The Castle is a 1997 Australian comedy film directed by Rob Sitch. It starred Michael Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry, Sophie Lee, Eric Bana and Charles 'Bud' Tingwell. The screenwriting team comprised Sitch, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Jane Kennedy of Working Dog Productions.
The Castle was filmed in 11 days on a budget of approximately A$19,000.[1] The film gained widespread acclaim in Australia and New Zealand, but was not widely distributed globally. It grossed A$10,326,428 at the box office in Australia and was Eric Bana's first film.[2]
Plot
The blue collar Kerrigan home is filled with love as well as pride in their modest lifestyle, but their happiness is threatened when developers attempt the compulsory acquisition of their house to expand the neighbouring Melbourne Airport.
The Kerrigan house is built in a largely undeveloped housing tract, on a toxic landfill, beneath power lines, and directly adjacent to an airport runway. Despite all this, sweet-natured family patriarch Darryl (Michael Caton) believes that he lives in the lap of luxury. Blissfully unaware of his family's lack of style or sophistication, he busies himself by driving a tow truck, racing greyhounds, and constantly adding tacky renovations to the house. The rest of the Kerrigan clan shares and supports his enthusiasm in every way.
One day, a government appraiser arrives to inspect the house. Though he has no wish to sell, Darryl points out all the faults of the house with pride, believing they will add value. A few weeks later, he receives a letter informing him of the compulsory acquisition of his house for the sum of A$70,000. His neighbours all receive similar notices. Believing on common principle that the government cannot evict him unwillingly from his treasured home, Darryl attempts to fight the eviction. Agents from the airport try to bribe and bully the family into giving up, but their actions only stiffen the Kerrigans' resolve. Darryl hires an incompetent lawyer acquaintance, Dennis Denuto (Tiriel Mora), but Dennis' meagre argument that the eviction goes against the "vibe" of the Constitution does not go well in court. While awaiting the court's final decision, Darryl makes pleasant small talk with a man whom he meets outside the courthouse, Lawrence Hammill (Bud Tingwell), who has come to watch his son (a barrister) perform in court. The court rejects the family's appeal and gives them two weeks to vacate. The purchase price for the home is scarcely enough to cover a small apartment. Dejected in defeat, the family begins to pack.
A new breath of hope comes with the surprise arrival of Lawrence, who reveals himself as a retired Queen's Counsel. Lawrence has taken an interest in the Kerrigans' case and offers to argue before the High Court of Australia on their behalf, pro bono. Lawrence makes a persuasive case that the Kerrigans have the right to just terms of compensation for acquisition of property under Section 51(xxxi) of the Australian Constitution. He closes by paraphrasing Darryl's own comments that his house is more than just a structure of bricks and mortar, but a home built with love and shared memories. The court rules in favour of the Kerrigans, and their case becomes a landmark precedent on the subject. An epilogue shows that the Kerrigans continue to prosper happily, and Lawrence becomes a lasting friend of the family.
Cast
- Michael Caton as Darryl Kerrigan, the patriarch of the family
- Anne Tenney as Sal Kerrigan, his loving wife
- Stephen Curry as Dale Kerrigan, the youngest son and narrator of the film
- Sophie Lee as Tracey Petropoulous (née Kerrigan), the family's only daughter, a newlywed hair dresser
- Eric Bana as Con Petropoulous, Tracey's new husband, an accountant and amateur kickboxer
- Anthony Simcoe as Steve Kerrigan, the middle son, an amateur inventor and "ideas man"
- Wayne Hope as Wayne Kerrigan, the black sheep, who is serving time for armed robbery but loves his family regardless
- Tiriel Mora as Dennis Denuto, a bumbling small-time lawyer who previously failed to defend Wayne from his charge
- Costas Kilias as Farouk, the Kerrigans' neighbour
- Charles 'Bud' Tingwell as Lawrence Hammill, a retired lawyer who comes to the Kerrigans' aid
- John Flaus as Sgt. Kennedy, a local police officer
- Tony Martin as Adam Hammill, Lawrence's son. (Cameo)
- Ian Ross appears as himself, a Channel Nine newsreader
- Larry Emdur appears as himself, the host of The Price is Right
- Brian Dawe as a Lawyer for Air Link
Background
The humour in The Castle plays on the self image of Australians, most notably the concepts of working class Australians and their place in the modern Australia.[3] The film title is named for the English saying, repeatedly used in the film, "a man's home is his castle". The film also refers to the land rights movement of the Australian Aborigines, with Darryl Kerrigan drawing an explicit parallel between his struggle and theirs. It also draws on one of the few rights protected in the Australian Constitution for subject matter, the right to just terms compensation for acquisition of property under s51(xxxi). Also interspersed in the film are many references to famous Australian Constitutional Law Cases, such as Mabo and the Tasmanian Dams Case. The film also deals with section 109 of the Constitution which provides that in the case of an inconsistency between Federal and State law, the Federal law shall prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.
Production
The Castle was filmed mostly in Melbourne, Australia. The external shots of the Kerrigan household were shot at 3 Dagonet St, Strathmore, and airport footage was shot at Essendon Airport and Melbourne Airport. Location shots of Brunswick feature in the film, including Brunswick Town Hall. Melbourne's 200 Queen Street and the Supreme Court of Victoria are featured along with the High Court of Australia in Canberra. Some of the film is set in Bonnie Doon, and a very small portion of it was shot there.
The name Kerrigan was chosen for the family so that tow trucks for the film could be borrowed from an existing Melbourne tow truck company with that name.[4]
In January 2011, 3491 Maintongoon Road, Bonnie Doon was listed for sale. The property appeared in the film as the Kerrigan family holiday house.[5] The property's real estate agent reported that many people called and after requesting the asking price, replied with a quote from the movie - "tell him he's dreaming".[6]
Alternative versions
In the US version, there were several minor changes to dialogue. "Rissole" was changed to "meatloaf", "two-stroke" was changed to "diesel", references to the Australian TV show Hey Hey It's Saturday were changed to Funniest Home Videos, and the brand names of the various cars in the driveway were changed from Australian (Camira) to American ones (Corolla).[7]
The Australian TV-Version for "before 8.30pm screening" has scenes of explicit language either completely cut, where possible, masked by aircraft noises or redubbed when lip movements are not visible. When broadcast after 8:30pm, all explicit language is intact.
Box office
The Castle grossed A$10,326,428 at the box office in Australia,[8] making back over 500% of its A$19,000 budget.
Awards
Australian Film Institute Awards
Wins.
Nominations.
See also
References
External links
