‘The Castle’
Film Study.
Comprehension Questions
1) The Kerrigans seem to be frozen in the 1950s and 1960s in terms of many of
their values and attitudes – an era in which travel was beyond the reach of most
families and post‐war immigration was still novel. Make a growing list of the
attitudes and values of the Kerrigans and Con. In particular, emphasise those
aspects that are intended to be typically “Australian”, as well as those which may
strike you as being associated with earlier decades, such as the 1950s – early
1960s.
2) Sound is an important aspect of filmmaking. How do the diegetic sound
effects over the opening titles subtly suggest the ways in which global forces are
encroaching on the lives of the Kerrigans?
3) “My name is Dale Kerrigan, and this is my story.”
a) What immediate impression do we gain of Dale? Consider body language,
costume and his lines?
b) The character Dale is an example of a narrative technique termed the naïve
narrator. As the film goes on, think of reasons why the filmmakers have made
Dale the central character.
4) “Our family lives at 3 Highview Crescent, Coolaroo. As the real estate agent
said, ‘Location, location, location.’” (At this point the house is shown in an
establishing shot to be next to the airport runway.)
a) The humour in this scene can be said to be an example of dramatic irony.
Explain the irony – and what it immediately tells us about the Kerrigans.
b) Is there irony in their street name?
5) Before the threat of the compulsory acquisition, Darryl seems quite attuned
to the society in which he lives – he is anything but an agitator. How is this
impression created? (Consider his views on the powerlines near his property).
6) In the first shots in which the film introduces Darryl, low angle shots are
used. How do these shots position our response to Darryl?
7) What first impressions of this family are conveyed in the first kitchen scene?
8) Why might the filmmakers have created a family with such traditional
gender roles?
9) The Kerrigans have been created to convey the image of the “Aussie battler”,
a stereotype frequently invoked by politicians to stir the heart‐strings of voters.
Sum up the ways in which the Kerrigans fit the stereotype.
10) Tracy’s appearance on “The Price is Right” tells us a few things about her
family’s attitudes and values.
a) She does not know the price of travel luggage. What is being suggested about
the family’s habits?
b) Do they like to view locally‐produced or overseas‐produced TV programs?
(Keep track of their viewing habits as the film progresses.)
11) What does the wedding scene show about how the world is becoming “a
global village”? Include some key lines that show how Darryl is having to change
his attitudes to non‐Anglo‐Celtic Australians.
12) The obsession with the “Trading Post”, a weekly publication in which people
advertise goods that they wish sell privately, suggests that Darryl and the boys
see the city as having some aspects of a village. Why is this important to the film,
and the theme “The Global Village”?
13) The exposition of the film ends with the close‐up shot of the council valuer’s
knock on the door. At what stage in the hero’s journey plot structure might this
correspond?
14) How does the scene with the council valuer underline Darryl’s naiveté?
15) Darryl: “They’re acquiring it compulsorily!”
a) This is an example of legalese, the jargon of the legal profession (Macquarie
Dictionary: “the specialist and often obscure language in which legal
documents are expressed”).
We will see that such language is used throughout the film by officials who
seek to do the bidding of the Barlow Group (the powerful company that
wants to take over the Kerrigans’ house).
What seems to be the purpose of this legalese?
16) THE SCENE IN THE COUNCIL OFFICE.
a) What is the reason for the compulsory acquisition? Quote key lines.
b) What are the levels of government that are involved in setting up Airlink
with the Barlow Group? What might this suggest about the power of
powerful companies to influence the affairs of individual countries and the
lives of their citizens?
c) What is the intention of the council official in her use of formal register and
“legalese” when speaking to Darryl?
d) What argument does Darryl give to protest the council actions?
e) The scene begins with a low angle establishing shot of the municipal
offices. What impression is intended here?
17) Note the use of music in the film to comment on the action. All of the featured
artists are Australian (Paul Kelly, Alison Krauss, Kate Ceberano). How does the
use of local talent help the film make its point?
18) Dinner in the Kerrigan kitchen (“Hello hello hello! How’s this, boys? Whoo
hoo!”).
a) Scenes such as this are important in positioning the viewers to sympathise
with the Kerrigans. How does the mise en scene of the kitchen influence us
to like the Kerrigans (even if we might not agree with their taste)?
19) DARRYL: I bet Thailand doesn’t have places like this, Con. I’m curious… now I
know it’s unfair to compare any place to Bonnie Doon, but why would you want
to go there instead of here?
CON: It’s the culture, the place is full of culture.
TRACY: Chockers!
a) What does this dialogue at Bonnie Doon further emphasise about Darryl’s
attitude to the “global village”?
b) Is this a generational phenomenon? How do Con and Tracy differ from
Darryl? To what extent have they embraced the notion of the global village?
20) Tracy: I’m not having kids until I’m at least 23.
Sal: Times have changed.
This dialogue reminds us that the Kerrigan women seem to have had limited
exposure to feminism and women’s liberation, even though these
movements have had a profound cultural influence across the Western
world. What are your thoughts on this? Can it be said that the Kerrigans’ lack
of interest in the world outside of Cooloroo has deprived them of some of the
advantages of the global village?
