This dramatised documentary depicts the events leading up to the hanging of Ronald Ryan in Pentridge Gaol in 1967 - the last man hanged in Australia. Through the eyes of Keith Willey (Lewis Fitz-Gerald), the journalist who followed the case, we see Ryan as a complex man who was as much a victim as those he had violated. This documentary details how the State Premier, Sir Henry Bolte, facing an imminent election, decided to make an issue of the case and pushed through the hanging despite nationwide protest. What evolves is powerful and emotional statement about capital punishment.
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
304184
Language
English
Audience classification
Exempt
Subject categories
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Trials in motion pictures
Documentary → Documentary films - Australia
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Capital punishment
History → Bolte, Henry, Sir, 1908-1990
People → Bolte, Henry, Sir, 1908-1990
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)
MOV file ProRes4444; Digital Preservation Master - overscan
MPEG-4 Digital File; ACMI Digital Access Copy - overscan