Goose's burnt face cut scene (all time shock award)

[dusty hills]

Heres another missing shot:
The scene where Johnny the boy is handcuffed at the end shows a very graphic glimpse of Johnny actually sawing into his ankle, just where Max is heading up the hill at the time of the explosion, I clearly remember the screams from Johnny, it was very gruesome but alas long missing by now.
Does anyone else recall that scene?

[riven99]

No I was not on acid. It was in the early 80's and I was 12 years old or thereabouts. Of course more impressionable, but I remember this as being sort of the 'climax' of the movie because you're so unprepared of getting to see this horribly sad face crying out for help that should be dead and can't be helped, and it was made so real (remember the director is a MD). This lead the tone for the rest of the film - Max did not imagine something as horrible was possible, and I think it is a mutilation of the movie itself not to include it.
If you have any doubts, clearly the 'wavering' of Max's face was not the work of the director, it is way too amateurish. They just had to do something to cover over how Max is shown in shock - because you as the viewer get to experience that shock too.

[MFP 2020]

I don't think the "watery" effect was any more amateurish than any other effect in the movie, and I seriously doubt anyone mucked with the movie after Miller turned it over—unlike how they do it in Hollywood.

I'm assuming you're the same person who emailed me about this scene. For the benefit of the rest of the forum, I'll reprint my response:

I've never heard of such a scene, nor do I remember seeing it in the theater [1979 US release]. Every version I've seen of that scene (original, VHS, Beta, LaserDisc, DVD) has been identical. Is someone saying the scene exists? It's news to me.

Considering that the European version is usually different from the US version, and considering that the longer Wez bolt-in-the-arm scene from MM2 strangely popped up again on cable last year, there is a very small chance, however remote, that you're right.

IMO, your brain filled in the blanks—maybe with a scene from another movie.

[riven99]

The 'wavering' scene is a digital effect. Now think about the fact there were no digital effects in 1979.

I sure didn't fill this scene in my mind. You don't fill in something in your mind that then shocks you out of your pants. I tell ya it was shocking because they showed this face and it was ALIVE and looking at Max.

Someone, get the original german VHS release

[Cueball]

Looks like I have to check my old vhs tape.
Been checking running times and the German uncut DVD says 89 minutes,
while the tape says 92 minutes. But I cant remember seeing Goose's face.

[mack tanker]

I've never seen it, If you watch the special edition with the commentary track they talk about the hand
If it is out there I would like to see it

[Biker]

Excuse me for chiping in here but being one of the lucky ones that saw this film at the cinema back in 79 when it was an X rated film (this was before rated 18's appeared) the burnt face of Goose didn't appear in the version I saw, niether did the hacksawing off the foot scene either.

The wavering effect over Max's face was there though. Can't recall seeing footage of him bandaging his knee up either.

If, as you say, this footage does exist, then the 1979 version at the Odean, Canterbury, England (Now the Marlowe theatre) didn't show it. Seeing that film was a landmark event for me and though my memories dim, that night's still sharp in my mind.

Personally I think Miller hit the target for heightened suspense and horror in that burnt Goose scene spot on. He showed the hand falling out of the bed, so you got the idea of what you could possibly expect to see... "Shit! If that's his arm, what's his face gonna look like?" and then he cut the scene to Max's reaction and left it to your own imagination. To me that's a mark of someone touched with genius. "Less is more" as the saying goes.

Why yeald to the temptation to show it when it's likely what you'd imagine is far, far worse?

Biker

[Peter Barton]

The burnt arm that falls out of the bed is Sheila Florance (May Swaisey). Think about it - Steve Bisley's arm might not look that bad with some burn makeup on it, but replace him with the arm of an old lady and it would look like Steve had had a pretty serious accident. There are apparently photos of this, showing her in the arm / body makeup, but with her face visible (I've never seen them first hand, this is just something I've been told).

So you don't see a face in the bed, because there was never one to see. I'll believe otherwise if evidence is ever presented to prove the burnt face theory, but it doesn't line up with any version of the film anyone can produce, or with the information I otherwise have on this.

[Madmaxing]

The 'wavering' scene is a digital effect. Now think about the fact there were no digital effects in 1979.

This indicates to me that you are not particularly familiar with movie special effects.

Evidently you cannot fathom special effects without computers. Take a look at the original silent film "Metropolis" by Fritz Lang. It was released in 1927. The special effects in it are dazzling for the era, particularly when the robot takes on the woman's form, and include effects that you will not be able to fathom how they were done without a computer. There are all kinds of camera tricks and developing tricks for film that you are not aware of. The wavey image of Max is not too difficult to do.

Also the way the scene was shot follows an old directing axiom; point the audience in the direction you want them to go and let them fill in the rest. We were set up by seeing Goose's burned hand to get an idea just how bad the burns were. When the sheet is pulled back from Goose's face we see Max's reaction because sometimes our imagination will conjure up an image even better than what the director could come up with. It is letting the audience do some of the work for you, as a director.

This is also done when Jessie and Sprog get run over by the bikes. We don't actually see them getting run over, we see the throttle and then the ball and shoe to indicate the carnage.

As far back as I can remember, seeing it in the theaters at age 16, and on video afterwards, I never saw Goose's burned face.

Steve

[riven99]

I feel like I'm in a therapy session here. Ok I jumped the gun on the wavering scene being recent, and digital. Should have thought about it.
All interesting how the mind can conjure things, but no, I know what I saw. And you have to admit, there are all those other cut scenes that do exist.
I'm surprised that apparently it may only exist on the German original tape release. Having seen the original scene, the wavering strikes me as very amateurish coverup, of the kind that could have been done in a posprocessing/editing facility. Note there is no other place in the movie where any such kind of effect is used.

I guess all that remains is to get a hold of the original German release really (I would think it is the same as shown in theatres, all I know is I saw it on a VCR, and it was dubbed in German)