Trial of Ned Kelly

Trial of Ned Kelly is a 1977 Australian TV film about the trial of Ned Kelly.^[1][2][3]

Trial of Ned Kelly
Written by	Roger Simpson Dr L Robson
Directed by	John Gauci
Starring	John Waters Gerard Kennedy Peter Cummins Sean Scully Jonathan Hardy
Narrated by	Alan Hopgood
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
Production
Producer	Oscar Whitbread
Running time	65 mins
Production company	ABC
Original release
Release	12 September 1977 (1977-09-12) (Sydney)
Release	26 October 1977 (1977-10-26) (Melbourne)

Cast

• John Waters as Ned Kelly
• Gerard Kennedy as Prosecutor Smyth
• John Frawley as Judge Redmond Barry
• Ian Suddards as defence counsel
• Peter Cummins as Sgt McIntyre
• Jonathan Hardy
• Sean Scully
• Alan Hopgood as Narrator

Production

Filming took place at Old Melbourne Gaol Magistrate's Court and at Gembrook, Victoria, which stood in for Singybark Creek. Roger Simpson wrote it in collaboration with Dr Robson, a lecturer in history at Melbourne University. The original chair and canopy used by Judge Barry was used.^[4]

Reception

The Age praised "another fine performance from Waters".^[5]

Another writer from the same paper thought the production was not as good as the script.^[6]

The Sydney Sun Herald said "it fails to keep its dramatic promise" mostly because of the device of using Alan Hopgood as a narrator who would appear in the action.^[7]