It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

'The Story of the Kelly Gang' is undoubtedly one of the cinema's most significant achievements, and certainly the most revolutionary title ever to have come out of the Australian film industry. However, it startles me to discover just how obscure the film has now become; indeed, much of our country's cinematic output has long vanished from public knowledge, an unfortunate consequence of our ever-growing reliance on Hollywood. In my efforts to rediscover many of Australia's forgotten classics, I'd decided that I might as well start from the beginning: released on 26 December 1906, 'The Story of the Kelly Gang' told the thrilling story of Victorian bushranger Ned Kelly and his comrades, and is more than likely the first feature-length film ever produced. Though only fragments of the film now remain, the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) have done a remarkable job of compiling and digitally restoring the surviving scenes, with the DVD released earlier this year. Also included is a fantastic 200-page booklet – "The Story of the Kelly Gang: 'The Picture That Will Live Forever'" – written by Ina Bertrand and William D. Routt, which includes in-depth analysis, historical information, original advertisements and reviews. It would be foolish to allow such a brilliant resource to go to waste, so much of the information in this review has been derived from the booklet.There are very few Australians who haven't heard the story of Ned Kelly (1855-1880). Kelly and his gang bushrangers were at one point the most wanted men in the country, becoming national legends in the process. At dawn on Monday 27 June 1880, after a courageous stand-off at the Glenrowan Inn, Kelly emerged wearing his home-made plate metal armour and helmet, still firing at police, before being shot down and arrested. He was executed for his crimes 11 November 1880, his final words reportedly: "such is life." Throughout the silent era, the subject of bushrangers became of staple of Australia cinema; it presented many of the same components as the American western, which had first come to light in 1903 with Edwin S. Porter's 'The Great Train Robbery.' Not only was 'The Story of the Kelly Gang' one of the first bushranger pictures, but it was also the world's first feature film. There has been some debate, of course, over the definition of a "feature," and, though some recorded boxing matches ran for longer, they did not possess a standard narrative. With much of the film lost in time, the original running length of the film is now uncertain, with some suggesting forty minutes and others more than an hour. Several commentators have claimed that the filmmakers deliberately stretched the truth in their advertisements to entice larger audiences (indeed, the film travelled the world for more than twenty years and achieved phenomenal commercial success).Until recently, it was believed that only ten minutes of the story had survived. However, in 2006, an additional seven minutes was discovered in the British National Film and Television Archive, and – thanks to the efforts of the NFSA and the Haghefilm preservation laboratories in Amsterdam – everything has been meticulously restored for our viewing pleasure. On the newly-released DVD, there are two versions of the film: the first is the seventeen-minute "restored version," which basically presents the story as it now survives, with a pleasant piano accompaniment by Mauro Colombis (and an experimental soundtrack by Endorphin that I wasn't game enough to try). The second is a "study version," which combines the remaining footage, new and original intertitles, advertising materials, posters and the original programme booklet in an attempt to reconstruct the complete narrative of the 1906 film. This one, running for about half an hour, certainly lends the film a more complete structure, allowing you to appreciate the gravity of the filmmakers' achievement.'The Story of the Kelly Gang' was written and directed by Charles Tait, with many members of his family playing key roles in the story. Though various sources have suggested different names, film historians have generally agreed that the following casting decisions are likely: Ned Kelly (Frank Mills), Dan Kelly (Sam Crew, John Forde, Mr. Marshall), Steve Hart (Jack Ennis, Mr. McKenzie, Norman Campbell) and Joe Byrne (Will Coyne). It is also probable that, at least in some scenes, the role of Kate Kelly is being played by a man in drag. The film, due to the perceived glorification of criminals, caused much controversy upon release, and it was banned in Benalla and Wangaratta in 1907 and again in Victoria in 1912. The film-making technique is a product of its times, completely devoid of close-ups, and the camera, despite a few primitive panning movements, almost always remains static. However, the convincing use of props and costumes, and the somewhat laid-back demeanour of the actors, lends the film a certain authenticity. Despite the excellent restoration work, many of the remaining scenes have unfortunately decayed beyond repair, and, particularly during Ned Kelly's climactic stand-off, the image has a tendency to strangely distort. Nevertheless, the historical importance of 'The Story of the Kelly Gang' is enough to overlook these technical imperfections, and I relished the opportunity to enjoy a true landmark of Australian cinema.

