Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Mad Dog Morgan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 8, 2019

Philippe Mora's "Mad Dog Morgan" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; audio commentary and new program featuring director Philippe Mora; extended cast and crew interviews; and a lot more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The madman

It is a small miracle that Mad Dog Morgan actually exists. Various people, including director Philippe Mora, have revealed that while the film was being made Dennis Hopper was so stoned he routinely could not remember that he was actually working in Australia. Also, there were multiple accidents that plagued the film’s production, and there was one in particular that was so serious it nearly ended Hopper’s misery. (This terrific documentary from Mark Hartley has a pretty big segment dedicated on Hopper’s antics and the accident). Hopper even managed to piss off the Australian police so badly that after they caught him driving under the influence a judge in Victoria told him that he would never be able to drive again or be a passenger in a car in his state. Immediately after that he was taken to the airport and shipped out of the country.

The popular contemporary take on the character that Hopper plays in the film, Daniel Morgan, is that he was something of a Robin Hood-like Australian hero who declared war on the wealthy in the early 1850s. Before he became this mythical hero, however, he was a lot of other things.

Morgan was an Irishman who had come to the Land Down Under to try his luck during the Golden Rush, and for a while he did indeed try to get rich the right way. The hard work, however, did not pay well, and after he lost everything he had he became a robber to make ends meet. He got caught, rather quickly, and the authorities promptly sent him to a notorious labor camp where he spent twelve years of his life. All of the misery and abuse that Morgan endured there filled him with so much anger that when he was eventually released for good behavior, he could barely wait to start righting the wrongs that he was convinced the world was plagued with. In the bush an Aboriginal hunter (David Gulpilil) who saved his life became his best pal, and for a while the two apparently worked as a team. When Morgan became so famous amongst the poor that some began copying his work, the wealthy offered a big prize for his head and different teams of bounty hunters started tracking him down.

Mad Dog Morgan was Mora’s first big project and as such has a rather surprisingly nice period appearance, but the director’s inability to impose his will on it is virtually impossible to ignore. Indeed, Hopper and his addiction occupy such a massive part of the narrative that it routinely looks as if his character is changing identities at will and even shamelessly crossing into an entirely different psychedelic film. Simply put, the majority of the time Hopper plays a character that is a product of his imagination, a chameleon that only occasionally chooses to act like a bushranger on a mission. (When Hopper landed in Australia to do the film, the original script that Mora had was in fact altered significantly to please the actor).

Perhaps the safest way to avoid a major disappointment with this film is to approach it with the clear understanding that it is not a serious and more importantly reputable account of the life and deeds of its notorious star. Only then its loose interpretations of actual events and Hopper’s rambling could begin to make some sense, and maybe even look attractive. On the other hand, there is still a great chance that even then many viewers will walk away disappointed because the cartoonish identities the film attaches to all of the wealthy British settlers are simply impossible to stomach.

The only authentic material features Gulpilil’s character, a seasoned hunter who catches and kills deadly snakes with his bare hands. It is pretty incredible to watch.

*This new Blu-ray release of Mad Dog Morgan is sourced from a brand new 4K remaster of the film, which is now available exclusively via Australian label Umbrella Entertainment.

Mad Dog Morgan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Philippe Mora's Mad Dog Morgan arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an exclusive new 4K remaster and as a result the entire film now looks very healthy. However, there are some areas with minor but obvious density fluctuations, and elsewhere light crushing sneaks in and flattens or eliminates existing nuances. Still, the overall density and delineation that the visuals reveal are very nice. The color grading has introduced a few supporting nuances that feel just a tad too warm, but I still think that the overall balance is quite nice. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments. There is room for small encoding optimizations, particularly during some of the darker footage, but even when projected the film still looks solid. A few minor scratches and specks remain, but there are no distracting cuts, large damage marks, or torn frames to report. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Mad Dog Morgan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless track is outstanding. Clarity, depth, and balance are excellent. Dynamic intensity is also very good, and the film's action footage actually surprises with some terrific oomph. There are absolutely no traces of age-related imperfections and anomalies.

