The Story of the Kelly Gang
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| The Story of the Kelly Gang | |
|---|---|
 Ned Kelly in his famed suit of armour. |
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| Directed by | Charles Tait |
| Produced by | W.A. Gibson, Millard Johnson, John Tait, Nevin Tait |
| Written by | Charles Tait |
| Starring | Nicholas Brierley, Elizabeth Tait, John Tait |
| Release date(s) | 26 December 1906 |
| Running time | 70 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,250 |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Story of the Kelly Gang (also screened as Ned Kelly and His Gang) is widely regarded as the world's first feature length film. Its 70 minute length was unprecedented when it was released in 1906. The movie traces the life of the legendary Australian bushranger, Ned Kelly (1855-1880). It was written and directed by Charles Tait. The film's approximate reel length is 1219.2 metres (4,000 feet). It was released in Australia on the 26th December 1906 and in the UK in January 1908. The film cost an estimated $2,250 and was filmed in the following locations, St Kilda (indoor scenes), Eltham, Greensborough, Heidelberg, Melbourne, Mitcham and Rosanna which are all located in Victoria, Australia.
Only about 10 minutes[1] have survived the 100 years since its release. However, a copy of the programme booklet has also survived, containing both extracts from contemporary newspaper reports of the capture of the gang, and a synopsis of the film, in six 'scenes'. The latter provided audiences with the sort of information later provided by intertitles, and can help historians imagine what the film may have been like.
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[edit] The film
The Story of the Kelly Gang tone is of sorrow depicting Ned Kelly as 'the Last of the Bushrangers,' presenting the police hiding under the bed when Aaron Sherritt is shot ('This is the Only Blot on the Police,') and portraying Curnow's action of warning the train as heroic ('Thank God, he Saved the Train.')
Among the surviving images are two scenes that suggest considerable sophistication for that time. The scene of the police shooting parrots in the bush skilfully positions the shooter in the middle ground to the left of the image, firing upwards toward the far right, with the gang watching him from close foreground. The capture of Ned is shot from the viewpoint of the police, as Ned advances, an impressive figure weaving towards them under the weight of his armour and the shock of the bullets.
[edit] Screenings
The first showing was in Melbourne at the Athaneum Hall on 26 December 1906 to much controversy. Many groups at the time including some politicians and the police interpreted the film as glorifying criminals and in Benalla and Wangaratta the film was banned in 1907, and then again in Victoria in 1912. [2] The film toured Australia for over 20 years and also showed in New Zealand and Britain. The backers and exhibitors made "a fortune" from the film.
[edit] Trivia
- One of the gang's actual suits (probably Joe Byrnes') was supposedly used in the film.
- First film to run for more than 40 minutes and thus considered the first full-length feature film ever made.
- Only fragments of this film are known to survive and are being restored by the National Film and Sound Archive Australia (See [1]).
- The trains shown in the film were filmed with permission from the Victorian Railways Commission.
- In 1906, the producers claimed authenticity, but apologised to the public for dressing the police in uniforms, which they would not have worn while out in the bush. This was explained as necessary to enable the audience to distinguish between the outlaws and the police, in a time before colour film and when close-ups (allowing distinctions among characters) were rare.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
| Nicholas Brierley | Joe Byrne |
| Elizabeth Tait | Kate Kelly |
| John Tait | School Master |
| Bella Cola | |
| Vera Linden | |
| Frank Mills | |
| Ollie Wilson | |
| E.J. Tait | Extra |
| Frank Tait | Extra |
[edit] Other Ned Kelly films
Since Ned Kelly premiered the full length feature format, one could argue that it is fitting the Australian icon returns to the same format for each generation.
- The Kelly Gang (1920)
- When the Kellys Were Out (1923)
- When the Kellys Rode (1934)
- A Message to Kelly (1947)
- The Glenrowan Affair (1951)
- Stringybark Massacre (1967)
- Ned Kelly (1970)
- Reckless Kelly (1993) (Satire)
- Ned Kelly (2003)
- Ned (2003) (Satire)
[edit] References
- ^ Hogan, David. World's first 'feature' film to be digitally restored by National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved on 2006-10-24.
- ^ Berryman, Ken. Restoration of The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906). Retrieved on 2006-10-05.
