Ned Kelly & the Movies 1906-2003
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Ned Kelly & the Movies 1906-2003: Representation, Social Banditry & History A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Stephen Gaunson Bachelor of Arts (Honours) School of Media and Communication Design and Social Context Portfolio RMIT University April 2010 Declaration I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, the work is that of the author alone; the work has not been submitted previously, in whole or in part, to qualify for any other academic award; the content of the thesis is the result of work which has been carried out since the official commencement date of the approved research program; any editorial work, paid or unpaid, carried out by a third party is acknowledged; and, ethics procedures and guidelines have been followed. Stephen Gaunson April 5, 2010 i Acknowledgments This thesis would not have been completed without the support and encouragement from my wife, Lauren-Eve Purdey. Her many cups of tea, patience, positive attitude and osteopathic treatments allowed me to forge ahead when the end was in sight. This thesis is hugely indebted to my supervisors Dr Adrian Danks and Professor Ina Bertrand, who consistently provided encouragement, reliable direction, academic and practical support, access to resources, funding and academic opportunities. I am forever grateful to Ina who taught me the importance of „doing things correctly‟, and welcoming me into her country home. I also am thankful to Adrian for his meticulous concentration to detail and encyclopaedic breadth of cinema knowledge. I finish this study a better writer and researcher because of the care taken by Adrian and Ina. My thanks also go to Associate Professor Lisa French, who acted as an „unofficial‟ supervisor throughout my candidature. In addition to her positive encouragement and direction, Lisa took the time to read drafts of my thesis. My thanks must also go to Associate Professor Cathy Greenfield for her guidance and advice in the final stages of the thesis. In 2008, I was fortunate enough to be awarded an AGL Shaw fellowship from the State Library of Victoria. Besides their financial support, I was given open access to all of their many treasures. This fellowship was certainly a crucial turning point in my research. I am forever grateful to the advice and guidance given by Shane Carmody, Dianne Reilly and Des Crowley. In fact, it was Shane who suggested that I compare The Australasian Sketcher engravings to the visual imagery from the movies. Two researchers that I did not consult directly, but whose work provided an invaluable basis for this thesis were Ian Jones and William D Routt: Jones for his meticulous research of Kelly history, and Routt for his cinema scholarship. Others who have offered great advice and direction during my candidature include Peter Kemp, Jeff Lewis, Deb Verhoeven, Allan Thomas, Grant Roff and Linda Daley. I would also like to thank Linda for the use of her office, and Angelo Tardio for scanning numerous images, when he had better things to do. Essential to the completion of this thesis was the School of Media and Communication, which provided me with a study carrel and excellent IT faculties and support over an extended period. I also am thankful to the RMIT University library staff for providing a generous allocation of resources and facilities. Also, thanks to Mary Mavroudis for answering all of my bizarre questions. ii Finally, I would like to thank my family for their support and encouragement, Sue, Colin, Dawn, Jane, Shane, Matthew, Vicky, Helen, and Sarah. Especially, I would like to thank my brother for all of his IT help and the donation of a computer (that actually worked). Thanks also to my fellow post-graduates. To Terry Johal and Kristen Sharp who were there at the beginning, and Lucy Morrison and Ashley Perry who have since arrived. iii Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................... 1 Glossary .................................................................................................................................. 2 Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................... 5 Movies evaluated in this study .................................................................................................... 6 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 7 The social bandit ..................................................................................................................13 Literature review ..................................................................................................................18 Overview of chapters ............................................................................................................30 Chapter 1 The Kelly Outbreak ................................................................................................33 April 1878 – October 1878 ....................................................................................................34 December 1878 – June 1880 ..................................................................................................45 July 1880 – November 1880 ..................................................................................................64 Chapter 2 Ned Kelly becomes a social bandit ...........................................................................69 The early movies: 1906 – 1951 ..............................................................................................71 The later movies: 1970 – 2003 ...............................................................................................90 Chapter 3 Irish representation ................................................................................................. 104 Landscape ......................................................................................................................... 105 Dancing and singing ........................................................................................................... 112 The Jerilderie Letter Part 1 .................................................................................................. 121 Chapter 4 Kelly sympathy ....................................................................................................... 137 Friends, relatives and lovers ................................................................................................. 140 Ned‟s new chums ............................................................................................................... 153 Aboriginals ........................................................................................................................ 162 Chapter 5 The Victoria police .................................................................................................. 167 The Jerilderie Letter Part 2 .................................................................................................. 170 Aboriginal „black‟ trackers .................................................................................................. 175 Chapter 6 The noble robber .................................................................................................... 187 Dandy Ned ........................................................................................................................ 188 James „Sandy‟ Gloster ........................................................................................................ 199 Bail up .............................................................................................................................. 204 Chapter 7 „Die Like a Kelly, Son‟ ............................................................................................. 214 Aaron Sherritt .................................................................................................................... 216 Protective armour ............................................................................................................... 224 Death ................................................................................................................................ 236 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 248 Appendix: cast and crew ......................................................................................................... 252 Movies cited.......................................................................................................................... 263 Literature cited ...................................................................................................................... 267 iv Table of Figures Figure 1: James Bray (1878). „Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick‟. Victoria Police Historical Unit ....................................................................................................................................................... 36 Figure 2: Arthur Burman (1878). „Standish in Camp‟. Royal Historical Society of Victoria ...... 37 Figure 3: (1878) November 28. 'Murderous Attack of Victoria Police by Kelly and his Gang‟. Illustrated Australian News: 193 .................................................................................................