Day sixty-nine: Mad Max (May, 17)

A low budget movie from an unknown aussie director has a fourth sequel 35 years after its premiere... That's Mad Max, and I thought I should watch it again before going to the movies to check out this new film on the franchising.

I rarely read something about a movie before seeing it, so I didn't know the new Mad Max: Fury Road is a sequel. First, I thought it was a remake, so I wasn't so enthusiastic about it. But all the hype and great ratings (100% at RottenTomatoes on the first days is something to look for - now it is in 98%) lead me to pay careful attention to it. 

I've seen the first Mad Max 30 years ago, and had no recollection about it beyond the fact that I'd enjoyed it a lot and that the third installment - Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - was pretty silly. So see it again before reaching the new Mad Max movie sounded a good idea. 

And it was. Today, dystopian fiction is  a common sense, but to realize what was for a doctor-turned-director produce such a story on the late 70's in the remote Australian desert is a good story in itself. The desert could be the protagonist in this story. The post-apocalypse punky visual is greatly bizarre. An unknown too young Mel Gibson has no expression, but who's complaining? And some scenes are awfully edited. But that doesn't take out the credit of this movie and his pioneering features. Not for nothing it is still here 35 years its first appearance.

George Miller got the money for his post-apocalypse movie doing shifts as a doctor in a ER. He did what he could to shoot Mad Max in such a low budget. After 35 years from his first movie, he finally was able to achieve his vision - that I have to see yet, I'm just assuming. His filmography during this time is curious: from the Mad Max movies he went to more emotional productions as Lorenzo's Oil and child films, with The Witches of Eastwick  in the middle. For that, I think his story would deserve a film.

Seeing Mad Max before going to the movies to check out its new installment was a nice experience. And it continued in the next day, with the second movie in the series. But that is a story for another post. See y'a :)

Mad Max. Directed, written (with James McCausland), produced, envisioned
by George Miller. With: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne.
Australia, 1979, 88 min., Mono, Color (DVD). 

PS: There's a lot of interesting curiosities in this production: see imdb.com trivia.