Ned Kelly Film Review

Gregor Jordan’s film, Ned Kelly, is a mixture of Australian history and mythology.  Ned Kelly is the tale of a young man fighting for his rights as an Irish Australian.  It is based off of a true story and he is looked at today as a legend.  Kelly grew up in a hardworking family in the Australian outback.  After a false accusations of stealing a horse he is sent to prison for three years.  It comes to no surprise that after being imprisoned for so long, Kelly comes out with a bitter opinion of the British authority.  To further stir up his emotions, shortly after he emerges from jail he is falsely accused of injuring a police officer named Fitzpatrick.  And so begins the journey of Kelly and his gang (three other Irish Australians) as outlaws roaming through the Australian countryside.  While on the run his mother is imprisoned and his family is harassed.  This is when his hatred for the British authorities really shows.  Kelly becomes a full out bushranger, robbing banks and killing “coppers” (what they call police), sometimes without reason.  He pledged he would avenge his family and fight for justice against the British authorities that were so unrightfully corrupt.  Some people look at Ned Kelly purely as a merciless killer, but to many he is the sympathetic portrayal of one of Australia’s most famous and mythologized antiheros.

                As Jane Freebury states in her article titled, “Screening Australia:Gallipoli – a study of nationalism on film”, “Films set in the past usually have some point to make about the present, and serve an ideological purpose”.  As mentioned above, Ned Kelly is known as a folk hero from the past.  His story is recurrently told because the identities invested in Kelly (bravery, sacrifice, masculinity) fuse with those of Australians to help form Australians national identification.  Not only is Kelly important in Australia’s past, but also the fact of how crooked the British authorities were plays a major role in Australia history.  Fitzpatrick is a prime example of dishonesty in the system.  He lies about having a warrant, falsely accuses Kelly of trying to kill him, and nearly molests Kelly’s sister, Kate.  I believe this history is an important part of the film because Kelly’s story made a huge influence on many of the Australian people, and many say it may have instigated the beginning of Australia’s political movement.

                Over the past few weeks of this course I have learned that myths have helped to formulate Australia’s national identity.  There are many scenes in this film that represent Australian mythology; for example, the idea of Ned Kelly’s metal armour.  In the final scene Kelly emerges from the inn solo and takes on hundreds of bullets being shot at him.  However, not one bullet pierced through him.  The characteristics that Kelly shows in this scene and in others throughout the movie remind me of the Anzac myth as well.  Kelly can be looked at as a “soldier” in this “war” possessing the characteristics of endurance, courage, and ingenuity that the soldiers had at Gallipoli (Rattigan, 3).  What I also find interesting is the glorification of outlaws.  Kelly is robbing banks and breaking the law and yet, he’s a good guy.  If he’s killing to avenge his family and all those who have dealt with the unjust British, does that make it okay? 

                Ned Kelly not only exposes some of the darker sides of Australian history but it also is a great representation of Australian mythology and culture. Historically, it does a great job of exposing the hardships that Irish Australians faced in the late 1800’s. While culturally, it does a great job of representing the anti-heroic bushmen and outlaws of Australian legend.

Sources:

Freebury, Jane. “Screening Australia: Gallipoli – A study of Nationalism of Film.” Media Information Australia

Rattigan, Neil. “Gallipoli 1981”. Images of Australian 100 Films of The New Australian Cinema. 1991.

Gallipoli Concept Analysis

Based on the story of the Anzac battlefield at Gallipoli during the First World War, the film Gallipoli, directed by Peter Weir, is a true representation of the viewpoints of Australians, and the effects that the war had on them.  The film (and the battle’s) heartbreaking ending brought a sense of national identity to Australia. Australians were willing to fight for their country without even the slightest idea as to what they were fighting for.  Gallipoli was such a significant event in Australia’s history that many people believed that it coincided with the start of Australia’s growth of nationalism (Freebury, 17). In light of this, it is evident that nationalism was certainly a key concept in this film.

