360 Directors’ Cut: Oscar-Nominee George Miller, “Mad Max: Fury Road”

Back when Jimmy Carter was president, an Australian director named George Miller made his first, super-low-budget movie. It starred a little-known Australian actor named Mel Gibson. “Mad Max” was a hit, and Miller’s vision became the blueprint for post-apocalyptic cinema. Now, at 70, Miller has resurrected the franchise he invented. In “Mad Max: Fury Road,” a warrior played by Charlize Theron runs from a tyrannical warlord. Like all the “Mad Max” films, it’s high on epic action and low on dialogue. “Fury Road” is up for 10 Academy Awards – including Best Picture and Best Director. In this extended conversation with Kurt Andersen, Miller explains how he created some of this year’s most thrilling action scenes with very little CGI – and why “Mad Max” would be better in black-and-white.