The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) symbolizes both the birth of the Australian film industry and the emergence of an Australian identity. Even more significantly it heralds the emergence of the feature film format.The world's first feature-length movie was directed by Charles Tait and filmed at the Tait family's Chartersville Estate in the Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg. Originally there were no inter-titles; narration was performed by an on-stage lecturer who also provided sound effects including gunfire and hoofbeats. It cost £1000 to make, but that money and more was recovered within its first week of screening. It premiered in Melbourne on Boxing Day 1906, and was later shown across Australia, in New Zealand and in Britain.Only fragments of the original production of more than one hour are known to exist and are preserved at the National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra. While some of the footage is almost pristine, other segments are severely distorted. The sensitive nitrate stock on which the film was shot deteriorated quickly in storage, so as we watch Ned make his final stand against the police at Glenrowan in his legendary suit of armor, he bends and morphs in much the same manner as a modern-day digital effect.

This afternoon at the Barbican, I attended the UK premiere of the digitally restored 'The Story of the Kelly Gang', with excellent piano accompaniment by John Sweeney, as part of the opening day's programme for the Silent Film & Live Music Series running through June. It's also part of the London Australian Film Festival, likewise at the Barbican ... so, I actually ended up attending two film festivals simultaneously! The restored film is a double-bill with 'The Life Story of John Lee: The Man They Could Not Hang'.'The Story of the Kelly Gang' is generally believed to be (and most likely WAS) the first feature-length movie ever made, produced in 1906. Sadly, the past tense is appropriate here, as the film is now not known to survive except in fragments ... and some of those do indeed appear to be out-takes, as a previous IMDb'er has noted. Actually, I've also seen (in Australia) another reel of this film: not a projection of the movie's image onto a screen, but rather I've seen (and touched) a mouldering reel of nitrate footage from the movie itself, now deteriorated beyond hope of restoration.As a part-time Australian (born in Scotland, expatriated Down Under as a 'child migrant'), I ought to feel proud that Australia produced the first feature movie. However, quite enough films pre-dating 1906 survive (from various nations) to make it clear that a substantial amount of film technique -- the close-up, the dissolve, the cross-cut -- had already evolved before this movie was made. Watching this restoration at the Barbican, it occurred to me that credit for the single biggest innovation in 'The Story of the Kelly Gang' belongs not to the photographer, director, editor or scenarist, but rather to that most unsung of film figures ... old Smokey, the projectionist. Prior to 'The Story of the Kelly Gang', films were so short that it was possible to store two or more separate movies on one projection reel. And, each reel being a separate story, the breaks between reels were natural breaks in the narrative. Many early cinemas had only one projector, with live entertainment provided during the longeur while the previous reel was rewound before the next reel could be shown. However, when 'The Story of the Kelly Gang' was exhibited in its original form in Australia (and later in other countries), the projectionist had to maintain two sets of apparatus at the same go, so as to achieve a seamless transition between reels. I wonder how soon film editors began using a reel marker (traditionally in the frame's upper right-hand corner) to indicate that a reel was about to end.Despite being largely missing in action, the original 'Story of the Kelly Gang' is of incalculable historic importance. As for the digital version which I enjoyed today, accompanied by Mr Sweeney's impressive performance on the keyboard, I'll rate it a full 10 out of 10. Bonzer, cobbers!

THE STORY OF THE KELLY GANG is believed to be the world's first feature length film. Running at between 65 and 70 minutes, it was billed at the time as the longest film ever made. It toured Australia for nine years and was an enormous success.Today only fragments survive, and it is hard to judge the film's artistic merits. About nine minutes of footage exists - some found on a garbage dump in Melbourne. Some of this footage may be out-takes. The footage is held by ScreenSound Australia, the National Screen and Sound Archive, in Canberra.The sequences show some enthusiastic acting, although the camera-work is static (like most films of the period). The most remarkable shot is probably when a priest, carrying a wounded man over his shoulder, walks toward and just past the camera, creating a strong sense of drama and movement. The final shoot-out scene is also well filmed - with Ned Kelly moving, and shooting, toward the camera, as troopers flee to the sides.A remarkable film, of great historical importance, that all film students should see. Up until World War 1, when initially neutral America began to dominate the world of film distribution, Australia had one of the most thriving and innovative film industries in the world.