View source for Spider-Man Versus Kraven the Hunter

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{{Infobox film
| name           = Spider-Man Versus Kraven the Hunter
| image          = 
| alt            = 
| caption        = 
| director       = Bruce Cardozo
| producer       = Bruce Cardozo
| writer         = Bruce Cardozo
| based_on       = {{based on|[[Spider-Man]]|[[Stan Lee]]<br />[[Steve Ditko]]}}
| starring       = Joe Ellison<br />A. Andrew Pastorio
| narrator       = 
| music          = 
| cinematography = 
| editing        = Julie Tanser
| studio         = <!-- or: | production_companies = -->
| distributor    = <!-- or: | distributors = -->
| released       = {{Film date|1974}}
| runtime        = 30 minutes
| country        = North America
| language       = English
| budget         = 
| gross          = <!--(please use condensed and rounded values, e.g. "?11.6 million" not "?11,586,221")-->
}}

'''''Spider-Man Versus Kraven the Hunter''''' is a 1974 American superhero short film written and directed by Bruce Cardozo.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Young |first=Clive |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AhzuAAAAMAAJ&q=Spider-Man+Versus+Kraven+the+Hunter+fan+film |title=Homemade Hollywood: Fans Behind the Camera |date=2008-10-15 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-0-8264-2923-0 |language=en}}</ref> It is a [[fan film]] that was endorsed by [[Marvel Comics]] and authorized by [[Stan Lee]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/review/72519-homemade-hollywood-by-clive-young/|title = Homemade Hollywood by Clive Young, PopMatters|date = 14 April 2009}}</ref>

==History==
According to an article in the 1975 issue of [[FOOM]], the film features appearances by [[Kraven the Hunter]] and [[Gwen Stacy]], and the story is based on issue fifteen of the comic book, ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fanfilmfollies.com/featured/ten-fan-films-that-well-never-see/|title = Ten Fan Films That We'll Never See - Fan Film Follies|date = 21 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title=Spider Man | url=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tW3g8zCM6c0/TQmDfoF07jI/AAAAAAAABWo/VSBffzAS2cs/s1600/FOOM%2B4%2BSpidey%2Bfan%2Bfilm.jpg | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828071807/http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tW3g8zCM6c0/TQmDfoF07jI/AAAAAAAABWo/VSBffzAS2cs/s1600/FOOM+4+Spidey+fan+film.jpg | archive-date=2023-08-28}}</ref>

In October 1972, Cardozo wrote a letter to Stan Lee explaining the project. He received a very enthusiastic letter of approval providing the film was limited to a non-commercial exhibition (because of commercial licensing commitments Marvel Comics had at the time). Next, he presented the idea to his experimental film class, proposing a half-hour, 16mm, color, sound, semi-professional Spider-Man movie. When he outlined the special effects the class felt that it was impossible, but his instructor, Peter Glushanok, was very interested and gave Cardozo the go-ahead.

The first term was spent almost entirely in pre-production. Cardozo was a perfectionist and spoke with hundreds of people before deciding on the cast alone. He wanted the audience to say to themselves, "he or she looks and acts exactly like the characters." Daphne Stevens and Marilyn Hecht made the costumes, Richard Eberhardt designed the graphics, such as the Spider-signal, (as well as playing Spider-Man in costume) and Art Schweitzer created the unusual lighting effects featured throughout the film. Cardozo worked on the scenario, production direction and special effects.

They built an entire section of the building for Spider-Man to climb. They used travelling matte shots to make Spider-Man swing through Times Square at night with all the neon signs flashing in the background to produce breathtaking and dazzling visuals. Rather than using a phoney-looking backdrop when Spider-Man climbs up and down buildings, they matted in colorful sunsets and backgrounds and utilized travelling mattes in a scene where Kraven sends lions after Spider-Man in the final conflict.

The second term was hectic with more shooting and editing by Julie Tanser. When the film was about 3/4 finished, they gave Stan Lee, Ray Thomas and other members of the bullpen, a preview of some of the key scenes of the film. They were very impressed and enthusiastic about the results and encouraged them to finish the project.

Cardozo and his crew had hoped to have the film distributed in some form in the future, but on April 24, 2015, Cardozo died, and his computer containing the only known copy of the film was destroyed, making it a [[Lost film|lost film]]. Its last known showing was at the Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|author=CBR staff|url=http://www.cbr.com/august-14th-la-scifi-comic-book-con-details/?view=list|publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]]|title=August 14th LA SciFi & Comic Book Con Details|accessdate=2017-08-26|date=August 3, 2005|archive-date=2017-09-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915032954/http://www.cbr.com/august-14th-la-scifi-comic-book-con-details/?view=list|url-status=dead}}</ref> The film was never available online because Cardozo was against it.<ref>{{cite web|author=Green, Scott|url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/06/23-1/video-proto-cosplay-captured-in-1969-spider-man-fan-movie|title= Proto-Cosplay Captured in 1969 &quot;Spider-Man&quot; Fan Movie|publisher=[[Crunchyroll]]|accessdate=2017-08-26|date=June 23, 2012}}</ref>

In December 2021, 4 new color stills of the film were leaked online, showcasing a shot of Spider-Man wall crawling, a group of thugs getting ambushed by the spider signal (a device that Spider-Man used during the early comics), a fight scene featuring Spider-Man taking down the group of thugs, and the first full look at Kraven.

==Plot==
The screenplay was adapted primarily from ''The Amazing Spider-Man #15'', with various scenes added to update the story concerning Kraven's first arrival in America.

Spider-Man swings down and catches a group organizing a bank robbery and upon dropping in unexpectedly, a man escapes and contacts Kraven the Hunter. Parker finds this out firsthand when taking photographs for The Daily Bugle when Kraven arrives by boat. After studying Spider-Man's fighting style by organizing a robbery for Spider-Man to stop, Kraven finally comes out of hiding and fights Spider-Man. Spider-Man realizes the true strength of Kraven and also realizes that Kraven cheats by infecting his opposition with drugs that weaken them.

==Cast==
* Joe Ellison as [[Spider-Man|Peter Parker / Spider-Man]]
* A. Andrew Pastorio as [[J. Jonah Jameson]]
* Unknown actress as [[Gwen Stacy]]
* Unknown actor as [[Kraven the Hunter]]

==Reception==
The casting was very well received by Marvel Comics employees. The realistic suit for Spider-Man was acclaimed and the casting of Andrew Pastario as J Jonah Jameson and Joe Ellison as Peter Parker received praise for their likeness to the characters.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3CqDgAAQBAJ&q=Spider-Man+Kraven+1974&pg=PA146 |title = American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s|isbn = 9781605490564|last1 = Sacks|first1 = Jason|last2 = Dallas|first2 = Keith|last3 = Dykema|first3 = Dave|year = 2014| publisher=TwoMorrows }}</ref>

==See also==
* ''[[Spider-Man (1969 film)|Spider-Man]]'', a 1969 fan film
* ''[[Viva Spider-Man]]'', a 1989 fan film

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|3960748}}

{{Spider-Man films}}
{{Spider-Man in popular media}}

[[Category:1974 films]]
[[Category:1974 short films]]
[[Category:1974 science fiction films]]
[[Category:1970s lost films]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
[[Category:1970s American films]]
[[Category:1970s superhero films]]
[[Category:American science fiction short films]]
[[Category:Fan films based on Spider-Man|Versus Kraven the Hunter]]
[[Category:Short films based on Marvel Comics]]
[[Category:Lost American films]]
[[Category:Lost science fiction films]]
[[Category:Kraven the Hunter]]