“Ugly and incoherent”
Credited with opening up the global market to Australian New Wave cinema and holder of the Guinness record for most profitable film for 20 years, Riddle looks back at the source of all the fury
Article by Andy Barnham
It’s hardly surprising that the release of Mad Max: Fury Road has been followed with a deluge of news and press. Originally due to start in 2001, filming ultimately commenced in 2012, only for the film to have to undergo reshoots in 2013. Finally released in 2015 it has an estimated cost of $210million, creeping over budget by the little matter of $60 million. Given the time line of the project, unsurprisingly, many thought the film would never be completed and indeed few other cinematic releases, modern or otherwise, can compete with this Homeric saga. However, spare a thought for the original (a search for ‘Mad Max’ barely returns a result about the 1979 film in Google) without which none of this would have happened.
Released in April 1979 the budget for Mad Max was A$350, 000 (approx US$1.2 million today) and went on to gross A$5.3 million and US$100 million worldwide. It held the record for highest profit to cost ratio of any motion picture for 20 years, losing the title to The Blair Witch Project, released in 1999.
The original madness was produced by duo George Miller and Byron Kennedy and written by James McCausland. Miller drew on his background as a medical doctor with many of the injuries and deaths portrayed in the film coming first hand from his experience in hospital emergency rooms. Creating the world in which such violence could ensue, McCausland used the 1973 oil crises, when OPEC pushed the price of oil from $3 to $12 in six months, as his inspiration; and in particular the effect the oil shortage had on Australian motorists. The result was a dystopian future which Miller postulated audiences would find believable for such a brutal story.
Deliberately casting lesser and unknown actors at the time, Mel Gibson (who only had one film role to his name at the time) landed the lead role by accident only turning up to accompany his friend, Steve Bisley, who was given the role of Goose. Indeed Gibson appeared at the casting with a swollen nose and broken jaw having been involved in a drunken brawl the night before with three men at a party. Asked to come back by the casting agent, the filmmakers failed to recognize him due to his healed wounds but offered him the part anyway. Given his lack of star power, American trailers emphasized the action content of the film and when it came to award time, Gibson was overlooked in favour of Hugh Keays- Byrne who earned a nomination for best supporting actor by the American Film Institute.
Reception to the film was mixed; nominated for six awards by the Australian Film Institute in 1979, Mad Max won three (editing, sound and musical score), but was condemned by Australian social commentator and film producer, Phillip Adams, along with The New York Times.
Time has helped put a different spin on Mad Max; critical reception to the sequels in 1981 and 1985 were positive and were credited with further launching Mel Gibson’s international career and in 2004 The New York Times changed its opinion and placed the movie on it’s Best 1000 Movies Ever list. The apocalyptic theme and setting has also been copied and referenced regularly, notably in the 2001 single Addicted To Bass’ music video by The Puretones, Ke$ha‘s 2011 Get $leazy Tour and the final scene of Mad Max being credited as the inspiration behind the whole Saw movie series.
For those who have tuned into the hype of Fury Road, why don’t you go back and give the original road warrior a watch…..? 