Nationalism can be defined as allegiance and devotion to the interests of one’s own country (“nationalism”).  Archy Hamilton, and later in the movie Frank Dunne, humanize nationalism in the film through their dedication and eagerness to fight for their country.  From the beginning Archy knew that he wanted to take part in the war. He wanted to defend his country.  While Archy and Frank were venturing through the desert they came across a stranger who asked them why they were going to war.   Archy responded with the idea that he would stop the Turks before they entered into Australia (Gallipoli). I felt that neither Archy nor Frank knew the exact purpose of the campaign or why they were going to fight, but this did not stop them from putting their own lives on the line between Australia and her enemies.  Their naivety to the truth, but willingness to go on and fight in the war, further emphasizes the idea of loyalty to their country. 

                As stated in Jane Freebury’s article, “Screening Australia: Gallipoli – a study of nationalism on film”, “Australian audiences responded to the film’s celebration of the national identity” (Freebury, 17).  National identity is a significant part of nationalism.  National identity is an image of a nation; who and what a nation is made up of.  When Gallipoli was released the Australian audience felt a sense of pride and unity.  It wasn’t just another movie; it was a chance to let fiction and history mix to relive the Gallipoli myth.   Within the film there was a slice of history, Australian ideals (such as bravery, nationalism, and mateship), and the symbol of the outback (Rattigan, 19).  All of these aspects worked together in the film to present a clear vision of Australia’s national identity.

                The true bravery of the soldiers became apparent in the final scene of the movie.  The Australian soldiers willingly put themselves in a situation of inevitable mass suicide by leaving the trenches and attacking the Turks.  Even though the soldiers knew they had no chance of survival, they followed their orders because their pride for their country took over and propelled them forward.  This final scene also captured the true meaning of mateship. From the beginning of the movie, Archy’s dedication to the war was clearly much stronger than Frank’s.  Originally Archy was assigned the job of the runner, which would take him out of the battle in order to relay messages. Almost without thought, Archy passed the job of runner to Frank, and took Frank’s spot in the line of soldiers. Archy knew why he had enlisted in the war, which was to fight for his country.  He loved his country and would do whatever it took to help keep it safe.  And though Frank loved his country too, he felt stronger about the mateship he had developed with his fellow soldiers. He would do anything to protect them from what could only be described as an inevitable slaughter. In the beginning of the movie when the others are talking about joining the war, Frank states that he wouldn’t be joining because he had no interest in dying for his country, but by the end of the movie Frank would have died for his country in an effort to protect his mates. Nationalism and mateship are both part of the Australian national identity, and both shine proudly in this film.

                The film Gallipoli helped to define the national identity of Australians to the rest of the world by focusing on nationalism, bravery, and mateship. The soldiers pride in who they were, and their love for their country exploded on the screen and left the viewer with a clear idea about what it meant to be Australian during the war. I can see why Australians were so proud of this film because I think that it portrayed them as a unified young nation determined to protect itself. Before the battle Archy tells his fellow soldiers to “make our country proud,” and clearly, they did.             Gallipoli is truly a tribute to Australia’s undeniable sense of nationalism and national identity.

Sources:

Freebury, Jane. “Screening Australia: Gallipoli – A study of Nationalism of Film.” Media Information Australia

Gallipoli. Peter Weir. Film. 1981.

“nationalism.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 29 Mar. 2011. <Dictionary.com

                http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nationalism>.

Rattigan, Neil. “Gallipoli 1981”. Images of Australian 100 Films of The New Australian Cinema. 1991.

Week 5 - Mad Max

This week in lecture we watched the movie Mad Max.  I actually really enjoyed this action type film.  There seemed to never be a dull moment so I was constantly at attention.  Mad Max was an action film based in Australia that included themes of love, vengeance, and society.  The gang in the area kept the cops constantly on edge and after the death of his best friend, wife, and child, the protagonist in the film Max turned into what you could consider a madman and was basically an executioner.  He went after every member of the gang in revenge for what they took away from him. 

