Fighting Mad (1976 film)

Last updated
Fighting Mad
Fighting Mad.jpg
Theatrical release poster by Joseph Smith
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Written byJonathan Demme
Produced by Roger Corman
Starring
CinematographyMichael W. Watkins
Edited byAnthony Magro
Music by Bruce Langhorne
Production
company
Santa Fe Productions
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • October 8, 1976 (1976-10-08)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$600,000 [1]

Fighting Mad is a 1976 American action film directed by Jonathan Demme, about an Arkansas farmer played by Peter Fonda who uses Guerrilla tactics against corrupt land developers attempting to evict his family and his neighbors in order to stripmine their land. [2]

Contents

Plot

An evil corporation tries to pressure a bunch of Arkansas farmers and ranchers to sell their land so they can strip-mine it for coal. The fiercely proud and stubborn Hunter family refuse to give in. This leads to a bitter conflict that results in several casualties. Eventually the take-charge no-nonsense Tom Hunter exacts a harsh revenge on the villains with the help of his bow and arrow.

Cast

Production

The movie was one of four Roger Corman made for 20th Century Fox. In making the film, Corman analysed three other recent low-budget rural action thrillers that had been big hits: Billy Jack (1971), Walking Tall (1973) and Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974). He deduced they had three things in common: a hero with an off-beat sidekick, an unusual mode of transport and an interesting weapon. This is why the Peter Fonda character travels on an old motorcycle with his toddler son and uses a compound bow. [1] Corman said, "It was an attempt, once more, to follow a style that you're probably familiar with now—an action picture with a certain social comment." [3]

Fonda later wrote, "Like his work. Jonathan was amazing. He was so full of positive attitude, anything was possible. He never let on to any stress or pressure, and he was basically working for free." [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Corman</span> American film director, producer, and actor (born 1926)

Roger William Corman is an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are low-budget cult films including some which are adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Fonda</span> American actor (1940–2019)

Peter Henry Fonda was an American actor. He was the son of Henry Fonda, younger brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget Fonda. He was a prominent figure in the counterculture of the 1960s. Fonda was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Easy Rider (1969), and the Academy Award for Best Actor for Ulee's Gold (1997). For the latter, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama. Fonda also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999).

<i>The Trip</i> (1967 film) 1967 American counterculture-era film directed by Roger Corman

The Trip is a 1967 American psychedelic film released by American International Pictures, directed by Roger Corman and written by Jack Nicholson. It was shot on location in and around Los Angeles, including on top of Kirkwood in Laurel Canyon, the Hollywood Hills, and near Big Sur, California, over three weeks in March and April 1967. Peter Fonda stars as a young man who experiences his first LSD trip.

<i>Death Race 2000</i> 1975 cult action film directed by Paul Bartel

Death Race 2000 is a 1975 American science fiction action film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transcontinental Road Race has become a form of national entertainment. The screenplay is based on the short story The Racer by Ib Melchior.

<i>The Wild Angels</i> 1966 film by Roger Corman

The Wild Angels is a 1966 American independent outlaw biker film produced and directed by Roger Corman. Made on location in Southern California, The Wild Angels was the first film to associate actor Peter Fonda with Harley-Davidson motorcycles and 1960s counterculture. It inspired the biker film genre that continued into the early 1970s.

<i>The St. Valentines Day Massacre</i> (film) 1967 film by Roger Corman

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre is a 1967 American gangster film based on the 1929 mass murder of seven members of the Northside Gang on orders from Al Capone. The picture was directed by Roger Corman, written by Howard Browne, and starring Jason Robards as Capone, Ralph Meeker as Moran, George Segal as Peter Gusenberg, and David Canary as Frank Gusenberg.

<i>Swamp Women</i> 1955 film by Roger Corman

Swamp Women is a 1956 American adventure film noir crime film directed by Roger Corman. It stars Carole Mathews, Beverly Garland, and Marie Windsor, with Mike Connors and Ed Nelson in small roles.

<i>Nadja</i> (film) 1994 American film

Nadja is a 1994 American horror film written and directed by Michael Almereyda, starring Elina Löwensohn in the title role and Peter Fonda as Abraham Van Helsing. Nadja is a vampire film that treats genre elements in an understated arthouse style. It received mixed reviews from critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monte Hellman</span> American film director, film producer, and film editor (1929–2021)

Monte Hellman was an American film director, producer, writer, and editor. Hellman began his career as an editor's apprentice at ABC TV, and made his directorial debut with the horror film Beast from Haunted Cave (1959), produced by Gene Corman, Roger Corman's brother.

