The Castle is a 1997 Australian comedy film that gained widespread acclaim in Australia, but was not widely distributed globally.

The Castle starred Michael Caton and Anne Tenney, Eric Bana, and Charles 'Bud' Tingwell. Directed by Rob Sitch, the screenwriting team comprised Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Jane Kennedy of Working Dog Productions. The Castle was filmed in 11 days on a budget of approximately AUD$19,000. It grossed AU$10,326,428 at the box office in Australia. The Castle was Eric Bana's first film .

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 empty housing tract, on a toxic landfill, beneath powerlines, 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. The next day, he receives a letter informing him of the compulsory acquisition of his house for the sum of AU$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' meager 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 former 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 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 favor 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.

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. The movie title is named for the English saying, repeatedly used in the film, "A man's home is his castle." This very same expression was used throughout Gambotto vs. WCP, a front-page Australian case that dealt with the compulsory acquisition of shares from minority shareholders; Giancarlo Gambotto's win changed Australian corporate law and was later the subject of a book by Ian Ramsay, a Professor of Law at Melbourne University. 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. 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.

Filming locations

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.

Alternative versions

In the USA version, there were several cosmetic changes. Among them, 'rissole' was changed to 'meatloaf', 'two-stroke' was changed to 'diesel', the references to the Australian TV show Hey Hey It's Saturday have been changed to Funniest Home Videos, and the brand names of the various cars in the driveway were changed from an Australian (Camira) to an American one (Corolla) .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 can't be seen.

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
• Anthony Simcoe as Steve Kerrigan, the middle son, an amateur inventor and "ideas man"
• Sophie Lee as Tracey Petropoulous (née Kerrigan), the family's only daughter, a newlywed hair dresser
• 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
• Eric Bana as Con Petropoulous, Tracey's new husband, an accountant and amateur kickboxer
• Costas Kilias as Farouk, the Kerrigans' neighbor
• 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 has a cameo as Lawrence Hammill's son
• 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

See also

• Mabo v Queensland
• Australian Constitutional Law

References

External links

• The Castle at the National Film and Sound Archive
• DVD release details including region 1 vs. 4 comparison