The True Story of the Kelly Gang - Filming

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

The new crime western directed by Justin Kurzel, The True Story of the Kelly Gang, is based on the novel by Peter Carey, which won the author a second Booker Prize. The VOLGA film company will release the film in Russian cinemas on February 27, 2020. Peter Carey has become one of four writers who have received this award twice in the entire history of its existence. Ned Kelly is one of the most controversial characters in the world of crime history, who was considered by many to be a noble robber and real Robin Hood. Find out all the secrets of The True Story of the Kelly Gang (2020): Interesting facts about the filming and the actors

Synopsis

The Booker Prize-winning novel by Peter Carey, The True Story of the Kelly Gang, was released in 2000. The book dealt with one of the most controversial figures in Australian history. Now, thanks to Justin Kurzel's unique vision, viewers have the chance to experience Ned Kelly's story without being overly sentimental. Viewers will see the ruthless world in which the legendary criminal existed, and the tragic ending of the life story of Ned Kelly.

This is a story about the transformation of a boy, who dreamed of protecting and providing for his family more than anything else, into a cold-blooded person, ready to do anything to save the closest person - his mother

The film tells about the uneasy relationship between Ned and his mother Ellen Kelly (Essie Davis) and examines the period from childhood Ned Kelly (Orlando Schwerdt) until his death (the role of adult Ned is played by George McKay).

Ellen's loneliness determined the fate of her eldest son Ned. She surrounded him with love and care, but felt that he was moving away from her, filled with feelings of guilt and shame and dreams of a better life.

Ned was haunted by the unfair treatment of his father, Red Kelly (Ben Corbett). Ned was raised by the famous bushranger2 Harry Power (Russell Crowe). He had to hide from legalists like Sergeant O'Neill (Charlie Hunnam). Be that as it may, Ned Kelly tried desperately to leave his mark on history with a pen and a pistol.

Ned Kelly, his brother Dan Kelly (Earl Cave), and their friends Joe Byrne (Sean Keenan) and Steve Hart (Louis Hewison) formed the backbone of the Kelly gang. The detonator for Kelly was Constable Fitzpatrick (Nicholas Hoult) and the uneasy relationship between Ned Kelly and Mary Hearn (Thomasin McKenzie).

Working on the film

In 2011, Daybreak Pictures producer Hal Vogel met with Peter Carey's agent. As a fan of Carey's work, Vogel could not help but pay attention to the novel "The True Story of the Kelly Gang." He rated the book "exceptional" and began looking for sources of funding for the film adaptation. He was refused several times. The screening of Justin Kurzel's film Snow City at the 2012 London Film Festival was crucial for the future project.

“I was captivated by this film,” says Vogel. - This is an amazing picture. There were a lot of things in Snow City that echoed Peter's novel, and I decided to talk to Justin about filming The True Story of the Kelly Gang

By that time Kurzel had already appreciated the book at its true worth. “I was very interested in the opportunity to revisit the storytelling style in which my first film, Snow City, was shot,” says Kurzel. - Besides, I really miss my homeland. For five years I lived and worked in London and yearned desperately for the Australian landscape and culture of my home country. I reread the book Hal gave me six years ago and realized that I really wanted to make a film based on it.”

Vogel, in turn, states that it was Kurzel's decision to take on the painting that was the turning point in the work.“When Justin agreed to take the director’s chair, the attitude towards the project changed dramatically,” recalls the producer. - People understood how this film could turn out. When an idea like The True Story of the Kelly Gang ends up in the hands of a director like Justin, the film can be phenomenal and it’s impossible to ignore.”

“He was very clear about the future film, in the smallest detail, and it was mesmerizing, - continues Vogel. - It was possible to shoot a film based on such a novel only the way he saw it, and nothing else. The book is cruel and mercilessly true. She is imbued with monstrous violence, but at the same time very emotional and generally talks about how boys turn into men."

In mid-2012, Daybreak invited Porchlight Films producer Liz Watts to contribute to the project.

“Vincent Sheehan and I met Hal on an off-season rainy day in Cannes,” Watts recalls. - Later, during the Toronto Film Festival, we spoke with Hal's partner David Okin. We were introduced to the project by Tessa Ross and Rose Garnett from Film4, who at that time worked together and had already started the film. Daybreak was looking for an Australian partner, and we loved Peter Carey's novel. I must admit, I have been waiting for the moment when readers will open their eyes to the true meaning of Ned Kelly in the history of Australia. Peter made the story very emotional and beautiful. I am in awe of Justin's previous work. I understood that he would be able to convey all the originality and ambiguity of the story."

Kurzel began work on the films Macbeth (commissioned by Film4) and Assassin's Creed. Meanwhile, Watts and Vogel approached Snow City writer Sean Grant to write the script for The True Story of the Kelly Gang.

“I confess, at first I was overwhelmed by fear, but I used to force myself to face danger, so I agreed,” says Grant. However, like Kurzel, it took him some time to think. The writer wanted to make it feel like this movie really needed to be made. One reading of the book was enough to dispel all doubts of the screenwriter.

Speaking about working with Kurzel, Grant notes that they have common interests, a love of honesty and openness. Grant understood that Kurzel would approach the filming with the same principles, and this convinced him to take the job.

“I knew that Justin would not shoot the film the way they did before him,” says the writer. - For me, there is nothing worse than repetitions. I always ask myself, “Why does this story need to be told now? And why is it worth telling at all? " I knew that Justin would not compromise, that he would say, "Our Ned Kelly will not be overly polite."

