Shadow of the Hawk

Shadow of the Hawk is a 1976 horror film directed by George McCowan and written by Norman Thaddeus Vane and Herbert Wright. The film stars Jan-Michael Vincent, Marilyn Hassett, Chief Dan George, Pia Shandel, Marianne Jones and Jacques Hubert.

Shadow of the Hawk
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	George McCowan
Screenplay by	Norman Thaddeus Vane Herbert Wright
Story by	Peter Jensen Lynette Cahill Norman Thaddeus Vane
Produced by	John Kemeny
Starring	Jan-Michael Vincent Marilyn Hassett Chief Dan George Pia Shandel Marianne Jones Jacques Hubert
Cinematography	John Holbrook Reginald H. Morris
Edited by	O. Nicholas Brown
Music by	Robert McMullin
Production company	Columbia Pictures
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	July 14, 1976 (1976-07-14)
Running time	92 minutes
Countries	United States Canada
Language	English
Box office	$1.5 million (Canada)[1]

An international co-production of the United States and Canada, Shadow of the Hawk was shot on location in British Columbia, with West Vancouver and the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge used as backdrops throughout. The film was released on July 14, 1976, by Columbia Pictures.^[2]

Plot

An old Native American Shaman trains his skeptical grandson to take over for him as the new tribal “Medicine Man” of his small village. Along the way, they battle the Shaman’s enemies, and their black magic.

Cast

• Jan-Michael Vincent as Mike
• Marilyn Hassett as Maureen
• Chief Dan George as Old Man Hawk
• Pia Shandel as Faye
• Marianne Jones as Dsonoqua
• Jacques Hubert as Andak
• Cindi Griffith as Secretary
• Anna Hagan as Desk Nurse
• Murray Lowry as Intern

Release

Home media

The film was released for the first time on DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on November 1, 2011.^[3] It was scheduled to be released on Blu-ray by Mill Creek Entertainment on October 2, 2018 as a double feature alongside Nightwing.^[4]

Reception

Critical response for Shadow of the Hawk has been mostly negative. Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars, criticizing the film's screenplay, and dialogue.^[5] Time Out London panned the film, calling it "A tired, TV-style chase movie", and stated that the film's only point of interest was Dan George's performance.^[6]

Alternately, Kurt Dahlke of DVD Talk gave the film a more positive review, commending the film's imagery, and special effects, while also noting the occasional "static pacing", and what he called "dueling-eye-closeups".^[7]

The film was the third-highest-grossing English language Canadian film of all-time in Canada with a gross of $1.5 million.^[1][8]