The Story of the Kelly Gang

Known as the oldest feature-length film in the world (it ran for around an hour at a time when most films were little more than a few minutes long), sadly little now remains of Ned Kelly and his Gang. I haven't been to Canberra as most of the other reviewers seem to have done, but I watched three clips (totalling around three minutes) on the internet (look it up on YouTube or Google Video if you're interested).

The section which shows Kelly's capture has deteriorated badly to the point where most of it is impossible to see, but the scene in which an unfortunate policeman pays a visit on Mrs Kelly is still intact. What is clear from this scene is that the acting is very much of the exaggerated gesture school of acting, and I can't help thinking that watching the entire film probably wouldn't be the most enjoyable way to spend an hour.

I have never had this story confirmed, but by my Great Great Uncle told me once that they shot a Ned Kelly film on his family's property in Victoria. The story goes that the actress playing Ned's love interest couldn't ride a horse, so they had to get a stunt double. One evening, there was a spectacular sunset, and they wanted to get a picture of Ned Kelly and girl riding off into the sunset. However as the stunt double had already left, my great great aunt took her place.

I am unsure of the accuracy of this story, however my uncle's mind is as sharp as it ever was, the property was in the right part of Victoria and the dates fit (he was born in 1916, youngest of 8 and his elder sisters were much older).

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.

THE STORY OF THE KELLY GANG is believed to be the world's first feature length film. Running at between 65 and 70 minutes, it was billed at the time as the longest film ever made. It toured Australia for nine years and was an enormous success.

Today only fragments survive, and it is hard to judge the film's artistic merits. About nine minutes of footage exists - some found on a garbage dump in Melbourne. Some of this footage may be out-takes. The footage is held by ScreenSound Australia, the National Screen and Sound Archive, in Canberra.

The sequences show some enthusiastic acting, although the camera-work is static (like most films of the period). The most remarkable shot is probably when a priest, carrying a wounded man over his shoulder, walks toward and just past the camera, creating a strong sense of drama and movement. The final shoot-out scene is also well filmed - with Ned Kelly moving, and shooting, toward the camera, as troopers flee to the sides.

A remarkable film, of great historical importance, that all film students should see. Up until World War 1, when initially neutral America began to dominate the world of film distribution, Australia had one of the most thriving and innovative film industries in the world.

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.