Shooting cinematic outlaws: Ned Kelly and Jesse James as viewed through film

ABSTRACT

The frontier outlaws of Australia and America have a long and storied relationship with cinema. Two of the most recent cinematic adaptations of these legends, Ned Kelly and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, act as excellent entry points into an exploration of this subject. By comparing the narrative structures of the two films in relation to the concept of ‘the Outlaw Legend’ and by highlighting the two films' respective positionings of the spectator—as filtered by concepts of national identity—an insight into the interwoven elements of man, myth and movie becomes apparent.

KEYWORDS:

• national identity
• frontier outlaws
• Ned Kelly
• Jesse James
• Australian cinema
• American cinema