<i>A Bucket of Blood</i> 1959 film

A Bucket of Blood is a 1959 American comedy horror film directed by Roger Corman. It starred Dick Miller and was set in the West Coast beatnik culture of the late 1950s. The film, produced on a $50,000 budget, was shot in five days and shares many of the low-budget filmmaking aesthetics commonly associated with Corman's work. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a dark comic satire about a dimwitted, impressionable young busboy at a Bohemian café who is acclaimed as a brilliant sculptor when he accidentally kills his landlady's cat and covers its body in clay to hide the evidence. When he is pressured to create similar work, he becomes a serial murderer.

<i>Creature from the Haunted Sea</i> 1961 film by Roger Corman

Creature from the Haunted Sea is a 1961 horror comedy movie directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the movie is a parody of spy, gangster, and monster movies, concerning a secret agent, XK150, who uses the name "Sparks Moran" in order to infiltrate a criminal gang commanded by Renzo Capetto, who is trying to transport an exiled Cuban general with an entourage and a large portion of the Cuban treasury out of Cuba. Filmgroup released the movie as a double feature with Devil's Partner.

<i>Day the World Ended</i> 1955 film by Roger Corman

Day the World Ended is a 1955 independently made black-and-white post-apocalyptic science fiction film, produced and directed by Roger Corman, that stars Richard Denning, Lori Nelson, Adele Jergens, Paul Birch (actor) and Mike Connors. Chet Huntley of NBC, later of The Huntley-Brinkley Report, served as the film's narrator. It was released by American Releasing Corporation as a double feature with The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues.

<i>High-Ballin</i> 1978 film by Peter Carter

High-Ballin is a 1978 Canadian action comedy film about truckers directed by Peter Carter. The US release was rated PG, with a runtime of 97 minutes.

<i>Rock All Night</i> 1957 film by Roger Corman

Rock All Night is a 1957 crime drama film produced and directed by Roger Corman. Distributed by American International Pictures, it is based on a 25-minute television episode of The Jane Wyman Show from 1955 called "The Little Guy." It stars Dick Miller, Russell Johnson and Abby Dalton. It co-stars Mel Welles, Ed Nelson and Clegg Hoyt. The film was released as a double feature with Dragstrip Girl.

<i>The Oklahoma Woman</i> 1956 film by Roger Corman

The Oklahoma Woman is a 1956 American Western film directed by Roger Corman.

<i>Ski Troop Attack</i> 1960 American film

Ski Troop Attack is a 1960 American war film directed by Roger Corman and starring Michael Forest, Frank Wolff, Richard Sinatra, and Wally Campo. Filmgroup released the film as a double feature with Battle of Blood Island (1960).

<i>Atlas</i> (1961 film) 1961 film

Atlas is a 1961 peplum film directed by Roger Corman and starring Michael Forest and Frank Wolff. It was filmed in Greece. Corman called it "my last attempt to do a big picture on a low budget." Writer Charles B. Griffith said "Atlas was a mess. It was a doomed project. "

<i>Crazy Mama</i> 1975 film by Jonathan Demme

Crazy Mama is a 1975 American action comedy film, directed by Jonathan Demme, produced by Julie Corman and starring Cloris Leachman. It marked the film debuts of Bill Paxton and Dennis Quaid.

<i>Fly Me</i> 1973 exploitation film

Fly Me is a 1973 exploitation film directed by Cirio H. Santiago and produced by Roger Corman. The story concerns flight attendants, international drug smuggling, kung fu, and nudity. It was poorly received by critics.

<i>Eat My Dust!</i> 1976 film by Charles B. Griffith

Eat My Dust! is a 1976 American action comedy film written and directed by Charles B. Griffith, and starring Ron Howard.

References

  1. 1 2 Christopher T Koetting, Mind Warp!: The Fantastic True Story of Roger Corman's New World Pictures, Hemlock Books. 2009 p 99
  2. Fighting Mad at the American Film Institute Catalog
  3. Corman, Roger (1979). The movie world of Roger Corman. Chelsea House. p. 154.
  4. Fonda, Peter (1998). Don't tell dad : a memoir. Hyperion. p. 414. ISBN   9780786861118.