21) We have mentioned the hero’s’ journey structure of the major plot‐line of the
film. There is a secondary or sub‐plot that concerns Wayne, the son in prison.
a) What is the picture that he keeps taped to his cell wall?
b) How does this add to the emotional appeal of the film? (Hint: will Wayne
have a home to return to upon his release?)
22) The scene in the Kerrigan kitchen with Jack and Farouk: how does this scene
show that Darryl is increasingly finding himself in a “global village”?
23) Torana, Commodore, Camira and Cortina… apart from the comic word‐play
on the part of the writers, what is significant about these car names? (Where
were they all made?) What is being implied about the Kerrigans’ attitude to other
countries and cultures?
24) THE ADMINISTRATIVE TRIAL
a) How do high angle and low angle shots in this sequence help create the sense
that Darryl will lose at this level of the legal system?
b) Farouk goes with him to the tribunal hearing. What is implied about Darryl’s
values? Is he gradually coming to terms with some aspects of life in a global
village?
c) In terms of the hero’s journey plot structure, at what stage is Darryl?
25) DENNIS: The Barlow Group IS Airlink…. It’s government authority, but the
money’s coming from the Barlow Group. It’s a way of privatising without
privatising… They want this thing to work. They’re gonna get their way… They
wrote the rules. They own the game.
a) What political point is being made about big business and democracy?
b) DENNIS: …Maybe it’s just cheaper to pull down more houses. What statement
is being made about economic rationalism in the global village?
26) Hammersley and Laycock are the Barlow Group’s lawyers.
a) What camera techniques are used in the establishing shot of their office
building to emphasise the power of the firm?
b) In contrast, what impression are we given of Dennis Denuto’s office in its
establishing shot?
27) We can if we wish read this film as an allegory for small countries caught up
in the processes of globalisation. This allows a more complex consideration of
what the film may have to say about the shrinking of the world to a global village
– there are winners and losers in the “village” at the international level.
28) The pool room scene– Darryl and sally
DARRYL: I’m really startin’ to understand how the Aborigines feel.
SALLY: Have you been drinkin’?
DARRYL: Well, this house is like their land. It holds their memories. The land
is their stories. This country’s gotta stop stealin’ other people’s land.
29) How have Darryl’s experiences broadened his understanding of other
cultures beyond Cooloroo?
30) There is a close‐up in this scene of Darryl looking at the photograph of the
family gathered in the front yard (including Wayne). How does this shot
correspond to Darryl’s lines about “how the Aborigines feel”?
31) a)How does Darryl inadvertently engage Hammill’s sympathy? What quality
in Darryl does Hammil respond to?
b)To what stage in the hero’s journey plot structure does this meeting most
closely correspond?
32) Outside the high court in Canberra: Darryl, Mr Hammil, Dennis.
a) To what stage in the hero’s journey plot structure does this moment most
closely correspond?
b) What is the intention of the extreme low angle on the three men, combined
with the stirring non‐diegetic music?
c) How does the line “Let’s stick it up ‘em” humorously undercut the moment?
33) Inside the high court
HAMMIL: …not that our children will have a place to live, but whether they will
have prompt delivery of their parcels.
How do these lines (humorously) sum up some of the advantages and
disadvantages of living in a global village?
34) Outside the high court, during the adjournment, afternoon.
a) How does the camera convey a sense of three good men fighting a good fight?
Consider camera angle, shot length and lighting .
b) DARYLL: How dare they… an “eyesore”… that just goes to show that they just
don’t get it… it means they’re judgin’ the place by what it looks like… because
of that. It’s not worth savin’…
Could there be a lesson here on how the members of the global village should
learn to behave towards each other? That we should be aware of our own
attitudes and prejudices and learn that other cultures (ie members of the
global village) cannot be judged on shallow surface perceptions?
35) The Kerrigans’ victory party Highview Crescent, Ooloroo.
a) To what stage of the hero’s journey does this scene correspond?
b) Beyond the right to keep their home, what else does their victory represent?
c) (Consider: human values, local customs and identity, community
connections.)
d) What negative aspects of the global village have been defeated? (Consider:
economic rationalism, disrespect for local cultures)
36) The closing montage 12 , portraying the Kerrigans’ change of luck,
corresponds to what stage in the hero’s journey?
37) How do you respond to the ending? Does it strike you as too much a fairy‐
tale ending? Or does it work within the framework of the film? (Is there textual
integrity?)
38) Perhaps in order to fully cohere to the hero’s journey plot structure, the film
returns to the opening shot of Dale (“My name is Dale Kerrigan, and that was my
story.”) Comment on the use of Dale as narrator at the end of the film.
39) The film enjoyed some additional fame at the time of its release because it
had been made on an extremely small budget, yet enjoyed substantial success in
the USA. How can you explain the global success of this local product?
40) Note in the credits how the main members of the Working Dog partnership
(Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Jane Kennedy) functioned in a
number of production roles in the making of the film – confirming the “home
grown” feel of the production. List ways in which the film has a ‘homegrown’ feel.
How do these features support the ideas of the film?
41) How does this film highlight some of the inherent difficulties for Australian
filmmakers who might want to compete in the global media marketplace?