Repeatedly this movie is criticized by people claiming that Ned Kelly was just a murderer, yet how many of these people have actually studied the facts about Kelly's life? The murders that Kelly committed weren't part of a killing spree. It wasn't women and children shot, it was three police officers whose actions were later criticized by an inquiry, who had set off in pursuit of Kelly not to bring him to justice but to kill him for the reward. Compare this with the actions of Seargent Steele at the Glenrowan siege, who laughed out loud how he had - "shot Mrs Jones in the tits." This was reported by a fellow police officer. The woman at the time was trying to flee from the Inn, carrying a baby, and Steele shot her, her baby and killed her son in cold blood. Ned Kelly was not the only murderer of those times. So, people should consider the context of this when considering whether Kelly was a blood thirsty killer. Whether Kelly was right or wrong in his actions, he stood up against the authorities and paid with his life. If he was as evil a character as people claim, then he got his just rewards.
As for people wondering about Australians having a chip on their shoulder and putting down the British. Well, at the time Ned Kelly was at large, over three quarters of Australia's European population were convicts or children of convicts. Do you think that the cat of nine tails would endear them to the British? You should read about the the brutality of the English penal system, and wonder why it didn't create a whole bunch of brutal blood thirsty killers worse than Ned. I don't feel much sympathy for Brits who can't handle a few harmless jibes. If it is so hurtful to the English, perhaps they should remember Britains involvement in the slave trade. They should also remember that Australian soldiers paid with their lives defending England in two world wars. You reap what you sow.
Anyway, I just wish people wouldn't parrot the academics derision of the Kelly myth, and instead actually do some research themselves before pontificating about the moral issues involved. A lot of these criticisms are facile and less factual then the movie they criticize for being historically inaccurate. One of the reasons Australians love the myth is because it gets up people's noses.
As for people wondering about Australians having a chip on their shoulder and putting down the British. Well, at the time Ned Kelly was at large, over three quarters of Australia's European population were convicts or children of convicts. Do you think that the cat of nine tails would endear them to the British? You should read about the the brutality of the English penal system, and wonder why it didn't create a whole bunch of brutal blood thirsty killers worse than Ned. I don't feel much sympathy for Brits who can't handle a few harmless jibes. If it is so hurtful to the English, perhaps they should remember Britains involvement in the slave trade. They should also remember that Australian soldiers paid with their lives defending England in two world wars. You reap what you sow.
Anyway, I just wish people wouldn't parrot the academics derision of the Kelly myth, and instead actually do some research themselves before pontificating about the moral issues involved. A lot of these criticisms are facile and less factual then the movie they criticize for being historically inaccurate. One of the reasons Australians love the myth is because it gets up people's noses.
Tell Your Friends