Watched Ned Kelly last night (the 2003 Gregor Jordan one, not the Jagger one) about the legendary Australian Folk hero, Bush Ranger and bank robber, the eponymous Kelly and his gang. It has a very impressive cast: the late Heath Ledger, (who really should have won an award for his performance as Kelly), Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts and the versatile Geoffrey Rush as Kelly’s nemesis: Supt Francres Hare.
In many ways it’s quite a conventional biopic with lots of action and set pieces, basically an action film, but rises above the genre by the quality of the cinematography which is beautiful and often breath taking, its use of the landscape an integral part of the film, reminding me of Terence Malick and his last film, The Thin Red Line, as does the over the film commentary by Kelly. It’s sense of place and location is very sharp as well and most of the performances are also top notch too. The denouement is stunning and very moving, a large scale battle at Glenrowan Railway Station where the Kelly gang met their end.
There are many problems with the film: the ending seems rushed, and it is not totally historically accurate, such as police casualties in the final battle is overdone, in reality only only was wounded! and the Director describes the film as an interpretation (it is based on the book by Robert Drew: Our Sunshine) but it certainly gives you a flavour of the man who became a hero to many and even had his own ‘political manifesto: ‘The Jerilidie Letter’ , describing his view of his activities, the treatment of his family, the treatment of Irish Catholics by the police and the English and protestant squatters,
Well worth seeing.
In many ways it’s quite a conventional biopic with lots of action and set pieces, basically an action film, but rises above the genre by the quality of the cinematography which is beautiful and often breath taking, its use of the landscape an integral part of the film, reminding me of Terence Malick and his last film, The Thin Red Line, as does the over the film commentary by Kelly. It’s sense of place and location is very sharp as well and most of the performances are also top notch too. The denouement is stunning and very moving, a large scale battle at Glenrowan Railway Station where the Kelly gang met their end.
There are many problems with the film: the ending seems rushed, and it is not totally historically accurate, such as police casualties in the final battle is overdone, in reality only only was wounded! and the Director describes the film as an interpretation (it is based on the book by Robert Drew: Our Sunshine) but it certainly gives you a flavour of the man who became a hero to many and even had his own ‘political manifesto: ‘The Jerilidie Letter’ , describing his view of his activities, the treatment of his family, the treatment of Irish Catholics by the police and the English and protestant squatters,
Well worth seeing.
