Mad Dog Morgan (1976)

Director:

Philippe Mora

Writers:

Margaret Carnegie (story)
Philippe Mora (writer)

Release Date:

9 July 1976 (Australia)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | History | Western

Tagline:

In the autumn of 1865 the unique and notorious desperado, bushranger Dan Morgan, crossed the Murray River from New South Wales into Victoria to do battle with the law for the last time. What happened has been a secret for over 100 years. And so it should have been, if only to save face for the corrupt and hated colonial establishment of the day. This then is the fascinating tale, told for the first time, of the romantic and extraordinary villain they called Mad Dog Morgan.

Plot:

The true story of Irish outlaw Daniel Morgan, who is wanted, dead or alive, in Australia during the 1850s.

Plot Keywords:

Outlaw | Australia | Prison | Gold Miner | Australian Aboriginal

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Dennis Hopper	...	Daniel Morgan
Jack Thompson	...	Detective Mainwaring
David Gulpilil	...	Billy
Frank Thring	...	Supt. Cobham
Michael Pate	...	Supt. Winch
Wallas Eaton	...	MacPherson (as Wallace Eaton)
Bill Hunter	...	Sgt. Smith
John Hargreaves	...	Baylis
Martin Harris	...	Wendlan
Robin Ramsay	...	Roget
Graeme Blundell	...	Italian Jack
Gregory Apps	...	Arthur
Liza Lee-Atkinson	...	Barmaid
Elaine Baillie	...	Farm Girl
Don Barkham	...	Morrow

Also Known As:

Mad Dog
Mad Dog Morgan (USA)

Runtime:

USA:102 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:18 | Australia:MA (Special Edition DVD) | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Finland:K-16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Mad Dog

Trivia:

Dennis Hopper visited Daniel Morgan's grave right after finishing the film and got drunk at the grave site; he was arrested by the Victorian police and placed on the first plane back to Hollywood.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In a farmhouse, a picture of a Tasmanian tiger or Thylacine is pointed out as being that of an extinct animal. The Thylacine did not become extinct until the 1930s.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)

Rough, brutal, ugly, complex, compelling, and unsettling.

This Australian film is based on a true story of an outlaw in the rough and ready world of the 1800's Way Down Under. It's a very rough world indeed. There are no jokes, no hijinks, no pretty lady loves. Morgan is brutalized by his environment of gold camps, opium dens, and a hellish period in prison. His one love, his one true friend, is a male aborigine who acts as both his savior and his servant.

This is, indeed, an ugly film. Yet Dennis Hopper manages to find a note of grace, and gives the film it's heart. The last portion of the film seems deeper and truer than the scenes that went before, allowing the viewer to understand more fully the complexity of a man such as Morgan.

The movie is low-budget and a bit disjointed. It is also often compelling.....and unsettling. I can't give it a high grade, due to it's poor producton values. But I'm glad it's in my collection.