MAD DOG MORGAN (1976) / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: PHILIPPE MORA / STARRING: DENNIS HOPPER, JACK THOMPSON, DAVID GULPILIL / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (AUSTRALIA)
This often overlooked seventies gem saw Dennis Hopper appear alongside seasoned Aussie actors as an infamous real-life outlaw is an often tragic but always compelling tale. Not only did it kick-start the Australian film industry for a worldwide audience (it was the first film distributed in the US), but it unflinchingly shows how the colony would have been.
Hopper plays Daniel Morgan, an Irishman hoping to strike it rich prospecting for gold down under in the 1850s. Sent to prison for 12 years for a desperate robbery, he is brutalised, sodomised, and eventually released on parole. He becomes a feared and wanted bushranger, but one not without some compassion and pathos. With his trusted aboriginal friend Billy (Gulpilil) by his side, he robs and burns his away across the Victoria countryside pursued all the while by the local police.
Making the most of the lush locations, Mad Dog Morgan is an interesting beast of a film. Apart from the indigenous people, there are no Aussies accents to be heard – the place was populated by the colonial British and hadn’t developed its identity that we know today. Several characters speak directly into the camera at points, which gives it a documentary quality and adds to the genuine feel of the piece. Hopper is outstanding as the anti-hero Morgan. Both sympathetic and terrifying in turns. For no matter how violent Mad Dog can be, his raison d’être is more to humiliate the rich landowners than to kill. It’s an accidental shooting that tips him over the edge. The most shocking acts come from the establishment and the intolerant racist public. The opening massacre of the Chinese brothel is particularly nasty.
The film moves along at a rollicking pace – almost too fast, in fact, as some scenes are mere moments but everything comes into place and it’s nothing less than enthralling. There is also a glorious display of facial hair – some more realistic than others. Mad Dog Morgan has previously mainly been available in horrible public domain versions, but this Umbrella Blu-ray release puts that right and looks stunning. Presented in full scope, it’s bright (perhaps a little too much in places) and definition is perfect. It’s also packed with some marvellous extra features, including some insightful interviews and archival material. The interview between director Mora and Hopper is particularly enlightening, showing a completely different side to the actor than is seen in the vintage on-set footage.
