Mad Max (1979)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

George Miller

Writers:

George Miller (story) and
Byron Kennedy (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

12 April 1979 (Australia)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The Maximum Force of the Future.

Plot:

In a dystopic future Australia, a vicious biker gang murder a cop's family and make his fight with them personal.

Plot Keywords:

Biker | Road | Motorcycle Gang | Highway | Police

Awards:

4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Max
Joanne Samuel	...	Jessie
Hugh Keays-Byrne	...	Toecutter
Steve Bisley	...	Jim Goose
Tim Burns	...	Johnny the Boy
Roger Ward	...	Fifi
Lisa Aldenhoven	...	Nurse
David Bracks	...	Mudguts
Bertrand Cadart	...	Clunk
David Cameron	...	Underground Mechanic
Robina Chaffey	...	Singer
Stephen Clark	...	Sarse
Mathew Constantine	...	Toddler
Jerry Day	...	Ziggy
Reg Evans	...	Station Master
Howard Eynon	...	Diabando
Max Fairchild	...	Benno
John Farndale	...	Grinner
Peter Felmingham	...	Senior Doctor
Sheila Florance	...	May Swaisey
Nic Gazzana	...	Starbuck
Hunter Gibb	...	Lair
Vincent Gil	...	Nightrider (as Vince Gil)
Andrew Gilmore	...	Silvertongue
Jonathan Hardy	...	Labatouche
Brendan Heath	...	Sprog
Paul Johnstone	...	Cundalini
Nick Lathouris	...	Grease Rat
John Ley	...	Charlie
Steve Millichamp	...	Roop
Phil Motherwell	...	Junior Doctor
George Novak	...	Scuttle
Geoff Parry	...	Bubba Zanetti
Lulu Pinkus	...	Nightrider's Girl
Neil Thompson	...	TV Newsreader
Billy Tisdall	...	Midge
Gil Tucker	...	People's Observer
Kim Sullivan	...	Girl in Chevvy
John Arnold
Tom Broadbridge
Peter Culpan
Peter Ford
Clive Hearne
Telford Jackson
Kristine Kaman
Joan Letch
Kerry Miller
Janine Ogden
Di Trelour
Vernon Weaver
Paul Young
Brendan Young
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Amanda Muggleton	...	Biker's moll (uncredited)

Directed by
George Miller

Writing credits
George Miller		(story) and
Byron Kennedy		(story)
James McCausland		(screenplay) and
George Miller		(screenplay)

Produced by
Byron Kennedy	....	producer
Bill Miller	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Brian May

Cinematography by
David Eggby

Film Editing by
Cliff Hayes
Tony Paterson

Casting by
Mitch Consultancy

Art Direction by
Jon Dowding

Costume Design by
Clare Griffin

Makeup Department
Vivien Mepham	....	makeup artist (as Viv Mephan)
Ben Taylor	....	hair stylist

Production Management
John Hipwell	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Steve Connard	....	second assistant director
Ian Goddard	....	first assistant director
Des Sheridan	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Steve Amezdroz	....	assistant art director
Richard Francis	....	props
Frank Matich	....	helmets

Sound Department
Ned Dawson	....	sound effects
Roger Savage	....	post-production sound
Mark J. Wasiutak	....	boom operator (as Mark Wasiutak)
Gary Wilkins	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Chris Murray	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Richard Wilmot	....	optical effects operator (uncredited)

Stunts
Chris Anderson	....	stunts
Dale Bensch	....	stunts
David Bracks	....	stunts
Phil Brock	....	stunts
Michael Daniels	....	stunts
Gerry Gauslaa	....	stunts
Terry Gibson	....	stunts
George Novak	....	stunts
Grant Page	....	stunt coordinator
Grant Page	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
David Cassar	....	grip
Lindsay Foote	....	gaffer
Harry Glynatsis	....	assistant camera
Noel McDonald	....	grip
Garry Plunkett	....	best boy
Tim Smart	....	clapper loader
Tim Smart	....	photographer: second unit
Chic Stringer	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Merran Kingsford-Smith	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Margaret Cardin	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Nic Gazzana	....	cabaret music
Brian May	....	conductor

