Today, I heard an old interview with George Miller on the release of Fury Road, where he talked about Joseph Campbell and the classic heroes, who subordinate their personal interests for the good of the world, and where he realized that the Mad Max character was a corruption of that ideal. "Max I" may be the closest to hero, but in Max II, his arm is twisted. Its barely and begrudging care about the world. In Max III all he cares about is getting his vehicle back. He ends up saving the kids' world without intending to..
The Babe pig movies that Miller did would fix that.
This got me thinking about my 2 feature scripts. Hmm. My heroes are also corruptions.
The lead in Dream Travelers gives up on the world and her family. Her suicide though understandable comes as a deeply selfish act of desperation. It is the world that never gives up on her and gives her a second chance.
In Ghost Earth, the lead tries, but cannot escape her personal interests even while they're deeply entwined with the world. And yet, the world has to die before she's able to truly start caring.
I love Babe Pig in the City in a different way than I can say I love the Mad Max movies. Miller and Campbell are right on that subject. And yet, The Max movies continue with more to come. Maybe Furiosa is a more traditional hero, yet deeply flawed heroes seem more like who we are.
