effects artists [[Willis O'Brien]] and [[Ray Harryhausen]] and used in the 1956 [[Warner Bros.]] nature documentary ''[[The Animal World (film)|The Animal World]]''.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Stop-Motion Filmography|last=Pettigrew |first=Neil |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]], Inc.|year=1999|page=40|isbn=0-7864-0446-9}}</ref> Also, according to [[Turner Classic Movies]], the "ratty ape-suit" used to create Trog's caveman appearance was a "leftover monkey outfit" from [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s epic 1968 film ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]''.<ref>[https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16124/trog#trivia "Trog (1970)"], TCM. Retrieved September 4, 2019.</ref> Freddie Francis later referred to ''Trog'' as "a terrible film" and as one he regretted directing:<ref name="Hammer">{{cite magazine|magazine=Hammer Horror|url=https://archive.org/details/Hammer_Horror_006_1995_Marvel|page=[https://archive.org/details/Hammer_Horror_006_1995_Marvel/page/n10 11]-12|year=1995|number=6|title=Tales from the Script|first=Christopher|last=Koetting}}</ref>{{blockquote|I did it because of Joan Crawford, and poor Joan by this time was a very sad old lady. We had to have [[Cue card|idiot cards]] all over the place because she couldn't remember her lines. It was the last thing she ever did and she shouldn’t have done it. Neither should I ... She had no friends, and she kept writing sad letters to my wife and I {{sic}} until she died.<ref name="Hammer"/>}} Joe Cornelius, who plays the feature's title character, provides a quite different perspective on Crawford's actions and demeanor during filming. As a professional wrestler in England, Cornelius performed in the ring for 20 years as "The Dazzler" and was chosen to portray Trog due to his physique and athletic abilities.<ref name="WatersBFI">[http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xsIdokqEm4U "John Waters introduces Trog|BFI"], interview with Joe Cornelius by John Walters prior to screening of ''Trog'', published on [[YouTube]] October 28, 2015. British Film Institute (BFI), London, U.K. Retrieved September 4, 2019.</ref> Cornelius's role provided him with numerous opportunities to observe Crawford both on and off camera. Forty-five years after the film's release, in an interview arranged and video-recorded by the [[British Film Institute]] (BFI), he shared publicly for the first time his experiences working on the production and more specifically with the veteran actress.<ref name="BFI2015">[https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/announcements/john-waters-season-bfi-southbank "John Waters season set for BFI Southbank"], program announcement, July 3, 2015, BFI website. Retrieved September 5, 2019.</ref> That interview occurred in September 2015, just prior to a screening of ''Trog'' by BFI in one of its film retrospectives. It was conducted by the American director and writer [[John Waters]], a notable promoter and creator of [[underground films|underground]] or "[[Cinema of Transgression|transgressive cult films]]", as well as a fan of many other types of low-budget, more mainstream productions like ''Trog''.<ref>Gallagher, Paul (2014). [https://dangerousminds.net/comments/shock_value_new_yorks_underground_cinema "Shock Value: New York's Underground 'Cinema of Transgression'"], ''Dangerous Minds'', September 26, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2029.</ref><ref name="JWalters">{{cite web |url=https://mubi.com/lists/john-waters-loves-these-films-so-should-you |title=John Waters Loves these films, so should you |first=Walt |last=Panorama |work=MUBI |year=2012}}</ref> In his interview with Waters, Cornelius takes exception to reports that Crawford used "idiot cards" and was periodically drunk during filming. The former wrestler says he saw no use of such cards by her, and he described Crawford as "great" to work with, consistently on time and "lovely" on the set, as generous in giving gifts to the crew, and how for years after completing ''Trog'' she sent him a personal card every Christmas.<ref name="WatersBFI"/> While he concedes that Crawford "possibly" had vodka in her Pepsi-Cola container, he stated that he never saw her drunk or unable to perform for any reason during the film's production.<ref name="WatersBFI"/><ref>In the interview, John Waters initially corrects Joe Cornelius when he mistakenly refers to Crawford's preferred carbonated beverage Pepsi-Cola as "[[Coca-Cola]]", but Cornelius continues to say Coca-Cola for the remainder of their conversation, including in their discussions about Crawford's alleged drinking of vodka on set.</ref>
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