Outlaw Ned Kelly’s body armor forensics

[Wyatt Burp]

Here’s a pretty good video about the Australian Ned Kelly gang’s home made body armor they wore in their final shootout with police in 1878. Historians wondered if the armor was made in a town by a blacksmith or in the bush by the gang themselves. Either way, it was pure suicide in the end because after running out of shots in their percussion pistols, they couldn’t reload wearing all that or escape.

The true story of the Kelly Gang Armour | Did it work? Who made it? - YouTube

 

[Absalom]

Fascinating. Never heard of the Kelly Gang before. Or that siege.

The armor, on the other hand, reminded me of something else ....

 

[walkinghorse]

Years ago saw a movie about Ned Kelly,1970, starring Mick Jagger!

 

[Kurusu]

Fascinating. Never heard of the Kelly Gang before. Or that siege.

The armor, on the other hand, reminded me of something else ....

I did. I even have the DVD of the 2003 movie about it.

It's chock full of familiar names. Heath Ledger played Ned Kelly, Orlando Bloom played Joe Byrne, Geoffrey Rush played Superintendent Francis Hare, a 15 year old Emily Browning played Ned's sister Grace and Naomi Watts provided beauty.

 

[moosedog]

Great post Wyatt. As always, you bring up some very interesting and historical stories.

 

[Absalom]

Well, after reviewing the trailer from the 2003 version of the Ned Kelly story, I can see why I might not have felt a particular urge to see it

On the other hand, the surviving, decayed fragment of Ned Kelly’s last stand from the 1906 movie has something haunting about it ...


[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4PleokU4YqU[/ame]

 

[Kurusu]

I didn't know there was a movie from 1906.

I first heard of Ned kelly because of a painting I saw when I was still in my teens. Found it curious and digged out the story.

This was the painting.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

When I was a kid, 13 in 1970, I saw the Mick Jagger “Ned Kelly” and thought it was pretty good then, though gloomy. Same with the Heath Ledger version. I thought it was a good movie but depressing. I mean the squalid life the poor “farmers” led and being under British rule. I read an interesting comparison of Ned Kelly and Billy The Kid, contemporaries in time but half a world apart, and there were lots of similarities as I recall.

 

[Jack Flash]

Years ago saw a movie about Ned Kelly,1970, starring Mick Jagger!

IIRC, Australians were not enthusiastic about Jagger being cast in the title role.

Ned Kelly was something of a folk hero, and many folks down under thought a more manly man should get the role. Or so I remember hearing.

 

[S&W ucla]

Pan Shot!

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIzAfXcCX3c[/ame]

 

[03hemi]

Years ago saw a movie about Ned Kelly,1970, starring Mick Jagger!

...and it was really bad, a horrible movie. lol