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Any filmmaker worth their salt will acknowledge that the path to greatness comes from seeking inspiration from any source big or small, that could have a deep influence in their process of creating art. Australian director George Miller who has inspired many people through his iconicMad Maxfranchise, has also found magic in various places.
Miller expertly rebooted his famous action series in 2015 withMad Max: Fury Roadstarring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron that went on to become a blockbuster. While talking about different aspects of the film, the director revealed a 40s classic film with a controversial history that served as inspiration for one of his characters.
An Old Hollywood Film Made George Miller Christen ThisMad MaxCharacter
George Miller created the dystopian action seriesMad Maxback in 1979 with Mel Gibson, which was followed by 2 successful sequels in the 80s. In 2015, the Australian director signed on two of Hollywood’s biggest stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron for a reboot film titledMad Max: Fury Roadwhich went on to become a massive hit.
Along with Hardy and Theron, the movie also starred Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in the pivotal role of Angharad. Interestingly, the name ‘Angharad’ was born out of a nostalgic memory that Miller had about the 1941 Oscar-winning filmHow Green Was My Valley, a story about the life and trials of a family settled in the South Wales coalfields.
In the film, actor Maureen O’Hara played the role of Angharad Morgan, whose name served as inspiration for Whiteley‘s character inMad Max: Fury Road. Miller who appeared on a show withKevin McCarthy, was stunned by his interviewer’s perceptive observation of this link. Recalling his memories of watching the 1941 classic, the director said,
My twin brother and I went to boarding school when we were little kids for one year. This was in the late 50s. They would show movies in the football statium on weekends and it was cold, and we were rugged up and so on, and there was a screen put in the middle of the stadium. In the one year that we were in boarding school, they played How Green Was My Valley 5 times. And it really struck me. That’s one of my top 10 favorite movies.
Incidentally,How Green Was My Valleyproved to be a rather controversial pick for Best Picture at the Academy Awards that year (viaMovie Web). While director John Ford won a golden statuette for his efforts as well, the film made major headlines for shockingly taking home the Oscar aboveCitizen Kanewhich is popularly considered the best movie of all time.
Furiosa: A Mad Max SagaWas Envisioned Ages Ago
The 5th installment in the cultMad Maxseries created and directed byGeorge Millerreleased on May 24th, 2024 and quickly lived up to its reputation of being another huge blockbuster in the franchise. The post-apocalyptic action thriller stars one of Hollywood’s most popular young actorsAnya Taylor-Joyin the titular role sharing screen space with superstarMarvelalum Chris Hemsworth.
An unknown trivia about the prequel to the iconic franchise is the fact that the story was envisioned by Miller many years ago as revealed by producer Doug Mitchell in an interview withTotal Filmwhich featured exclusive details about the movie. Elaborating on these aspects, he said,
“So Furiosa was ready, in a story sense, 15 years ago And it’s been percolating, the way things do in George’s brain, ever since. We had finished the script of Furiosa before we shot Fury Road,”
An even more interesting fact about the film is that it was initially looked to be developed into an anime short film titledThe Peach. The project was to have been helmed by veteran Mahiro Maeda who is famously known for his association with Studio Ghibli in directing many cult anime films likePorco RossoandNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
While this ambitious idea did not materialize for reasons that are unclear, Miller’s vision for the story continued to develop over the years and finally resulted in his decision to create the 2024 film with Joy and Hemsworth.
Mad Max: Fury Roadis streaming on Max.
Sharanya Sankar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :1230
Sharanya Sankar, Writer for FandomwireHaving completed her Masters degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, Sharanya has a solid foundation in writing which is also one of her passions. She has worked previously with Book My show for a couple of years where she gained experience reviewing films and writing feature articles. Sharanya’s articles on film and pop culture have also been published on Film Companion, a popular film-based website. Apart from movies and pop culture, her interests include music and sports. She has contributed over 650 articles to Fandomwire so far.
