Talk:Kenneth G. Ross

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Additional background information[edit]

The following is copied from the section of the DISCUSSION page of the article on the film Breaker Morant entitled "Factual Errors in Article":

The article [i.e., Breaker Morant (film)] currently (as at 12 June 2006 [1]) states:

Beresford co-wrote the screenplay with Jonathan Hardy and David Stevens. Although the screen credit is given to Kenneth Ross for his 1978 play as the source material for the adaptation, the screen story also owes a great deal to the novel The Breaker by Kit Denton, first published in 1973, which was inspired by Denton's meeting and conversation with a Boer War veteran who had known Harry 'Breaker' Morant.

Firstly, it is inaccurate, most likely due to a mis-reading of the apparently equivocal English of the film credits.

Ken Ross certainly did write the play upon which the film was based; but, it is essential to understand that he also actually physically worked on the entire film script as one of the screenplay writers. Thus, it's entirely true that the script was written by Kenneth Ross (play); but that description in the film creditis was not meant to be read as if he had nothing to do with the script (but only wrote the original play from which the film was adapted).

The second and far more serious factual error is that the article perpetuates a very serious inaccuracy that was supposedly corrected by specific and successful legal action that was taken by Ken Ross against Angus & Robertson, the publisher of Denton's 1973 novel, The Breaker, in 1980.

Denton's 1973 book The Breaker: A Novel [ISBN 0207143447] had not been popular at the time it was first published.

In fact, Ross had no knowledge whatsoever of the existence of Denton's (by 1978 out of print for 4 years) book until long after the first stage perfomances of his play, Breaker Morant: A Play in Two Acts [ISBN 0726709972] had taken place in 1978.

Ross's play was a great commercial and artistic success, and almost immediately, work began to make a film based on the play. At this time, Denton's publisher Angus & Robertson suddenly re-issued Denton's 1973 novel, The Breaker with great gusto, with precisely the same front cover except that on one corner of the book's cover was the false and misleading nnouncement "Soon to be a Movie" [ISBN 0207140650].

Denton had no knowledge of, and had no input into this decision by the publisher.

This announcement, of course, was totally wrong for two reasons:

(a) it was not Denton's book, but Ross's play, that was being made into a movie, and
(b) Denton's book was never used in any fashion to create any part of the film script (as Ross was involved with the entire film script).

Ross took successful legal action against Angus & Robertson. Angus & Robertson withdrew the 1979 version of Denton's book (with the false and misleading announcement on the cover), from sale and trashed all the remaining copies; and another, "revised" version of Denton's book (minus the cover announcement) was issued by Angus & Robertson in 1980 [ISBN 0207142688].

Unfortunately, Ken Ross's emphatic legal victory did not receive a lot of publicity at the time; and many people today still labour under the misapprehension that Kit Denton's book was the source for the movie.

Given all of the above, all of which is well-established, but not widely known, I suggest three things:

(1) the text:

Beresford co-wrote the screenplay with Jonathan Hardy and David Stevens. Although the screen credit is given to Kenneth Ross for his 1978 play as the source material for the adaptation, the screen story also owes a great deal to the novel The Breaker by Kit Denton, first published in 1973, which was inspired by Denton's meeting and conversation with a Boer War veteran who had known Harry 'Breaker' Morant.

be altered to read:

Beresford co-wrote the screenplay with Jonathan Hardy, David Stevens, and Kenneth Ross. The 1978 play Breaker Morant: A Play in Two Acts [ISBN 0726709972], written by Ross, was the source material for the screen story.

(2) That the page be somehow "locked off" electronically, so that the original incorrect information (i.e., relating to Denton's book)can not be restored.

(3) A footnote should also be inserted to the effect that, in recent times, "Ken Ross", who styled himself "Kenneth Ross" in order to avoid confusion with others in Australia called "Ken Ross", is now compelled to style himself "Kenneth G. Ross" so that he is not confused with the other "Kenneth Ross" -- the one who wrote the film script/screenplay for The Day of the Jackal.

Thank you for your attention Lindsay658 05:14, 11 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It seems important to place these facts on this talk page as well.Lindsay658 (talk) 23:46, 19 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Comments[edit]

This article veers into a deep discussion about the dispute over the two authors both writing about Morant. In the process it sort of loses track of Mr. Ross and it would be good to know something more of his activities since Breaker Morant. --Mdukas (talk) 15:16, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

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Attribution[edit]

Text and Reference copied from Trial film to Kenneth Ross (screenwriter) . See history of former article for a list of contributors. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 17:01, 21 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Text and Reference copied from Trial film and Kenneth Ross (screenwriter) to Kenneth G. Ross. See history of former article for a list of contributors. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 17:34, 21 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]