The Story of the Kelly Gang

"The Story of the Kelly Gang" is a little recognized landmark in the history of filmmaking primarily for a single reason: its incomplete status. When initially released, Charles Tait's biographical film portraying the real life exploits of the notorious Kelly gang was seventy minutes in length, an impressive run time for a silent film at this point in history. The infamous features "A Trip to the Moon" and "The Great Train Robbery" were both considered feature length at only 10-15 minutes each, and having been released only a few years prior to this movie, one can only imagine how this film blew audiences away in 1906. Granted, it was not the first film to be considered "feature length" by our standards today (i.e. Over forty-five minutes in length), as this is a tribute that can be paid only to "The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight" of 1897, but it is certainly the first known film of such a length to present a narrative (the earlier film was basically a documentation of a full boxing match). Thus, it is rather disappointing that it is less of a landmark today than one might expect, again almost entirely because of being a mostly lost film (as of the time of this writing).

Actually being able to closely follow the narrative of this epic feature film from the remaining fragments is almost impossible, given the lack of continuity and minimal intertitle cards within these twenty minutes. It is hard to dispute, however, the exciting action throughout, with plenty of gunfire, hold ups, etc. That mark a typical western (even though this is technically not a western). Only bits and pieces survive that give the viewer a sense of what the film was originally like, the highlight perhaps being the final capture of Ned Kelly himself as the actor wears the bona fide armor of his real life character. Mainly worth a look for historians and film buffs now, as it is impossible to follow as a narrative but instead provides historical interest as the remnants of a lost landmark.

This is the original n the first account of Ned Kelly and his gang as the last of the bushrangers. The movie depicts the adventures n demise of the Kelly gang. The original film was over an hour at a time when films rarely exceeded few minutes. The restoration is now 20 minutes long n the print of the hotel scene is blurry n one cannot make out what's going on, so u can say only 17 mins is the proper print which is worth it. Considering it is the world's first feature-length film, movie fanatics needs to c the restored 17 mins before that too fades out. The film starts with the scene of constable Fitzpatrick who is visiting the homestead of Kate Kelly n ends with the shootout n Kelly's last stand. The scene of the last shootout between Ned n the police is shot from the viewpoint of the police as Ned advances n was something of a technical invention. They have used the original bulletproof armour n helmet made by the real outlaw Ned Kelly.

The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) symbolizes both the birth of the Australian film industry and the emergence of an Australian identity. Even more significantly it heralds the emergence of the feature film format.

The world's first feature-length movie was directed by Charles Tait and filmed at the Tait family's Chartersville Estate in the Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg. Originally there were no inter-titles; narration was performed by an on-stage lecturer who also provided sound effects including gunfire and hoofbeats. It cost £1000 to make, but that money and more was recovered within its first week of screening. It premiered in Melbourne on Boxing Day 1906, and was later shown across Australia, in New Zealand and in Britain.

Only fragments of the original production of more than one hour are known to exist and are preserved at the National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra. While some of the footage is almost pristine, other segments are severely distorted. The sensitive nitrate stock on which the film was shot deteriorated quickly in storage, so as we watch Ned make his final stand against the police at Glenrowan in his legendary suit of armor, he bends and morphs in much the same manner as a modern-day digital effect.

While in Canberra on a school trip we went to visit screen sound Australia. While there we saw what is left of this film. Although it would not interest many people anymore, I can tell you now it was probably one of the best films of it's time. Using different film techniques of the time makes this film enjoyable to watch. This film defiantly tells the true story of Ned Kelly in a way that will never be done again.

Sadly there is only about 6 minutes left of this film and the only possible way to see it is to go to screen sound Australia but if you ever happen to be in Canberra, go there and see it, I can assure you, you won't regret it

"The Story of the Kelly Gang" is a fascinating piece of film history. Released in 1906 and directed by Charles Tait, it's the first feature film ever made, telling the story of Ned Kelly, the Australian outlaw.

You can't really rate it like a regular movie. It's not about being good or bad; it's more about its historical significance. Most of the film is lost, so what remains are just fragments. Watching it now, the acting and storytelling feel very different from what we're used to.

But that's what makes it special for me. It's a glimpse into the early days of cinema and shows how far filmmaking has come. It's more of a historical artifact than a movie you watch for entertainment. It reminds me of the origins of the movies we enjoy today and is an important part of film history.