On this first day of spring, as warm and sunny as it turned out to be, I felt a bit flat, and so I turned to an old-time favourite to cheer me up: "The Castle", still considered one of the most iconic and greatest Australian films ever made.
It's all about every Australian family's dream. A quarter-acre block. A Pool Room. A barbie. And an airport over the back fence.
Shot in eleven days on a budget of just A$750,000, on its cinema release in Australia on 10 April 1997, it grossed A$10,326,428 at the box office. Some of the quotes from the movie have become part of the Australian vernacular, none more so than Darryl's "Tell 'em they're dreamin'!"
"How's the serenity?"
"That's going straight to the pool room!"
"It's the Constitution, it's Mabo, it's the vibe..."
"What are you calling an eyesore? It's called a home ya dickhead!"
"It's not just a house... it's a home!"
"Dad, he reckons powerlines are a reminder of man's ability to generate electricity."
"The real estate agent said 'location location location' and we were right next to the airport!"
"Dad still can’t work out how he got it so cheap. It’s worth almost as much today as when we bought it."
"We're right next to the airport. It'll be very convenient if we ever have to fly one day."
"He say plane fly overhead, drop value. I don't care. In Beirut, plane fly over, drop bomb. I like these planes."
"Dad reckons fishing is 10% brains and 95% muscle, the rest is just good luck."
"Tell 'em they're dreamin'!"
Michael Caton, who was 54 years old at the time, was paid $3,000 for his starring role as Darryl Kerrigan. Caton later said that the real value of the film came from the decades of career opportunities it created for him afterward, because it sent his career straight to the pool room.
There are only trailers and other bits and pieces on YouTube. And there's no point in hoping to find a cheap copy at your local op-shop, as over the years I must've have bought them all to give as a present to visitors to "Riverbend" and give to friends here or send to friends overseas.
If you want to see the full movie, you can still buy it on ebay, or by clicking here, after which you can take it straight to your pool room.
