The Mad Death

I must have been 13 when this had just been broadcasted. Like another video gem -"don't look now",my old english teacher would have probably embraced the idea of giving his fellow pupils a visual lesson or two in the profoundly morbid,with this short tale of rabid pets (& humans).Set in the english countryside,a cat is locally imported & sparks an outbreak of rabies amongst the locals.I remember it being rather dramatic with a stylish ending.I can't remember much detail, so I'm now left with the task of PURCHASING IT (anybody?) watching it,& probably throwing up my next indian.Chien jalfrezi anybody?

Having heard so much about it online, The Mad Death ultimately turned out to be a disappointment when I finally obtained it on DVD. The main highlights turned out to be its opening sequence and an eerie synthesizer score.

The main problem with the miniseries is that it is not particularly well written. Many of the characters are too dumb to care about, picking up animals that are clearly rabid even to an untrained eye, and not bothering to have animal bites checked out by a doctor. Furthermore, the film has a certain element of predictability about it, with many of the plot developments telegraphed in advance.

Moreover, there is a disturbing lack of violent animal attacks in the film. If one purchases a film called The Mad Death about a rabies epidemic, the least one would expect would be a good, violent mauling every fifteen minutes or so. Most of the violence here is directed toward the animals, mainly gunshots to the head.

Oh yes! I remember being hooked to the screen when this mini series first aired on BBC TV. I would have been around 30 at the time, living in England, and I know the thought of rabies horrified me, as it did most British people, because we had been a "rabies free" zone for so long. This was the first time I ever really saw the symptoms and progression of the disease, and it gave me some bad dreams, too.

I never saw a repeat of the series while I remained in Britain, but I thought it certainly deserved one. Going on memory, the acting was more than competent, and from the beginning - when the infected cat was smuggled into Britain on a private yacht - I was absolutely riveted.

This was an excellent series - I'd certainly buy it if it became available on DVD.

Mo

This is a mini series I have never forgotten. Gave me nightmares. Tells the story of what might happen should a rabies outbreak occur in Britain. An American man is infected with this terrible virus at the start of the first episode. He contracts it from a fox that he picks up whilst out driving. He puts the animal in his garage, and then whilst preparing dinner, he cuts himself with a knife. Then not knowing that the fox is rabid, he strokes the animal with the cut finger. From then on, we are taken through the awful stages of the disease which gives him mad fits of terror, foaming at the mouth and dreadful hallucinations. It gives the viewer a terrifying insight into this terrible disease. From then on though the story in my opinion disintegrates. From starting very believable, it ends undramatically with guys going out into the countryside shooting animals at will. The final victim if I can remember is a sheep dog. Serious stuff. But worth a watch. Gives us an education about the most terrifying virus.

3 part mini series produced by BBC Scotland & broadcast in 1983

The first part of this series is probably the part viewers in the UK remember, it's genuinely chilling and really extremely good, I was surprised it was a 12 rating, there are some quite uncomfortable scenes, brilliantly acted by Ed Bishop and part one is 9/10.

Unfortunately, parts 2&3 descend into standard drama and by part 3 you have to remind yourself that Rabies is even the subject of the series.

This could easily have been a six part series, for all I know it could have been originally, it feels as though there are 2 or 3 episodes missing, and they could have explored a Rabies outbreak much further, especially given they wasted budget (IMO) on helicopter shots in part 3 that don't really add anything, it seems a wasted opportunity.

It feels as though the first part was written, but they ran out of ideas, who knows!?

Anyway, all in all, although I've been pretty negative, this is worth a revisit, it's not bad by any means, and at 3hrs a good evenings entertainment.

if you're of a certain age or even if it's new to you it's worth watching, especially for part 1

Pt1 9/10

Pt2 7/10

Pt3 6/10

7/10 overall