HIGHWAY 61

Canada, 1991, 102 minutes, Colour.
Valerie Buhagiar, Don Mc Kellar, Earl Pastko.
Directed by Bruce Mc Donald.

Highway 61 is Bruce Mc Donald’s follow-up to his cult film, Roadkill. It is eccentric, satiric, a road movie, a look at North American culture and pop culture from the 1960s to the 1990s.

It is in the form of a road movie, with a naïve barber played by Don Mc Kellar (who also co-wrote the screenplay) going on a road trip through the United States. He is joined by a wild young woman (played by Valerie Buhagiar). In pursuit of them is Mr Skin, a Satan figure, who wants people’s souls.

With this amalgam of realism, surrealism and fantasy, Bruce McDonald? invites the audience to share in the experience of eccentric American culture.

1. The title, echoes of Bob Dylan? The songs? American history, north to south? The North American road?

2. The Canadian production, the perspective on Canada, in relationship to the United States? A Canadian look at the United States, north, centre and south? The American road, the range of landscapes, the range of people, the range of memories?

3. The musical score, atmosphere? Songs?

4. The tradition of road movies, the journeys, the quests? The physical journeys? The vehicles? The interior and spiritual journeys? The role of drugs in so many American road films? Leaving home, the range of adventures? This road movie and the pursuit by Satan?

5. The character of Pokey, his appearance, age? The barber? With Claude? His work, the music, his ordinary and dry life? His hero? The encounter with Jackie, the attraction? The issues of body, reusing bodies? Her hitchhiking? The car and its significance? On the road? The device of the postcards to Claude? Customs, no money, stealing, the sexual relationship – and the pursuit by Satan? Tiredness in the journey, the Watsons? Dylan? The sexual encounter in the cemetery? Rest and recreation, the odd encounters? The fan, Margo, the chickens, the shooting? Anger, the burnt car? The bikies? Satan and the confrontation?

6. Jackie and the drugs, the body, the roadie? The plan, Pokey and the seduction, the dead body? Hitchhiking? Her attitude, stealing, Dylan, Watsons and the dress, the robberies, use of sexuality, the house, leaving and the Watsons? Satan, delivering the body? The burial in the river? Her relationship with Pokey, using him?

7. The Watsons, father and daughter – and Satan?

8. Mr Skin, the Satan figure, mad, on the road, the contracts? The importance of the bingo game? The car burning? His performance?

9. Margo and Otto, rich and mad?

10. Claude, at home, the contact with Pokey, the communication?

11. The drug world, the use of the corpse to carry the drugs, delivering the drugs?

12. The contrast between the US and Canada, the news reports? Perspectives?

13. On the road, the impact of the bingo game sequence, the chicken sequence? New Orleans?

14. Offbeat humour, satire, insight – and the overall impact of this road trip?