Ned Kelly (1970 movie)

Ned Kelly is the name of a 1970 movie. It was the second Australian feature length movie about Australian bushranger Ned Kelly. The first was The Story of the Kelly Gang made in 1906, the world's first feature movie.

Ned Kelly was directed by Tony Richardson, and starred Mick Jagger as Ned Kelly. Scottish-born actor Mark McManus played the part of Kelly's friend Joe Byrne. It was a British production, but was filmed entirely in Australia, shot mostly around Braidwood in southern New South Wales, with mainly Australian actors.

Problems
There were many problems in getting the movie made. The actors' union, Actors' Equity and some of Ned Kelly's relatives protested strongly about Jagger having the lead role. Many people were upset that the movie would be made in New South Wales, not Victoria, where the Kellys had lived.

Jagger's girlfriend, Marianne Faithfull, had come to Australia to play the lead female role of Ned's sister, Maggie. Their relationship was breaking up, and she took an overdose of sleeping tablets soon after she got to Sydney. She was in a coma, but soon got better and went back to England. She was replaced by an unknown Australian actress, Diane Craig. During filming, Jagger was hurt by a pistol misfiring. The actors and crew were often sick, some costumes were destroyed by fire, and Jagger's co-star, Mark McManus, just escaped serious injury when a horse-drawn cart in which he was riding overturned during filming.

Armour
The body armour costume worn by Jagger is on show at the Queanbeyan City Library, with the letters "MJ" scratched on the inside. The head-piece has been stolen, the loss of an important piece of Australian movie history.

Critics
The movie was very poorly received at its opening, and is still said to be Richardson's worst movie. Neither Richardson or Jagger went to the London opening of the movie.

The music
The movie has music written by Shel Silverstein, and performed by Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings, with one song by Jagger.

References

 Other websites 

 Ned Kelly (1970 film) at the National Film and Sound Archive 


Category:1970s biographical movies
Category:1970 crime movies
Category:1970 Western (genre) movies
Category:Australian biographical movies
Category:Australian crime movies
Category:Australian Western (genre) movies
Category:Movies about outlaws
Category:Movies set in Australia
Category:Movies directed by Tony Richardson
Category:Ned Kelly