The Story of the Kelly Gang

About the production

Filmed entirely outdoors using natural sunlight, as artificial lighting was not yet available. The Tait family, who were theater entrepreneurs, financed and produced the film themselves. Many scenes were shot on actual locations where the historical events occurred. The armor worn by actors was crafted to closely resemble Ned Kelly's original designs. Local residents were often used as extras, and some had personal connections to the original Kelly story. The film was shot over several months due to weather constraints and the complexity of outdoor filming.

Themes

Themes & topics

Historical background

Archival records place The Story of the Kelly Gang in 1906, a year when the nickelodeon era shaped what theaters booked.

Why this film matters

Retrospectives include The Story of the Kelly Gang when mapping craft and subject matter from the nickelodeon era.

Making of

The film was a family affair for the Tait brothers, who were established theater entrepreneurs in Melbourne. Charles Tait directed while his siblings John and Nevin produced and Elizabeth acted. The production faced numerous challenges typical of early cinema, including unpredictable weather for outdoor shoots and the limitations of cumbersome early film equipment. The filmmakers used innovative techniques for the time, including location shooting and action sequences that involved horse chases and shootouts. The armor scenes required careful choreography as the heavy metal costumes made movement difficult for the actors. The film was shot on 35mm film using a hand-cranked camera, and each scene had to be carefully planned to maximize the limited film stock available. The production team often had to wait for perfect lighting conditions, as artificial lighting was not yet feasible for location filming.

What critics said

Critics revisiting The Story of the Kelly Gang emphasize performative and technical choices visible in surviving prints.

Did you know?

• Recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's first feature-length narrative film
• Only about 17 minutes of footage survives today, held at the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra
• The film was so successful it toured internationally, screening in Britain and New Zealand
• The Kelly armor was recreated based on the actual armor displayed in Melbourne gaol
• The film was thought lost until fragments were discovered in the 1970s
• Contemporary advertisements boasted it was 'the longest film ever made'
• The film's success led to a boom in Australian film production in the following years
• Some scenes were filmed at the actual locations where the historical events took place
• The film was re-released multiple times with different titles to maximize profits
• The Tait brothers were primarily theater managers before venturing into film production

Awards & recognition

• Added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2007
• Inducted into the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards Hall of Fame

Visual style

The film utilized natural sunlight for all scenes, creating a distinctive visual style that emphasized the Australian landscape. The cinematography, while basic by modern standards, was innovative for its time, featuring moving camera shots during action sequences. The filmmakers took advantage of outdoor locations to create depth and realism that was impossible in studio settings of the era. The surviving footage shows careful composition and an understanding of visual storytelling, with the camera positioned to maximize dramatic impact. The armor sequences were particularly well-photographed, using low angles to emphasize the imposing nature of the metal suits. The film's visual style helped establish the aesthetic of the Australian bushranger genre, emphasizing the vastness and harshness of the Australian landscape.

Innovations

The film pioneered the feature-length format, proving that audiences could sustain attention for over an hour. It was one of the first films to use extensive location shooting rather than relying on studio sets. The production developed techniques for filming action sequences, including horse chases and shootouts, that would influence later Westerns and action films. The film's use of authentic locations and props, particularly the recreation of Kelly's armor, set new standards for realism in cinema. The filmmakers also developed methods for managing continuity over longer narratives, a challenge that had not been faced in shorter films. The success of the film demonstrated that cinema could handle complex, multi-scene narratives, paving the way for the development of cinematic language and storytelling techniques.

Music

Like all films of its era, The Story of the Kelly Gang was silent and would have been accompanied by live music during screenings. The typical accompaniment would have been a pianist or small orchestra playing popular songs of the period and classical pieces appropriate to the mood of each scene. For the action sequences, rousing martial music would have been used, while dramatic moments would have featured slower, more emotional pieces. Some theaters may have used sound effects created backstage, such as gunshots or horse noises, to enhance the viewing experience. The choice of music was crucial to the film's impact, as it helped guide audience emotions and emphasized the dramatic moments in the narrative.

Famous quotes

Unfortunately, no dialogue survives from the film, as intertitles from the lost portions are not preserved

Memorable scenes

• The armor sequence where Ned Kelly and his gang emerge in their homemade metal armor for the final showdown at Glenrowan, creating one of cinema's first iconic visual moments
• The bank robbery scenes that demonstrated early action filmmaking techniques
• The police pursuit sequences featuring horse chases through the Australian bush
• The final siege at Glenrowan Hotel, which showcased the film's ambition for large-scale action sequences

What audiences thought

The film was an enormous commercial success, playing to packed houses in Melbourne for weeks after its premiere. Audiences were reportedly thrilled by the action sequences and the familiarity of the Kelly story. The film's length was initially seen as risky, but audiences embraced the longer format, demonstrating a hunger for more substantial narrative content. The film became a cultural phenomenon, with people discussing it in streets and workplaces. Its success led to multiple re-releases and tours to other Australian cities and even overseas. Contemporary accounts suggest that audiences were particularly impressed by the realism of the outdoor locations and the dramatic armor scenes. The film's popularity helped establish cinema as a legitimate form of entertainment for all classes of society, not just novelty seekers.

Film connections

Influenced by

• Australian bush ballads and folk songs
• Theatrical melodramas popular at the time
• Contemporary newspaper accounts of the Kelly Gang
• Stage plays about Ned Kelly
• Traditional storytelling techniques
• Visual storytelling from magic lantern shows

This film influenced

• The Kelly Gang (1920)
• When the Kellys Rode (1934)
• Ned Kelly (1970)
• The Outlaw (1976 TV series)
• Ned Kelly (2003)
• The Kelly Gang (2019)
• The Proposition (2005)
• Numerous Australian bushranger films

Film restoration

Only fragments survive - approximately 17 minutes of the original 60-70 minute film. The surviving footage is preserved at the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra. The film was added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2007. Restoration efforts have been ongoing, with reconstructed versions combining surviving footage with still photographs and contemporary descriptions to give modern audiences a sense of the complete film. The loss of most of the film represents one of the greatest tragedies in cinema history, as it was the world's first feature film.

Where to watch

• National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) screenings in Canberra
• Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne
• Various film festivals featuring restored Australian classics
• Online streaming platforms specializing in classic cinema (when reconstructed versions are available)
• Special DVD/Blu-ray releases from archival institutions
• University film studies collections and archives