Ned Kelly (1970 film)
| Ned Kelly | |
|---|---|
 Promotional movie poster for the film | |
| Directed by | Tony Richardson |
| Written by | Ian Jones Tony Richardson |
| Produced by | Neil Hartley |
| Starring | Mick Jagger Mark McManus |
| Cinematography | Gerry Fisher |
| Edited by | Charles Rees |
| Music by | Shel Silverstein |
| Distributed by | United Artists Corporation |
Release dates |  October 7, 1970 October 19, 1970 July 2, 1971 |
Running time | 106 min. |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £1,000,000 (estimate) |
Ned Kelly is the title of a 1970 film. It was the second Australian feature film version of the story of 19th century Australian bushranger Ned Kelly.
The film was directed by Tony Richardson, and starred Mick Jagger in the title role. 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 a largely Australian supporting cast.
The making of the film was dogged by problems. Even before production began, the Actors' Equity and some of Ned Kelly's descendants protested strongly about the casting of Jagger in the lead role, and about the film's proposed shooting location in country NSW, rather than in Victoria, where the Kellys had lived.
Jagger's girlfriend of the time, Marianne Faithfull, had come to Australia to play the lead female role (Ned's sister, Maggie), but the Jagger-Faithfull relationship was breaking up, and she took an overdose of sleeping tablets soon after arrival in Sydney. She was hospitalised in a coma, but recovered and was sent home. She was replaced by a then-unknown Australian actress, Diane Craig. During production, Jagger was slightly injured by a backfiring pistol, the cast and crew were dogged by illness, a number of costumes were destroyed by fire, and Jagger's co-star, Mark McManus, narrowly escaped serious injury when a horse-drawn cart in which he was riding overturned during filming.
The actual body armour costume worn by Jagger is on display at the Queanbeyan City Library, NSW, and the initials "MJ" are scratched on the inside. The head-piece has been stolen, however, and it is hoped that it will one day be returned, as it represents a significant piece of Australian film memorabilia.
The film was very poorly received at its opening, and is still regarded as one of Richardson's least successful efforts. It was effectively disowned by both Richardson and Jagger, neither of whom attended the London premiere. The soundtrack features music composed by Shel Silverstein and performed by Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings, with one solo track sung by Jagger.
References
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