Aussie New Wave: Mad Max
Article by Bindi Lavelle

To kick off the series on Australian New Wave cinema, the obvious place to start is with the massively influencial Mad Max. A film that broke the mode for Australian cinema and changed the humble car chase forever.
Film-maker George Miller was inspired from his work as a doctor to explore the dangers of the road in the aussie landscape. This idea evolved into the near future setting of Mad Max.
Set in the near future, where outlaw gangs menace the highways, resources are scarce and police patrol the roads fighting an up hill battle to maintain order. Max Rockatansky, is a police officer who following the death of his best friend and family at the hands of a gang, takes matters upon himself; bringing justice at any cost.
Mad Max takes the influence of westerens and cop films and craetes an intense environment for a film which takes car chases to a new level.
The cars themselves interecact within the film in several key ways. The soundtrack is domminated by the sounds of engines reving, each with their own distinct voice. The cars form part if the films setting but have qualities of being interactive and mobile which makes them an active rather than flat and passive part of the scenery.
The rich world of Mad Max, coupled with energtic cinematography morphs a simple tale of revenge into the ultimate dystopian action film.
The film's comercial success allowed Miller to spawn two sequels, with third one on the way but the true measure of this film is it's lasting influence on film.