Filmmakers have appreciated the novel by Peter Carey. In the book, they found not only a fascinating plot and detailed descriptions of locations and characters, but also deeper themes that were worthy of migrating into the film "The True Story of the Kelly Gang".

“Ned was often portrayed as a hero before, and I was more interested in the dark side of his personality - how he got the way he was, and why,” Grant continues. - I worked on the script for several years, and during this time there were many reports in the media about terrorism, about people who were persecuted for cultural differences, for their nationality, for their citizenship. When a person is being hunted for too long, sooner or later he decides to stop this pursuit, even if for this he will have to burn the whole world."

“I wanted to show Kelly as he really was,” adds Grant. “He had both good and bad, but whether he was good or bad - let the viewer decide.” “There was a real genocide going on in Australia,” says the director. “The authorities committed many crimes, so the line between good and bad was very blurred back then.”

It was the title of the book "The True Story of the Kelly Gang" that became the main reason why the filmmakers took up the film adaptation. “A lot of the film is about figuring out what's true and what's not,” Kurzel explains. "We demonstrate that your history, your past and your actions can be easily distorted."

The director continues: “In the film, Harry Power says to Ned, 'Always make sure that you yourself are the author of your story, because England can take it and spoil it.' I thought that this phrase could be imprinted in the memory of young Ned, so that he will forever remember: words, notes and documents are important."

Screen Australia and Film Victoria joined the work on the project, Film4 continued to work on the script, carried out various preparatory activities, including the selection of nature in Victoria (Australia). Permits were obtained to film at Melbourne Prison, State Library, Wangaratta, Dandenong Ridge, Marysville, Glenrowan and the beautiful old Mintaro home. Since the locations vividly reflected the characteristics of Ned Kelly's homeland and played an important role in Carey's book, Kurzel and the producers were looking for locations that would best convey the atmosphere of The True Story of the Kelly Gang.

Kurzel called "Kelly's Playground" an amazing place called Winton Wetlands. This place was of great importance to the natives. The elders of the local tribe told the filmmakers that it was a gathering place for hundreds of Aboriginal people. In Kelly's time, it was an oasis providing refuge, food and water for travelers. According to legend, the place was cursed - the soil dried up, then the trees died. However, then the oasis was re-populated by various representatives of flora and fauna. Now the historic site is being renovated, but it has retained an amazing Gothic atmosphere, making it an ideal location for building Kelly's house. “We saw this location during one of the first raids and were amazed to the core,” Watts recalls. “We knew right away that the location would be ideal for filming and that it would make our picture stand out from all other Kelly films.”

It is at this location that a memorable image first appears, shot through a slot in Ned Kelly's helmet - a narrow strip of light in pitch darkness. On behalf of Kurzel, a team of artists and decorators assembled a replica of the armor worn by Ned Kelly during the shootout in Glenrowan. The thickness of the steel of the armor was comparable to the sheets that sheathed the battleship "Monitor" 3.

“I was amazed by this armor and the thickness of the steel,” Kurzel says. - In addition, I was haunted by this slit in the helmet, which, by analogy, can be compared with Ned Kelly himself. The whole idea of the film boils down to a pair of eyes watching what is happening. This perspective was associated for us with some kind of foreboding, which was saturated throughout the film. Some shots and thoughts slipping through the plot forced us to return to this angle again and again."

“I saw Kelly’s house only as a wooden barn, not a stone building,” the director continues. - I wanted him to float in the landscape like a ship, so that every detail, element of the scenery would lead the viewer to a tragic ending. I wanted the audience to be able not only to look inside the helmet, but also to see the world around from the inside."

While working in Marysville, Kurzel managed to shoot rare footage of Australian snow: “We climbed a mountain to shoot a panorama of Marysville,” the director recalls. - The places where, as we decided, Kelly's gang passed, were badly damaged by forest fires4, which radically changed the landscape. In this location, tragedy is strangely combined with beauty, but this combination perfectly conveyed the essence of our story."

The poetry of the plot was supposed to be conveyed in the final shots in Glenrowan (here, in a local hotel, the Kelly gang takes their last battle).“I didn't want to create the appearance of a banal boardwalk saloon,” says Kurzel. - It was necessary that Glenrovan was associated with the changing rooms of the football club, which my father showed me as a child. Players left their names on the walls. Ned also inscribed his name in history, along with other travelers who left their names and messages on the walls."

According to Kurzel, Peter Carey created a world in his novel without a clear reference to any particular era. The characters can seem quite modern. “I think the most important thing is the silhouette,” says the director. - The silhouettes of the Australians that I saw in the 1970s and 1980s, especially the men, were very similar to the silhouettes of the 1870s. The 70s and 80s of the last century were my favorite periods of Australian music, art and fashion. It remained to find common motives with the 1870s."

“The goal was not to be tied to any particular era and to try to look at the characters in the abstract,” adds Kurzel. - I was impressed by the attention to the elements of clothing and colors - there was something sexy about them. Therefore, I decided to dress Ellen Kelly in pants and boots, rather than in the typical puffy skirts and corsets of that era, so that she would resemble Patti Smith”5.

Find out interesting facts about the film "The True Story of the Kelly Gang" with a release date in Russia in 2020; watch the trailer and footage from the set with talented actors, new faces of youth cinema.