Ned Kelly

This isn't strictly a comparitive analysis, because these films all focus on the same topic; but the representations of Ned Kelly differ greatly.

First things first, a list (I think complete) of films referring to Ned Kelly:

The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906)

The Kelly Gang (1920)

When The Kellys Were Out (1923)

When The Kellys Rode (1934)

These were all directed by Harry Southwell.

The Glenrowan Affair (1951)

Stringybark Massacre (1967)

Ned Kelly (1970) - starring Mick Jagger

The Last Outlaw (1980) - 4-part TV miniseries

Reckless Kelly (1993)

Ned Kelly (2003) - Dir. Gregor Jordan.

Ned (2003)

Obviously a myth Australians love. WHY?

Well bushrangers have been an Australian favourite since the early decades of the nineteenth century. But accounts of Ned were different from his predecesors. According to Gaile McGregor, he wasn't violent; he wasn't a runaway convict, and probably began his bushranging out of economic necessity or boredom. Bushrangers are a favourite because they caused the landed gentry some discomfort. According to the myth, he was the consummate Australian. Ye in many ways he fell short of the myth accorded to him. It appears that the Kelly legend has been seen as an illustration of a basic terpitude in the Australian character; a way of thumbing the national nose at the critical outside world. Also, Kelly exhibited an ambivalent attitude towards authority, he was independent and self-reliant.

McGregor ultimately claims that Ned Kelly's appeal has less to do with his character, or even his specific mythic associations, than with the fact that, qua exemplar, he is duplicitous enough to fit the requirements of both the cultural text and its unacknowledged subtext.

Basically, during his life Kelly was a legend. But when he died the Kelly legend entered the realm of myth as aspects of his story were emphasised for the way in which they reflected contemporary concerns about the inequities of the land laws, for example, or the ineptitude and corruption within the Victorian police force, and more widely, for the way in which a man who saw himself and his family (particularly his mother) as the victim of oppression and prejudice and who was resourceful and resilient in avoiding capture and eloquent in his self-justification.

Gregor Jordan's film is based on a book by Robert Drew titled, 'Our Sunshine'; which is a fictionalised account of the Kelly's exploits. Reviewers compared it to Christopher Cain's 'Young Guns', where a group of marginalised youths rebel against the authorities.

I read an interesting article outlining Tourism Victoria's choice to use 'The Man From the Snowy River' as a destination image; thus ignoring the fact that much of outback Victoria is labelled 'Kelly country'. It should be mentioned that Gregor Jordan's film was only successful in Australia and to a lesser extent, Ireland.

'The Man From the Snowy River' does provide a respectable alternative to Ned Kelly. The poem, on which the film is loosely based, is well known throughout Australia, with many people learning about it at school. As portrayed in the film, the Man is honest, respectful, aspires to own property of his own, and has a strong work ethic.

Is this why Tourism Victoria went with Miller's film?

Well these are not the only reasons.

Apparently, women love the film; the presence of a strong female lead and no violence is more appealing than a western-style action film (Ned Kelly) where the lead is attracted to married women (this is not suggested in the film, but does exist in much of the folklore surrounding Kelly).

However I have digressed.

A criticism of Jordan's film is it's decline into a Western-style shoot out, which many have claimed is as a result of a desire for an American audience.

Is it legitimate to alter a legend/myth to attract a larger audience? Oh, why not.

Another criticism of Jordan's film was that it assumed (probably correctly) that almost everyone in the Australian audience will be sympathetic to Kelly. Richard Kuipers suggests that for the film to have achieved more success overseas, Jordan needed to include more scenes outside of Kelly country. The film's tag-line is "you can kill a man, but you can't kill a legend'; unfortunately, it does not seem that Jordan wholly established this legend.

The 1970 version attracted quite a lot of contraversy; and most of it revolved around Mick Jagger. For starters, the Actors' Equity and some of Kelly's descendents protested strongly over his casting; and also about the location of shooting: Not Victoria, but NSW.