Ned Kelly (1970 film)
| Ned Kelly | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| 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 |
Production company | Woodfall Film Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date | October 7, 1970 |
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | Template:Film UK |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £1 million |
| Box office | $808,000 |
Ned Kelly is a 1970 British adventure 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.
Cast
- Mick Jagger as Ned Kelly
- Mark McManus as Joe Byrne
- Clarissa Kaye as Mrs. Kelly
- Ken Goodlet as Supt. Nicholson
- Frank Thring as Judge Barry
- Bruce Barry as George King
- Tony Bazell as Mr. Scott
- Allen Bickford as Dan Kelly
- Robert Bruning as Sgt. Steele
- Alexander Cann as McInnes
Production
The making of the film was dogged by problems; even before production began, the Actors' Equity and some of 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.[1] 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.[2] The head-piece was stolen.
According to Kevin Brownlow, Ian McKellen was originally set to play the lead but the producers went for Mick Jagger.[3]
Reception
The film was poorly received at its opening, and is still regarded as one of Richardson's least successful efforts. It was effectively disowned by 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.
Box office
Ned Kelly grossed $808,000 at the box office in Australia,[4] which is equivalent to $7,716,400 in 2009 dollars.
See also
References
- ^ Paphides, Pete (6 March 2009). "Marianne Faithfull makes peace with her past - Times Online". London: timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
- ^ "Queanbeyan City Council". www.qcc.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
- ^ p. 38 Welsh, James Michael & Tibbetts, John C. The Cinema of Tony Richardson: Essays and Interviews SUNY Press, 1999
- ^ Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office
External links
- Ned Kelly at IMDb
- Ned Kelly at AllMovie
- Ned Kelly at Rotten Tomatoes
- Ned Kelly (1970 film) at the National Film and Sound Archive
Gaunson, Stephen (2010), ‘International Outlaws: Ned Kelly, Tony Richardson and the International co-production’, Studies in Australasian Cinema, Special Issue: ‘Australian International Pictures’, (eds) Adrian Danks and Constantine Verevis, 4.3, p. 253-263