When George Miller Mad Max wanted to be in competition at Cannes – Le Figaro

INTERVIEW – The director, who was chosen to chair the 69th Cannes Film Festival, he presented last year at Cannes the fourth installment of his saga. His only regret:. Not to have joined the race for the Palme d’Or

For spring 70, director George Miller has been appointed to chair 69th festival of Cannes, from 11 to 22 May. There is one year, the Australian director, bubbling with ideas and energy, presented in Cannes out of competition in the fourth installment of its post-apocalyptic saga Mad Ma x . Although he seemed delighted to taste the joys and pleasures of Cannes, the filmmaker entrusted to Le Figaro regret not being part of the competition for the Golden Palm.

LE FIGARO. – Do you think Mad Max has a place in Cannes? Did he come to destroy the Croisette?

George Miller. – (laughs) France has always been one of the great defenders of Mad Max . I still remember that at the Avoriaz Festival, they had projected Mad Max 2 and that critics had defended the film calling it “Western on wheels”. It’s a bit why when the Cannes festival asked me to come this year to present Mad Max: Fury Road , I accepted with pleasure. I am very happy to be here. The fact of inviting us is to recognize that the film is not just a simple action film but also a work of director.

Are you disappointed not to compete?

No. This is not a film for the Cannes competition. I was twice juror in Cannes. The fine screened have more gravity, are more serious than Mad Max: Fury Road is a big film, a bit bombastic, a bit crazy …

Finally you are like Woody Allen, you are happy not to be in competition …

Ha! No. I would have loved to compete! Come to Cannes and not in competition, it’s a bit like we were aware that there was a party, but it was not invited … (laughs)

A rumor on the fact that Mel Gibson would have made a brief appearance in the film. Is that true?

I have heard many people say that. But this is absolutely false. It’s a bit like Sean Connery had a cameo in a James Bond Daniel Craig. This is not possible.

How did you get the crazy idea to dive back into the Mad Max matrix after thirty years?

In fact, the very first idea goes back to the previous millennium. In 1999, I wanted to turn on the Mad Max engine by staging a chase goes on for two hours. That’s what excited me. The second thing was to transform the object of the quest, as the Mc Guffin said Hitchcock, into something human. Mad Max 2 was the oil tanker, here it is the young women in Immortan Joe. It all started from there.

Over the years, the series Mad Max has become a benchmark in post-apocalyptic films. Hit the road, it was risk disappointing tracing your footsteps. Why was it a shot?

Because my vision of the future has changed. Today, I would tend to say: “Full speed ahead toward the past”! And like all storytellers, what I like is that a plot can be read as an allegory. That’s why I wanted to make Mad Max: Fury Road a timeless film. It is a challenge still very attractive for a director.

When you see Fury Road , we realize that deep inside you, you remained a kind Punk with the famous motto: “No Future” …

(laughs) Me, a punk? Why not, but then a punk Australian then!