The Real Ned Kelly

Director Gregor Jordan's Ned Kelly is based on Robert Drewe's novel 'Our Sunshine' and attempts to paint a portrait of the infamous, yet mysterious figure. Ned Kelly was a second-generation Irish immigrant in 19th century Australia who rose up to become a revered outlaw. Jordan has set out to create an image of an essentially decent man, who is forced to fight back against the authorities. "At the core of the story is a person fighting for a cause", Jordan states, "he's part of a persecuted minority so he stands up and fights back". Brutalised by the authorities, Kelly goes on the run vowing revenge after a policeman assaults his sister, only to then charge him with attempted murder.

Ned, his younger brother Dan and their mates Joe Byrne and Steve Hart formed the Kelly gang and proceeded to terrorise the police, rob banks and hold up towns. In 1878, at the infamous shoot-out at Stringybark Creek, the Kelly gang killed a police sergant and two constables sent to arrest them. The establishment would portray Ned as a ruthless killer and placed a bounty on his head, but to the people he was a hero of the bush.

Orlando Bloom, who plays Ned's right hand man Joe Byrne in Ned Kelly, admits that initially he thought the story "was about a bunch of guys shooting guns and making havoc wherever they went". He took the role when he "discovered they were unjustly persecuted and were fighting for freedom and justice".

Ned's downfall came in 1880, after an ambitious plan to ambush a trainload of policemen failed when the authorities were tipped off. Surrounded inside a hotel in the town of Glenrowan , the Kelly gang made a last stand. Ned emerged wearing the famous home-made iron armour to face the guns, but was arrested. "When Ned was captured", comments Geoffrey Rush, who plays Superintendent Hare in Ned Kelly, "32,000 people petitioned that he should not be hanged, which gives a fair indication of the heightened hero he had become".

Unfortunately for Ned it wasn't enough to save him from the gallows, but his exploits had forever cemented his status as an Australian legend.

To visit the Ned Kelly mini site click here.