Mad Max

Australia, 1979

Courtesy Roadshow Films Pty Ltd

Film On display

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Starring the then little known Mel Gibson, this low-budget box-office smash also launched the career of director George Miller and would be followed up by three more sequels. Set in a post-apocalyptic lawless world, Mad Max can be credited for inventing a genre and opening up the global market for Australian films.

The seeds were planted for Miller’s thrilling post-apocalyptic Oscar winning opus, Mad Max Fury Road with his debut film which set the bar for breathtaking car stunts and brutal violence. Using to great effect iconic Melbourne locations such as the Melbourne University car park and Victoria’s expansive country roads, it’s a wonder that this now classic and highly influential film didn’t spearhead an Australian film industry made up of post-apocalyptic road movies.

“Stunts themselves would be nothing without a filmmaker behind the camera and George Miller, a doctor and film buff making his first feature, shows he knows what cinema is all about” - Variety

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Collection

In ACMI's collection

On display until

16 February 2031

ACMI: Gallery 1

Credits

director

George Miller

Production places
Australia
Production dates
1979

Appears in

Group of items

The Mad Max film series

Explore

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

183634

Curatorial section

The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Australia → MA-03. Car Culture → MA-03-C01

Object Types

Moving image file/Digital

Wikidata

Q248775

Collected

145 times

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If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/113980--mad-max/ |title=Mad Max |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=20 December 2024 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}