The Gyro vs. Jedediah Controversy Settled

[Biker]

As bike said above perhaps there's not a lot of good actors to choose from is Aussieland. Just watch Neighbours and you can see why Hehehehhehee


Like the director John Carpenter used Kurt Russel in most of his films perhaps Miller chose to use Bruce Spence in his simply because he knew he was a good actor and could get into the role of a character perhaps better than others he'd used.


It also occurred to me that since he was recasting Bruce Spence in another/same role in the Mad Max series there aren't too many suitable characters that he could play. I mean he's not exactly the macho type who would be driving about the wasteland in a muscle car toting a machine gun and crossbow. He has that cowardly weakness about him. I don't mean him any disrespect when I say that either. He's like your normal man on the street thrust into a nightmare world and having to deal with it as best he can. In such a world of kill or be killed the only real safe place is in the air. He'd be safer, as mobile and in more ways than one, above the chaos he sees below him (pun not intended)


Do you see what I'm saying? On the ground he'd be minced meat inside a week, while up in the air.... Perhaps Millers thoughts may have been running along those lines.


Whether he played the same character or not will always be debated, suffice to say he fitted the role well beside Max, anyone else and I feel there would have been an on screen personality clash with them, and I don't the usual prima donna squabbles of the "lovies" stealing that extra bow. I mean that there's only one main hero in the Mad Max films, to see two working side by side as equals wouldn't be right as one should assume the "lesser hero" role..... enter stage left: Bruce Spence as Gyro Capt and later as Jedediah.


The Lethal Weapon series worked with two main heroes because it was a buddy buddy film, the characters were so different and lastly had a different director.


By the way I spoke to my brother the other day, he said he didn't rejoin the queue at that film convention to ask Bruce Spence directly about whether he was the same character in each film or not. Guess we'll never know for sure.


On an aside here, reading the Vernon thread it was said that for MM2 each actor had to write a background of thier character. I wonder what Bruce Spence wrote for his perhaps it went something like this...


"An ex-washing machine repairman handy with tools and with a hobby of flying, reads the classics. Considers himself a gentleman, who lost his toothbrush. A rat, with few scruples but otherwise harmless. Lonely male seeking suitable woman who must like heights, combination underwear and have no sense of smell."


Biker.

[wez dog of war]

i think too that jedediah and gyrocaptain are the same characters,but what about gyro's bad teeths???

[Big Bopper Bart]

Maybe Jedediah found a toothbrush in all that junk he had?

[AdrianUK]

Might as well have used a sweeping brush for all the good it would have done!! unless it was a magic toothbrush!

[moko]

i think there the same...............there conversations,like


You"


"Me?"


"You got a plane"


"I have?"


its the way they talk....not that they don't mention the past....it has that ...................


"humours aqantance"

[Tom Millan]

Well for one thing, we know that Gyro had rotting teeth compared to Jedediah right? Look at the the scene in Road Warrior when Gyro rides up to Max's crashed tanker. Gyro stops his wrecked copter with a back fire. He looks at Max and takes his cigar out of his mouth- look at Gyro's teeth in that shot. Miller made a mistake- he forgot to have the 'make up' artist place the 'rotting teeth' prop in Spence's mouth before filming that shot. We don't see Gyro's teeth- we see Spence's teeth!





Another thing. Gyro had teeth enroute apocalyptic dentures- when teeth go they go. Jedediah had decent teeth- they're two seperate characters. Then again, I did see a Mad Max Denture Clinics one time... Hmmm...





Tom

[lord humungus]

i told you someoen needs to psot star logs page unedited with the pasages highlighted because thsi will never end

[HUMVEE Driver]

I can't believe I forgot an important part of my arguement...


After Blaster is killed and when Max is trying to escape from Thunderdome, Gyro obviously wants Max to make it out. He one of the first people to cheer, "Two men enter, one man leaves!" Why does he cheer for Max?


If he is a seperate character and he didn't recognize Max as the guy he stole from, he would have no reason to cheer one way or another; and certainly not as zealously as he was cheering.


If he is a seperate character and he DID recognize Max as the guy he stole from, he would WANT Max to be killed; and he wouldn't cheer for his release at all. If this is the case, Jedediah would know that Max was in there fighting the incredible Blaster in order to obtain his stolen property. (The dispute over the stolen goods was public knowledge) So Jedediah would know that if Max escaped, he would come gunning for him. So it would be in Jed's best interests to want Max dead.


If he is the same character (Gyro), he would recognize Max as the hero (and his friend) who helped out the survivors in MM2/RW. Gyro wouldn't want Max to die, and so he cheers for his release.


This is the only scenario that makes sense. In my opinion, this, coupled with my first post here, simply leaves no room for anything else. If they are seperate characters, their actions are totally illogical and don't make sense. I'm not concerned with any articles or hearsay, I'm looking only at the words and actions in the movies. They can't possibly be two different guys.


Another thing, if it is somehow proven that I'm wrong, my opinion of George Miller and co. would drop quite a few notches. I can't believe he was unable to think up a new storyline/character and instead go with an idea very similar to one he already used.


As for the dirty/clean teeth, I think a character with decent teeth would connect much better with an audience; and this was simply artistic license on the part of the movie makers. If he had dirty teeth, it would be a distraction to viewers and detract from the movie in general.


Still hangin' in there...


HUMVEE Driver


"I'll see you on the road!"

[AdrianUK]

I,like many others here never thought the two characters were the same, I see no connection,and although your explanation to you is plausable, to me it isn't. you're looking at the words and actions in the movie, yes, the movie through your eyes and interpretation. I'm really lost by your explanation of the dirty/clean teeth thing,but if that's what you feel was the case then fare enough, each to their own.


If anyone on here watching BTD feels he's the same character then no big deal, enjoy it your own way, not that I needed any evidence to prove what I already knew but i really do think that when an interview is published and posted with Bruce Spence himself spelling it out for all to see that he played two different characters, then have that dismissed because you have your own plotline idea then it's time to end the thread. Some think it's him and others don't, and no amount of plot disecting will change that.


One more thing, I think Jed was the first to shout the two men/one man thing purely because he never expected max to end up in that position and felt maybe just a small amount of guilt,especially after robbing him, just how it appears to me but i ain't trying to convince anyone of anything, as before each to their own belief.

[Big Bopper Bart]

Want me and Rocka to to this thread to pieces Ade??LOL