Collectively, we here at JoBlo.com have watched MAD MAX: FURY ROAD over thirty times. The sheer badassery on display in George Miller's epic is beyond words and can only be demonstrated by repeat viewings. That being said, I can say with certainty that every one of us is going to purchase a copy of the film when it is released on Blu-ray. So, with the promise of deleted scenes and other features guaranteed to be on the disc, there is another special feature I am excited to see.
George Miller discussed a black and white version of MAD MAX: FURY ROAD that he glimpsed during post-production of the film. Here's what he had to say about it to SlashFilm.
We spent a lot of time in DI (digital intermediate), and we had a very fine colorist, Eric Whipp. One thing I’ve noticed is that the default position for everyone is to de-saturate post-apocalyptic movies. There’s only two ways to go, make them black and white — the best version of this movie is black and white, but people reserve that for art movies now. The other version is to really go all-out on the color. The usual teal and orange thing? That’s all the colors we had to work with. The desert’s orange and the sky is teal, and we either could de-saturate it, or crank it up, to differentiate the movie. Plus, it can get really tiring watching this dull, de-saturated color, unless you go all the way out and make it black and white.
Miller went on to say the he has demanded the black and white cut of the movie be on the MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Blu-ray along with the option to listen to only the score with no other soundtrack. This would essentially make MAD MAX: FURY ROAD a silent film but one so epic in scope that it would be an explosion for the senses. Frank Darabont did something similar when he released THE MIST on home video which completely changed the aesthetic of the film and harkened back to a different generation of filmmaking. The SlashFilm article comes with a mock-up of the MAD MAX: FURY ROAD trailer in black and white which gives you a sense of what the film may look like. Interestingly, it feels almost like a different movie.
Whatever features come packaged on the Blu-ray for MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, I encourage everyone to head to the theater and see this visual masterpiece on the big screen while you can. With so many summer movies still headed our way, it is possible the general audiences will miss the chance to see this unique cinematic achievement the way it was intended to be seen.
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is now playing.