Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Ned Kelly Blu-ray Movie Review

You won't get no satisfaction.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 22, 2015

Did success spoil Tony Richardson? From the late fifties through (perhaps) the mid-sixties, Richardson directed a handful of fascinating, and some would argue classic, films, including such redolent titles as Look Back in Anger, The Entertainer, A Taste of Honey, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and then in 1963 the film which would win him not one but two Academy Awards (for Best Picture and Best Director), Tom Jones (still sadly missing on Blu-ray). Richardson took a couple of years off after Tom Jones, eventually directing the completely outré 1965 farce The Loved One, a film which famously (and probably accurately) advertised itself as “the motion picture with something to offend everyone!” But then—well, to say that Richardson’s output post 1965 was a bit of a roller coaster ride in terms of consistency and perhaps even competence might be something of an understatement. Interesting if by now largely forgotten films like Mademoiselle disappeared quickly, while putative epics like The Charge of the Light Brigade crashed and burned at the box office (if not in the estimation of some critics). Fitfully compelling “experiments” like Laughter in the Dark (culled from a Vladimir Nabokov story) and a minimalist Hamlet starring Nicol Williamson failed to make much if any impact with audiences, and so it was perhaps understandable that Richardson indulged in a bit of “stunt casting” for his first film of the 1970s, the largely disparaged supposed biography of infamous Australian bushranger Ned Kelly. A late eighties tome on the history of United Artists discusses the film’s use of Mick Jagger in the title role as an attempt to exploit what the graybeards and bean counters in the studio offices thought was a still largely untapped “youth movement,” but you know how fickle “kids” can be, and not even Jagger’s involvement could salvage the film, which was formally denounced not just by Jagger, but by Richardson himself.

There’s an initial feeling that Richardson may be taking a somewhat whimsical approach in detailing the real life exploits of one of Australia’s most notorious 19th century figures, Ned Kelly, with an opening black and white sequence which is insouciantly labeled “The End”, and which offers in rather short order Ned getting hitched (as in married) and then hitched up (as in hung from a gallows). With the “denouement” of the story handily out of the way, Richardson then lapses into relatively more traditional biopic formulations, now in living color.

An at times patently odd song score by Shel Silverstein ( sung by Waylon Jennings with accompaniment by Kris Kristofferson) helps bridge some narrative gaps, and attempts to fill in some back story as Richardson offers a montage of sorts showing Kelly coming home from a three year stint in prison. While the film takes place in Australia, there’s an Irish-English component to the tale, at least as Richardson frames it, with Kelly’s Irish heritage playing into his evident genetic dislike of colonial (and/or imperial) efforts on the part of the British. While he’s obviously happy to be reunited with his family, changes since he’s been away don’t sit quite as well with him.

The film gives passing lip service to the idea that Ned wants to travel the straight and narrow path now that he’s out of stir, but the film never makes a very convincing case that Kelly is anything other than a lowlife best suited to a life of crime. Jagger’s smirking ambience throughout the film seems to suggest he viewed the role as something of a lark, nothing to be taken too seriously. The film is never really able to overcome the disconnect between Richardson’s efforts to create a nuanced title character and Jagger’s inability to artfully bring that character to life.

What remains is an admittedly picturesque travelogue that traffics in somewhat the same ambience as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (albeit much less successfully), with a ragtag bunch of “bad guys” the audience is obviously supposed to be rooting for. Martinet cops and an oppressive sociopolitical environment only reinforce the idea that this is Robin Hood in the outback. Supporting actors manage to bring a bit more gravitas to the proceedings than does Jagger, with a memorable turn by the always interesting Frank Thring as the magistrate who at least thinks he's finally bringing Kelly to justice.

Ned Kelly Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ned Kelly is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is a transfer that shows its age in a number of ways. First off, the elements have an above average amount of wear and tear, and colors have faded perceptibly, something that undercuts what must have once been the rather luminous cinematography of Gerry Fisher. This also has the look of an older master, and in fact looks like it may even have been created in the DVD era, for there are signs of artificial sharpening that become especially apparent in brightly backlit outdoor sequences, where halos are evident. The grain field looks natural and has no resolution issues. There's fairly marked telecine wobble during the opening credits but no other image instability issues of any major concern.

Ned Kelly Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ned Kelly features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix which artfully supports the film's dialogue and many sung moments (Jagger even gets into the musical mix at one point). While inherently narrow, the mix offers very good prioritization and solid fidelity, with no issues of any kind to warrant concern.

Ned Kelly Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements of any kind on this Blu-ray disc.

Ned Kelly Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ned Kelly has had a rather problematic history on film, though some wags aver that 1906's The Story of the Kelly Gang was the first dramatic feature length film. This Richardson opus and 2003's Heath Ledger Ned Kelly both failed to ignite with either critics or audiences, though at least the Ledger version pulled in a few respectful reviews along the way. This is a rather odd situation, for the basics of the Kelly story are fascinating and certainly seem tailor made for a cinematic tour de force. Some Jagger fans may well want to check this out to "satisfy" their curiosity, but the film is a haphazard experience at best. Technical merits are average (video) to very good (audio) for those considering a purchase.