Letter: Bushrangers of the silver screen
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Bushrangers of the silver screen
Sir: Peter Porteous's memory (letters 10 August) serves him only half rightly. Peter Finch was certainly a dashing star of the 1957 film of Robbery Under Arms but the fictional Captain Starlight, not the historical Ned Kelly, was the hero of this fourth of five cinematic versions of Rolf Boldrewood's novel: the most recent (1985) had Sam Neill as the Byronic bushranger. Others were made in 1907, 1911 and 1920.
Porteous may have only got as far as Pinewood, but Finch and others in the cast spent several sweaty summer months in South Australia's Flinders Ranges (which for one thing could accommodate a mob of Herefords better than a studio back lot); despite the heat, Finch enjoyed himself, writing to his half-sister he had "lots of riding on the most wonderful horse in the world, Velox", who galloped into the part of Starlight's horse, Rainbow.
Boldrewood, who was in fact Thomas Browne, a magistrate, based his story not on the exploits of Ned Kelly but on those of such other bushrangers as Ben Hall and Frank Gardiner. But the instant popularity of the tale, which was first published as a serial in the Sydney Mail in 1882-83 then as a book in 1888 and has never been out of print since, was at least partly due to the notoriety of the Kelly gang.
ALAN BRISSENDEN
Burnside, South Australia
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments