MAD MAX
Australia, 1979, 93 minutes, Colour.
Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays- Byrne, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, Roger Ward, Vince Gill.
Directed by George Miller.
Mad Max, like Stone (1974) shows Australian ability to make vigorous, violent road films. While keeping the outline of policeman confronts thugs, this film has a clockwork futuristic setting that makes subtle comment on the pounding (and Brian May's score must be one of the most relentlessly pounding) conventional, menace, brutality and vengeance plot. Playing on audience response to violence – relish it or loathe it but not ignore it – the film frequently suggests more subtleties than meets the eye. In fact, explicit violence does not often meet the eye, but is almost every present – except for short lulling family sequences to highlight Max's integrity, humanity and his being catapulted into vengeance. Memorable and disturbing.
1. The overall impact of this film? Emotional response? The impact on the emotions? The audience drawn into the violent experience of the film and the quality of response?
2. For what audience was the film made? The Australian audience, international? People who enjoy road films, violent films? For people who do not? The reasons for making the film? Entertainment values? Warning and allegory values? The first Melbourne screenings had an announcer warn about road safety prior to the film's screening. Why?
3. The use of TODD AO 35 camera, the use of colour, the re-creation of the futuristic city, the presentation of the countryside? The recognizable Australian landscapes and the way they were used? Country roads, country towns, farming homes, sheds, workshops and machine shops, the beach? The ugly aspects of the Australian landscape? The ordinary landscapes made ominous? The contribution of the musical score, its relentless pounding nature, heightening moods and response? The hyperbole in the score?
4. The director has used the word hyperbole with regard to the film. Why? How accurate is this? Audience response to hyperbole, to overstatement? Accepting the conventions of overstatement and responding accordingly? The hyperbole in what was visually presented, suggested? For emotional response, catharsis? For involvement? For identifying with the experience of the film, reacting against it? The disturbing atmosphere, audiences being changed by the experience of violence and vengeance?
5. The importance of the road in modern society, for communication, transport, speed and power? The effect of the continual visuals of the road? The road and its presence on so much of the natural landscape? The road in the countryside, road signs, speed? The visualizing of speed along the roads with the moving camera? Power? The masculine imagery of the car and its power, the motor bike? (how masculine was the film in its themes and approach?) Cars and engines on the road, so much energy, petrol (and the gang stealing the petrol from the lorry which was to be so destructive for the leader), the bikes and the individual on the road? The road and dangers, fears versus exhilaration? Madness on the roads? The police and their patrolling and controlling, pursuit, interception? Audience response and identification with the road?
6. The presentation of accidents, speed and power, skidding, lack of control, unexpected obstacles, life endangered on the road? the sequences with the child and the couple, the later destruction of Jessie and her child? Machines tampered with for destruction? Accidents and their results in death? Mutilation, explosions, consuming fire? Comment on the effect of stunt work for communicating the effects of accidents? The special effects and the suggestions of destruction, the presentation of cars being destroyed, bikes? The effects of showing mutilated hands, faces? The final killing of the Toe-cutter and the crash with the truck? Audience exhilaration with such stunt work, its purpose for this film?
7. Themes of law and order: the Halls of Justice and their visual presentation, slums, neglected, run down? The young people idling about, litter? The attitude of the officials? that as long as the paper work was done the police had free rein? The ugliness of the Halls of Justice within the modern city? The role of the police, their use of violence, the mad police at the beginning, Max and his role with the police, the possible abuse of power for maintaining law and order? This futuristic society with its run down attitudes, thugs, violence and danger and the need for administration of law and order? The Chief's speech to Max to entice him to remain with the force?
8. The significance of the title, the image during the credits? The cutting edge of madness? The focus on Max and the nature of his madness? His initial work as an interceptor, seeing him within the framework of the police work at the beginning and the pursuit of the night rider, his dark glasses, impassive, upholding the law? The other policemen and their having people in their sights and wanting to kill? The contrast with Max and his administration of justice, taking prisoners, relationship with Jimmy? His skill at driving and the power of his car, the pursuit? Seeing him at home with his wife and child, the nice home atmosphere, the beach front? The contrast with him confronting his boss? The holiday and the pervasive atmosphere of feeling and sentiment? His being pensive as reflected on his calling as a policeman? Max as a good man in the police force ? yet within the initial chase and the antics of the mad and vengeful police? The importance of Jimmy and his accident, the arrest, the torture of the prisoner? The contrast between Jimmy and Max? The visit of the lawyers? Max and the experience of administration of justice turning to vengeance?
9. The presentation of Max along with the other police and the administration of law? Authority?
10. The film's vision of a futuristic world a few years hence, very much like our own recognizable world? The presentation of ordinary people, shops, country towns, farms, the beach? The enjoyment of holidays? The contrast with the bikes and cars on the roads, the night rider and his madness, the terror groups? The havoc that they could wreak on the road? The future world and the Halls of Justice? The courts? The electronic voices and communications? The ordinary running of the hospital and the hospital care to save lives? A balance of ominous futuristic detail and ordinary present detail?
11. The atmosphere with the night rider chase, the madness of himself and his girl friend, setting the tone for ugliness? His death and the violence before his death? The contrast with the bikie group arriving at the town, the reception of the coffin at the station, the confrontation with the station master and their threats to the ordinary people?
12. The ugliness of the gang especially the Toe-cutter? Their arrival, dragging the young man behind the motor bike, the rape of the young man and woman and the violent destruction of their car? (the effect on each and the boy running away, the girl having to be coaxed by Jimmy back to civilization?) The range of types within the gang, their madness, violence, their attitudes towards one another, thugs on the road, the power of the bikes, the monotone speeches? Toe-cutter and his presence, his influence on each of them? The scenes of grief with the night rider's casket? The beach scene and their interaction?
13. The hold of the Toe-cutter over them all especially with the young thug, his being persuaded to burn Jimmy in the overturned car? Toe-cutter's presence later in the film, the build-up to the confrontation with Max? Toe-cutter's vengeful attitudes towards Jessie and the child?
14. The impact and purpose of the romantic interludes? Max as husband, father? The quality of his home and home life? The sea and the bush? The long holiday sequence and the change of atmosphere to the conventional lyrical? The town, the garage? Jessie and the ice creams? The transition from the holiday's lyrical atmosphere to that of menace? The confrontation with the gang? Jessie's kneeing the Toe-cutter and escaping? The car, the farm, the beach sequence with its peace and the atmosphere of menace? The importance of the retarded man and his presence there? The chase, the fright, the use of birds to frighten? The old lady with the gun? The escape, Max's absence?
15. The ultimate violence and the atmosphere of the pursuit of Jessie down the road and the death of herself and the child? Max's following? Enough to make Max mad? The audience to share the appreciation of this?
16. The build-up to the technique of the final chase? Going into the prohibited zone? The long sequences along the road? The various deaths especially that of the Toe-cutter and the truck splattering him? The build-up to the final confrontation of the young thug and his being handcuffed and given the saw? The explosion? What right had Max to execute this vengeance? For himself, within the framework of lay and order in this futuristic society? The emotional impact of vengeance?
17. What were we left with at the end as Max went on his way? Into the dark? His future? Within this society? With the death of mother and child, the death of civilized values and traditional values? The total impact of the plot as Max rode into the darkness? The atmosphere of the traditional road film, 'Clockwork Orange' and that strand of science fiction, the vigilante movie? Audience knowledge of these films and traditions and the type of response? The use of visual symbols? the road, anarchy road, Halls of Justice, the city, the countryside? The film's use of birds at various times? attacking, in close-up, carrion birds?
18. How disturbing a film? For an audience which rejects violence, relishes it? The audience which is uncertain about it? The differing views of an audience and the indication of the ambiguity to this kind of fable and allegorical treatment of society?
