4. The length of the feature film was changed by Charles Tait in 1906
Before Charles Tait discovered a means of stretching the length of a filmed presentation, filmmakers were limited by the amount of film which could be contained on a single reel. Tait produced, in 1906, a film which when completed covered over 4,000 feet of images. The completed film ran for just over one hour, and when presented to audiences live sound effects were reproduced in the theater. Since the film The Story of the Kelly Gang, followed the career of outlaws and bushrangers, the sound effects included gunshots, the clopping sounds of horses, a narrator to fill audiences in during breaks in the action, and other sounds which complemented the images seen on the screen. Ned Kelly was and still is controversial in Australia, and the reception the film received reflected his reputation. Regardless of one’s opinion of Kelly, audiences lined up to view the film.
Some locations in both Australia and New Zealand banned the film, but it continued to be seen in areas where the authorities were less close-minded for over two decades. The film also received enthusiastic audiences in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Only scraps of the original survived into the 21st century, with approximately 17 minutes of the film today restored and preserved. It was one of the earliest examples of a filmmaker being accused of glorifying criminal behavior and exploiting it for financial gain – an accusation leveled countless times against filmmakers ever since. Ned Kelly has been depicted in numerous films since, always with similar controversy over the presentation, including one in which the bushranger was portrayed by Mick Jagger in 1970. He has also been played by Heath Ledger, footballer Bob Chitty, and actor George MacKay.