Mad to the Max

[ribbert]

Rolf, I seem to remember you're a Mad Max fan, how cool is this photo, taken at over 100mph!



Mad Max was filmed where I live and I was familiar with many of the locations already, a few years back I spent a day visiting all the ones I hadn't already been to.
It was probably one of only two Aussie movies to succeed overseas and it looms largely in our cinematic history to this day.

Those fairings were briefly popular but as I remember, they were mounted on long spindly rods in only about four places that let them shake and vibrate something shocking at speed. It was in an era when nothing came with fairings, cradle frames ruled and macho meant accelerating through a tank slapper.
Haha, I love how protected his legs and feet are while riding without a helmet!

Noel

[fj1289]

Love it!

[Old Rider]

Hahaha that was a cool pic thanks Noel for a good laugh .Looks like cameraman is the one that controlling the bike with his balls !

[Sparky84]

Rolf, I seem to remember you're a Mad Max fan, how cool is this photo, taken at over 100mph!

Noel

Noel , It was probably even Steve Bisley (aka Goose) as the rider also

[andyoutandabout]

That's on a par with man's man, Mike Hailwood and his hairy chested Isle of man TT exploits.

[ribbert]

That's on a par with man's man, Mike Hailwood and his hairy chested Isle of man TT exploits.

Yes, the IOM TT is an event like no other, I must have by now watched hundreds of clips of it and it's always exciting, those guys are definitely aliens!

It's run in your part of the world (previous world) have you been to one?

I believe there are no speed limits on the island and a public referendum to introduce them was overwhelmingly rejected by the residents. However, get caught speeding through a village and you and your bike or car are on the next ferry off the the island, no exceptions.

What self respecting motorcyclist hasn't got a lap of the TT circuit on their bucket list.

Noel

[Millietant]

It's a truly awesome week when the TT is on. I've been twice and ridden the course on Mad Sunday with the rest of the idiots....... Brilliant fun!!!! Mid week shenanigans on Douglas Promenade are amazing too, with the IOM Police generally in "max tolerance/max fun" mode as long as you're not being a total d*ck.

As you say Noel, the Police there really have a thing about driving too fast where there are speed limits in the villages, but out on the open road, you can "give it some welly" and they won't bother you.

Sadly, I've ridden the TT Circuit more times on my mountain bike than I have on my motorbikes, mostly to raise money for charities. I've done a fair few laps in the car too, and every time I've been there I've seen seriously exotic cars being thrashed, full bore, going up the Mountain Road from Ramsey and more than a fair share of bikes being thrashed around there in a "less than skilful", but flat out, manner. It's awesome!!!!

In the early days, I stayed in a tent and generally spent the week cold, wet, drunk and exhilarated. More recently I've always stayed at the Palace Casino & Hotel, which you can't get into on TT week, as it's pre-booked for the "upper echelon of TT luminaries, and top race team staff, so I tend to be there either just before, or just after the race week.

[ribbert]

It's a truly awesome week when the TT is on. I've been twice and ridden the course on Mad Sunday with the rest of the idiots....... Brilliant fun!!!! Mid week shenanigans on Douglas Promenade are amazing too, with the IOM Police generally in "max tolerance/max fun" mode as long as you're not being a total d*ck......

You are a lucky man Dean to not only have experienced the spectacle first hand but to have ridden the circuit as well, I doubt there are better bragging rights. Europe has such an incredibly rich motorcycling and racing history, I sometimes wonder if the rest of the world is aware of it or even cares.

Noel

[giantkiller]

Yes IOM TT. Is on my bucket list. That and Australia. The 2 biggest. Even when I was a kid I always wanted to go to Australia. When I was in Oklahoma city. The school I was at had a foreign exchange set up with Australia. I was signed up and ready to go my junior year. Then my parents got divorced. And I moved to Wisconsin with my Mom. And it got canceled.

Thanks for the Mad Max photo Noel. One of the few movies I have seen more than once.

[andyoutandabout]

Here's some TT fun from 2018. I've only been once, but it was a stella year. Pete Hickman's lap record still stands.

https://youtu.be/6cqhsTsVpa0

https://youtu.be/h5BJW-KAvhA

https://youtu.be/Wcc9rxkoSxA

[gumby302ho]

 Sure does look like the Goose. Mad Max made us all nut bars up here. Circle burnouts where wild to witness, hard on the machine and rubber thats for sure. What about the scene when the Goose is firing up his Kawasaki rocket in those days and he rips a long brake torque smokey just for good measure. Talk about motorcycle testosterone, where do I sign up. Maybe it was just wheel spin, need to watch it again!

[PaulG]

Not just my favourite Mad Max movie, but in my top 10 of all time.    I've lost count how many times I've watched it.  I picked up an anniversary DVD years ago in a bargain bin for $5 with the dual audio track, and mini documentary.  If you haven't seen it in it's original Aussie format it gives the movie a completely different tone to the dubbed "American English" version.

One of my favourite lines as Jim Goose slides to a stop beside the destroyed camper

Driver: "What happened?".....

The Goose: "I DON'T KNOW MAN I JUST GOT HERE MYSELF"  Makes me laugh every time.

[Millietant]

I never even knew there was such a thing as an "American English" dubbed version !!! 

[PaulG]

I never even knew there was such a thing as an "American English" dubbed version !!! 

The "American English" version gives it a campier feel, almost silly at times.  It just makes you wonder what level of intelligence (if any) it takes to be a studio executive.

IMDB explains it well:

" The version released in the U.S. was re-dubbed with American accents. It has been widely claimed that the distributor, American International Pictures (AIP), feared that American audiences would have had problems understanding the thick Australian accents spoken by the actors. However, now that the original track has surfaced Stateside, it is revealed to be poorly mixed, with the music score often overwhelming dialogue (the very important conversation between two doctors that Max overhears is almost entirely drowned out). AIP's releases were predominantly seen in drive-in theaters (where in fact most of this picture's US box office revenue was earned) and where at this time the audio came through little speakers hanging on the car windows. This would definitely have made the audio problems worse and is the probable motivation for the alternate audio track (AIP having mostly American voice actors available to them). ...

... The dubbed American release changed some bits of dialog from Australian slang and phrases into American ones. Hence, "windscreen" became "windshield", "See looks!" became "Look see!", and "Very toey!" became "Super hot!".   "

"Very Toey"     I just realized...   

[ribbert]

I never even knew there was such a thing as an "American English" dubbed version !!! 

The "American English" version gives it a campier feel, almost silly at times.  It just makes you wonder what level of intelligence (if any) it takes to be a studio executive.

IMDB explains it well:

" The version released in the U.S. was re-dubbed with American accents. It has been widely claimed that the distributor, American International Pictures (AIP), feared that American audiences would have had problems understanding the thick Australian accents spoken by the actors. However, now that the original track has surfaced Stateside, it is revealed to be poorly mixed, with the music score often overwhelming dialogue (the very important conversation between two doctors that Max overhears is almost entirely drowned out). AIP's releases were predominantly seen in drive-in theaters (where in fact most of this picture's US box office revenue was earned) and where at this time the audio came through little speakers hanging on the car windows. This would definitely have made the audio problems worse and is the probable motivation for the alternate audio track (AIP having mostly American voice actors available to them). ...

... The dubbed American release changed some bits of dialog from Australian slang and phrases into American ones. Hence, "windscreen" became "windshield", "See looks!" became "Look see!", and "Very toey!" became "Super hot!".   "

"Very Toey"     I just realized...   

I never knew that, wow, remembering those spaghetti westerns of the same era I can only imagine how bad the dubbing must have been and the fact folks still enjoyed it is amazing.

Australia was raised on a diet of American and UK TV and movies so we get American but they don't get us. Haha, I could fill a book with the times I've fallen foul of the forum over misunderstood humour.

It is common practice to play Australian movies to be released in the US to test audiences to identify what they don't laugh at and what they don't understand and then edit/dub them accordingly. This is a final check after extensive Americanizing of export versions during production to see what might have been missed. This also happened with the likes of Crocodile Dundee and others, all the slang, local jargon, social conventions, geographical references and Aussie humour is removed. By the time they're released, they are no longer an Australian movie! It's all about the money.

Haha, thanks Jeff, I'm about to go to bed and I can't get the thought of a badly dubbed movie out of my head. The guy on the right is who always comes to mind when I think of spaghetti westerns. Hearing action heroes speak in high pitched squeaky voices some seconds before or after their lips move just doesn't work somehow. 



Paul, I hate to tell you this but "toey" in Aussie slang means agitated, anxious, nervous, on edge.......

So Paul, you've now heard the original "Aussie" version, how did you go understanding it?

Noel