Other crew
Shirley Ballard	....	script supervisor
Stuart Beatty	....	traffic supervisor
Ray Beckerley	....	vehicle designer
Tom Broadbridge	....	production assistant
Jenny Day	....	production coordinator
Bill Gooley	....	laboratory consultant
Noel L. Harman	....	financial consultant
Andrew Jones	....	traffic supervisor
Stephen O'Hare	....	truck coordinator
Robert Orchard	....	mechanic
Bill Owen	....	titler
Clive Rowell	....	mechanic
Murray Smith	....	mechanic
Lex Glouchewera	....	engineer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Kennedy Miller Productions
• Crossroads
• Mad Max Films

Distributors

• Roadshow Entertainment (1979) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Columbia-EMI-Warner (1979) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1980) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• American International Pictures (AIP) (1980) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Ambassador Film Distributors (1980) (Canada) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• ELKE (19??) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Victor Michailides (1981) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (1999) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (1999) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (19??) (Greece) (VHS)
• GoodTimes Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• HGV Video Productions (1988) (Canada) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• Roadshow Entertainment Video (1985) (Australia) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (1983) (USA) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (1984) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Bros. (1999) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (1982) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• B.F. Goodrich Co.  grateful acknowledgements
• BNB Freighters  grateful acknowledgements
• Bell Helmets  grateful acknowledgements
• Ben Taylor Hair Workshop  grateful acknowledgements
• Bunge  grateful acknowledgements
• Duhig Ford  grateful acknowledgements
• Dunlop  grateful acknowledgements
• Footscray Cranes  grateful acknowledgements
• Kawasaki Motors  grateful acknowledgements
• Knights Transport  grateful acknowledgements
• Kodak Australasia  grateful acknowledgements
• L. J. Wellam & Son  grateful acknowledgements
• Macau Light Film Corporation  grateful acknowledgements
• Modern Towing and Salvage  grateful acknowledgements
• Nissan Australia  grateful acknowledgements
• Pykes Transport  grateful acknowledgements
• Ritmeester Cigars  grateful acknowledgements
• Sony Australia  grateful acknowledgements
• Suburban Towing  grateful acknowledgements
• Town Auto Wholesalers  grateful acknowledgements
• West Gate Bridge Authority  grateful acknowledgements
• Windscreens O'Brien  grateful acknowledgements

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:X (theatrical rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:16 | UK:18 (cut) (1986) | Ireland:18 | Brazil:16 | Italy:VM18 | Argentina:16 (re-rating) (1999) (uncut) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) (1982) (cut) | Australia:R | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (special edition) | Canada:R | France:-16 (re-rating) | France:X (original rating) | New Zealand:(Banned) (original rating) | New Zealand:R18 (re-rating) | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:(Banned) | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Finland:K-18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Anakie Rd, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Kennedy Miller Productions

Trivia:

Sheila Florance broke her knee when she tripped whilst running with the antique shotgun. She returned to complete her scenes with her leg and hip in plaster.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Max hears Jessie screaming when she's being chased by bikers in the woods, he grabs his rifle and runs towards here with no shoes on. In the next sequence, after Max takes a few steps towards the woods, he's wearing shoes.

Quotes:

Goose: Jimmy the Goose, larger than life and twice as ugly!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "South Park: The Wacky Molestation Adventure (#4.16)" (2000)

"Mad Max" stays to this day a striking, desolate, and memorable piece of cinema…

In spite of the fact that the 1981 film The Road Warrior—the second influential cinematic work of writer/director George Miller's Dystopian vision of the near future trilogy—leads to receive the anti-hero Max, released two years earlier, is where it all started… For it was here that Miller first brought to the screen his hellish vision, where civil society is under siege by crime and disorder, with the strength and charisma of a new young, tough, good looking actor by the name of Mel Gibson…

Gibson was just 23 years old when he took the role of Max Rockatansky—a young hotshot cop so emotionally wounded—and was such an unknown star that when the film was hitting the screens in the States, the preview trailers didn't even mentioned him but instead focused on the movie's coolest and most original car action ever filmed… In retrospect, of course, Gibson's portrayal of a relentless vigilante is an essential element of the picture…

In the Australian outback, Rockatansky is a motorcycle cop trying to keep order in a quickly disintegrating society… Vicious lawless bikers and road-raging psychopaths race up and down the forbidden territories, raping and pillaging the peaceful towns, and one such bunch ends up at the door of Max's wife (Joanne Samuel), and their 2-year old son… When they are both lying dead in middle of the road, Max is all driven over the edge, and so starts a high-speed pursuit involving wild rides, chilling fights, and memorable fast-motion suspenseful scenes rarely equaled in cinema…