The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906)

Director:

Charles Tait

Writer:

Charles Tait

Release Date:

26 December 1906 (Australia)

Genre:

Short | Biography | Crime | Drama | History | Western

Tagline:

The Most Sensational, The Most Thrilling and Interesting LIVING PICTURES EVER TAKEN.

Plot:

True story of notorious Australian outlaw Ned Kelly (1855-80). |

Plot Keywords:

Outlaw | Ned Kelly | Pistol | Main Character Dies | Local Blockbuster

Cast

Elizabeth Tait	...	Kate Kelly
John Tait	...	School Master
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Norman Campbell	...	Steve Hart
Bella Cola
Will Coyne	...	Joe Byrne
Sam Crewes	...	Dan Kelly
Jack Ennis	...	Steve Hart
John Forde	...	Dan Kelly
Vera Linden
Mr. Marshall	...	Dan Kelly
Mr. McKenzie	...	Steve Hart
Frank Mills	...	Ned Kelly
Ollie Wilson
E.J. Tait	...	Extra (uncredited)
Frank Tait	...	Extra (uncredited)

Directed by
Charles Tait

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Charles Tait

Produced by
W.A. Gibson	....	producer
Millard Johnson	....	producer
John Tait	....	producer
Nevin Tait	....	producer

Original Music by
Eric Chapus		(music specially composed by)

Cinematography by
Millard Johnson
Orrie Perry
Reg Perry

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sam Crewes	....	assistant director

Production Companies

• J. & N. Tait
• Johnson and Gibson

Other Companies

• Victorian Railways Comission  trains supplied by

Also Known As:

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

Australia

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Eltham, Victoria, Australia

Company:

J. & N. Tait

Trivia:

First dramatic film to run for more than 60 minutes. (Feature-length records of boxing matches predate it.)

Movie Connections:

Featured in 40,000 Years of Dreaming (1997)

A combination of celebration and despair greets a viewing of this special presentation of footage and imagery from the historic 1906 feature film.

The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) symbolizes both the birth of the Australian film industry and the emergence of an Australian identity. Even more significantly it heralds the emergence of the feature film format.

The world's first feature-length movie was directed by Charles Tait and filmed at the Tait family's Chartersville Estate in the Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg. Originally there were no inter-titles; narration was performed by an on-stage lecturer who also provided sound effects including gunfire and hoofbeats. It cost £1000 to make, but that money and more was recovered within its first week of screening. It premiered in Melbourne on Boxing Day 1906, and was later shown across Australia, in New Zealand and in Britain.

Only fragments of the original production of more than one hour are known to exist and are preserved at the National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra. While some of the footage is almost pristine, other segments are severely distorted. The sensitive nitrate stock on which the film was shot deteriorated quickly in storage, so as we watch Ned make his final stand against the police at Glenrowan in his legendary suit of armor, he bends and morphs in much the same manner as a modern-day digital effect.