Mad Dog Morgan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

• Audio Commentary One (2019) - this new audio commentary was recorded by director Philippe Mora and author/critic Jake Wilson. The information that is shared in the commentary addresses the production history of the film, the research work that was done before shooting started, Dennis Hopper's performance, and the real Mad Dog Morgan and his image.

• Audio Commentary Two (2009) - in this audio commentary, director Philippe Mora explains how Margaret Carnegie's novel inspired him to shoot Mad Dog Morgan and discusses in great detail its production.

• Trailer - a newly remastered original trailer for Mad Dog Morgan. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 720p).

• To Shoot a Mad Dog: Making Mad Dog Morgan - this vintage documentary chronicles the production history of Mad Dog Morgan. Director Philippe Mora also explains why and how Daniel Morgan became an inspirational figure for other notorious outlaws, like Ned Kelly, and discusses the type of men that he confronted. There are interesting observations about Dennis Hopper's 'method acting' as well. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, 720p).

• Hopping Mad: Looking Back on Mad Dog Morgan with Philippe Mora - in this new program, Philippe Mora recalls his experience of working with a perpetually drunk and stoned Dennis Hopper during the production of Mad Dog Morgan and discusses the film's tone and visual style. The director also discusses the real Mad Dog Morgan and his heroic image and mentions a very interesting conversation he had with Francis Ford Coppola as he was getting ready to cast Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now. The program was produced exclusively for Umbrella Entertainment. In English, not subtitled. (34 min, 720p).

• That's Our Mad Dog: A Conversation with Dennis Hopper and Philippe Mora - in this archival video program, Dennis Hopper and Philippe Mora share different memories from their collaboration on Mad Dog Morgan. There are some hilarious stories here, but the best one is about the actor's final 'performance' in Victoria where he was arrested and told by a local judge that he will never ever again be allowed to drive a car or be a passenger in one in the state. In English, not subtitled. (29 min, 720p).

• Extended Interviews - presented here are extended interviews that director Mark Hartley conducted for his documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! in 2008. The information that is shared in them addresses the production of Mad Dog Morgan, Dennis Hopper's performance, and the business climate in Australia at the time. In English, not subtitled. (67 min, 720p).
  
  1. Director Philippe Mora
  2. Producer Jeremy Thomas
  3. Camera operator John Seale
  4. Actor Jack Thompson
  5. Actor Roger Ward
  6. Actor Graeme Blundell

• Mad Country: Shooting Locations Revisited - this new program visits some of the locations where major parts of Mad Dog Morgan were shot. It can be viewed with an optional audio commentary by director Philippe Mora. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).

• Radio Interview with Philippe Mora - in this archival ratio interview, director Philippe Mora explains why he decided to shoot a film about Mad Dog Morgan and discusses the decision to cast Dennis Hopper to play the notorious bushranger. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 720p).

• Image Gallery - a large collection of original vintage promotional materials for the film, including covers for various home video releases of the film. (23 min, 720p).

• Cover - a reversible cover.

Mad Dog Morgan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

My viewing experience with Philippe Mora's Mad Dog Morgan was practically identical to the one that a few years ago I had with Wolf Gremm's Kamikaze '89. Like Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Dennis Hopper is completely whacked out before the camera and predictably his 'performance' is quite surreal. Obviously, this instantly makes Mad Dog Morgan a legit cult Aussie classic, and I would be lying if I said that I did not have a good time with it, but on the other hand this film definitely isn't the authentic period drama that its creators wanted it to be. Umbrella Entertainment's release is sourced from a nice exclusive new 4K remaster of the film and comes with an outstanding selection of new and archival bonus features. Folks that enjoy Hopper's work should not miss the release because it has a lot of terrific content about his career and a number of other films that he made over the years, including The Last Movie and Apocalypse Now. My only criticism here is that with so much great content this release should have been authored as a two-disc set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.