Rent Ned Kelly (1970)

Aussie western. - Ned Kelly review by Steve

This faithful biopic of the life and death of the famous Australian outlaw is flawed, but still the best big screen account. Its strength is the incredibly authentic recreation of the period, leading up to Ned Kelly's hanging in Melbourne jail in 1880. The most powerful episode is the graphic, gruesome prologue recreating his execution, shot inside the prison, which conveys genuine horror.  

Most prominent is the stunt casting of Mick Jagger as an Irish-Australian bushranger. At the time Mick had an image as a rock and roll outlaw, so maybe it made sense in 1970. And while quite subdued, he isn't actually bad. But the role is too demanding for a dilettante; his character must completely dominate the screen, and his dialogue becomes increasingly lengthy and poetic.

Plus, with hindsight, Jagger doesn't seem like much of an outlaw anyway. The support roles- played by Aussie actors- are diminished. It's really all Jagger, and the pungent recreation of the squalor of the Victorian outback. Eventually Ned becomes less of an outlaw, and more of an Irish rebel, fighting a civil war against the English political establishment.

The big disappointment is how much the story becomes like a conventional western. Especially the commentary of folk songs recorded by Waylon Jennings. Presumably to sell the film to a US audience. Maybe this- and a Pom playing Ned- is why it bombed down under. But there is a strong sense of colonial Australia, and the Kelly gang's legendary shootout, in their ploughshare armour, is haunting.