How can the guy who created Mad Max slam on the brakes so suddenly and then make a cute little film about a piglet who thinks he’s a sheepdog? What, no Mel Gibson? No V8 Interceptors? Pigs? Ducks? What was he thinking? Only Dr George Miller could be so bold (and yes, he is a real doctor).
Miller is one of Australia’s most successful film directors, having helmed five Mad Max films, as well as Hollywood flicks such as The Witches of Eastwick, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Lorenzo’s Oil and Happy Feet (oh no, not penguins too!).
A stint in a road trauma unit as a trainee doctor gave Miller the idea for Mad Max. So, what gave him the idea for Babe? I doubt he worked in a piggery, or even worse, a bacon factory. No, it was a novel by Dick King-Smith called The Sheep-Pig that was the basis for the film. A whopping 46 piglets were used during filming and before you gasp, don’t worry, ‘no piggies were injured during the making of this film’. The same can’t be said for all the cars that met their end in Mad Max!
The IWSO will be presenting a selection of music from Babe by Australian composer Nigel Westlake at our next concert. And who knows, we may even bring in a petting zoo at interval …
By Andrew Derrett