                Before the lecture we talked a lot about the influence of land and how landscape can affect film.  Landscape can help shape a national identity, especially in Australia.  The Outback is often a symbol of Australia.  We also talked a lot about the sublime which is a mixed feeling of pleasure and pain that we feel in the face of something of great magnitude and grandeur.  This sublime is so great we can’t even comprehend its limits.  It was given an example as the ocean.  We know how beautiful the coastline is and we can conceive the ocean, however we cannot understand the center of the ocean and the loneliness it contains.  The extent of its magnitude is just too great.

                When I watched the movie I tried to think about the landscape and its part in the movie.  To be completely honest I couldn’t find exactly how it tied in.  However, during our tutorial we further discussed the landscape theory and the influence it had on the movie.  I understand now that the movie couldn’t have taken place if it wasn’t in this location.  Every time we saw the highway with empty land all around it you knew something extreme was about to happen. 

                From the reading by Morris I also learned the importance of “premonition of repetition” which is, ‘It is almost mandatory in action films that a shot of calm, beautiful scenery anticipates terrible events, in Australian film, and idyllic beach scene in particular..’.  I would not have picked up on that myself in the movie but now thinking back I can remember Jess lying peacefully on the beach when she hears seagulls call and she looks around to find complete “nothingness”. 

Week 4 - Newsfront

This week in lecture we talked a lot about Americanization and how Australia can just not compete with America in the film industry.  They do not have the money or budget to it.  We also continued discussing how American and Australian films are different.  I found it very interesting how Australian films have much more freedom in what their movies are about.  American films are often very specific in their genre.  I also was very intrigued by the discussion of the difference between American figures and Australian figures in film.  I learned Americans are often problematic figures and Australians often need to negotiate and come to terms with which can make them feel inferior. 

After lecture we watched the movie Newsfront.  I found this to be a very interesting movie. The movie was about a group of news reporters who risk their lives for the sake of making the news. I think I enjoyed it because the movie kept me guessing what exactly was going on.  It almost seemed to be missing transitions between scenes so you had to pay careful attention to interpret what exactly was happening.  I also saw some key concepts that often tend to be part of Australia’s identity.  There was definitely a great amount of bravery and sacrifice in this movie.  For example one man even dies in a flood while in pursuit of a story.  Along with this incident there were multiple other times the news men sacrificed their lives to get a good shot or a better angle.

Week 3 - Gallipoli

                This past week in lecture we watched the movie Gallipoli.  Gallipoli is about two boys who were on the verge of becoming men by joining the Australian Army during the First World War. They had to undergo many struggles to get there and learned about the realities of life along the way.  The final scene contains the battle between the Australians and the Turks and is one of the main climaxing points of the entire film.

 I am an exchange student, so I personally enjoyed the movie. It not only gave me insight on some of Australia’s history but also some idea of what Australia’s identity is.  The movie contained many characteristics and values of Australia such as mateship, bravery, courage, and sacrifice.  I found it very interesting that the movie ended in defeat and yet Australians still celebrate and recognize this event.

During lecture we discussed how a film is identified as Australian and what makes it a national cinema.  Is it the fact that the actors, directors, and producers are Australian; is it the purpose of who and what the movie is about; or is it the location where the movie takes place that makes a movie “Australian”?  These questions are still unanswered and I believe they will come up in every movie discussion.

We also discussed the two articles that we had read.  Freebury’s article titled, “Screening Australia: Gallipoli – a study of nationalism on film”, expresses the idea that Gallipoli is not so much a movie about the war as it is about Australia’s national identity.  I agree with Freebury.  I thought she shared many good thoughts about how it expressed the ideals that Australia is all about.  She also had the strong opinion that, “film, above all other cultural forms, has the means to give Australia an image of itself. It is the most powerful medium for projecting a ‘national identity’.  I think that this brings up a good point.  If it wasn’t for movies or TV, I really would not have much idea about what Australia is and what it stands for. Granted, I’m sure a majority of the information I get from film is not exactly accurate; however, it’s more of the truth than I would have known if I had never seen any film about Australia.