Max Headroom (1985) (TV)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Directors:

Annabel Jankel
Rocky Morton

Writers:

Annabel Jankel (story)
Rocky Morton (story)
(more)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

In the dystopic near future, a crusading TV reporter investigates news stories with the help of a wisecracking computer version of himself.

Plot Keywords:

Television | Cyberpunk | Artificial Intelligence | Media Landscape | Exploding Body

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Matt Frewer	...	Edison Carter / Max Headroom
Nickolas Grace	...	Grossman
Hilary Tindall	...	Dominique
William Morgan Sheppard	...	Blank Reg (as Morgan Sheppard)
Amanda Pays	...	Theora Jones
Paul Spurrier	...	Bryce Lynch
Hilton McRae	...	Breugal
George Rossi	...	Mahler
Roger Sloman	...	Murray
Anthony Dutton	...	Gorrister
Constantine Gregory	...	Ben Cheviot
Lloyd McGuire	...	Edwards
Elizabeth Richardson	...	Ms. Formby
Gary Hope	...	Ashwell
Joane Hall	...	Body bank receptionist
Howard Samuels	...	Eng reporter
Roger Tebb	...	Helipad reporter
Val McLane	...	Eye witness
Michael Cule	...	Exploding man

Directed by
Annabel Jankel
Rocky Morton

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Annabel Jankel		story
Rocky Morton		story
Steve Roberts		writer
Colin Wilson		story

Produced by
Terry Ellis	....	executive producer
Chris Griffin	....	line producer
Peter Wagg	....	producer

Original Music by
Chris Cross
Midge Ure

Cinematography by
Trevor Brooker
Phil Meheux

Film Editing by
Michael Bradsell

Casting by
John Hubbard
Mary Jo Slater

Production Design by
Maurice Cain

Art Direction by
Alan Williams

Costume Design by
Michael Baldwin

Makeup Department
Ross Carver	....	hair stylist
Leon Hamme	....	assistant hair stylist
Sandra Shepherd	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Redmond Morris	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Terry Bamber	....	third assistant director
John Dodds	....	second assistant director
Chris Rose	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Rod Lord	....	graphic artist
John Mills	....	property master
Brian Read	....	production buyer
Val Wolstenholme	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Don Brown	....	sound maintenance
Paul Conway	....	assistant dubbing editor
Richard King	....	dubbing mixer
Howard Lanning	....	dubbing editor
Steve O'Brien	....	boom operator
Brad Sherman	....	sound effects editor
Ken Weston	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
John Humphreys	....	prosthetics designer
Ian Scoones	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Brian Cooke	....	still photographer
Harry Eckford	....	camera grip
Mike Pia	....	video playback supervisor
Terry Potter	....	gaffer
Ralph Ramsden	....	clapper loader
Richard Taylor	....	camera operator: video
Peter Turner	....	focus puller

Animation Department
Nick Burgess-Jones	....	chief colorist

Costume and Wardrobe Department
James P. Cullen	....	costumer
Marina Drecker	....	wardrobe mistress
Raymond Harris	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Andrew Gillman	....	video tape playback editor
Andrew Parker	....	first assistant editor
John W. Stuart	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Virginia S. Ellsworth	....	music editor
Rik Walton	....	music engineer

Other crew
Francine Brown	....	continuity
Linda Gregory	....	production accountant
David Hansen	....	additional dialogue
Nicholas Hicks-Beach	....	researcher
Gerry Kennedy	....	production runner
Richard Monkhouse	....	electronic effects
Paul Owen	....	additional dialogue
Clare St. John	....	production coordinator
Peter Tupy	....	computer effects

Production Companies

• Chrysalis

Distributors

• Sphinx (1987) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Karl-Lorimar Home Video (KLV-TV) (video)
• Transformer (2005) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

Max Headroom: 20 Minutes Into the Future (UK)

Runtime:

57 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Chrysalis

Trivia:

Remade almost scene-for-scene as the first episode of "Max Headroom" (1987). Only Frewer, Pays and Sheppard appeared in both versions. The obese TV viewer's death by "blipberts", and Carter's reaction to it, as well as the live TV doctor's topic on colon health were discarded.

Quotes:

Theora Jones: How's your head?
Edison Carter: Fine. How's yours?

Movie Connections:

Remade as "Max Headroom: Blipverts (#1.1)" (1987)

I Agree!

I looked up Max on IMDb to see if I could find any information about the powers that be putting it on DVD. This was one of my favorite shows (along with Moonlighting, Magnum PI, Thirty Something, and Murphy Brown). I agree that it was intelligent and worth taping or scheduling your time around and SHOULD be produced on DVD!!! Get to it!!

For all those who never had the good fortune of being able to view this show, I would compare it to a cross between Robocop on a computer network and combined with the comedy of Jim Carey on steroids. Max, the main character of the show, exists as the personality and life form of the computer--it's not-so-artificial artificial intelligence.

I don't remember much else about the show, which is one reason I would love to see it again, because I love to reminisce, but as the previous posting pointed out...they only seem to come up with shows that have just been running and, mostly, are of no interest to me. So, put it out, Powers That Be!