Product Description

In the laugh-filled tradition of THE FULL MONTY, THE CASTLE is a hilarious comedy treat critics hailed as one of the year's funniest movies! Even though there's an airport practically running through their backyard, the eccentric Kerrigan clan loves their humble home. But when the airfield needs room to expand, the government says that the Kerrigans have to go! With an irresistable charm and irrepressible humor everyone is sure to enjoy, the hilarity then really takes flight when this funny family decides to stay and fight for their beloved "castle" ... no matter how far the conflict goes!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8859 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-11-16
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 84 minutes

Amazon.com
The title of The Castle refers to a ramshackle suburban tract house so close to an airport that planes fly mere yards above the roof. Worse than that, it's built on a toxic landfill and right beside humming high-power lines. But to patriarch Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) and his dim-witted but cheerful brood it's home. Darryl has devoted himself to constantly improving it with modifications like a false chimney that, as he brags to a man sent to estimate the value of the property, makes the house look more picturesque. When the owners of the airport serve Darryl notice that his home is being compulsorily purchased, Darryl hires a small-time lawyer and pursues his case all the way to the Australian Supreme Court. This Australian box-office smash wasn't as successful as The Full Monty in American theaters, but it has something of the same buoyant spirit. The Castle actually plays better on the small screen; its relationship with its characters is much like the farcical intimacy of classic British sitcoms like Fawlty Towers, in which crazed behavior is balanced by the genuine warmth of the whole cast. Caton in particular is a sweet, engaging presence; Darryl Kerrigan is a fool, but a fool with dignity, and he carries you through the movie. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Great movie - shame about the edits
As a Pom who has just moved back from Australia, I thought I would buy this DVD to remind me what I'm missing. It is, of course, a great film and a funny one. However, I should warn anyone who has seen and loved the film in its original Australian release that there are some rather annoying edits for the American market. For example, Darryl now thinks that 'The only thing funnier than Funniest Home Videos is the best of Funniest Home Videos'. RIP Hey Hey it's Saturday. He's also waiting for some 'Cheap facing' for the extra room he's building. Oh, and no-one in the family has 'ever left their home town'. The idea that 'no-one's been further than Alice Springs' was obviously deemed meaningless.

Not only that, but (and I'm sure this isn't my imagination) there are some rather interesting background music additions. Some of it is pretty sappy.

Unfortunately, until a DVD version is released in Australia there is no alternative for people who want to get a copy of this film, but be warned - if you're a die-hard purist you will find this a bit annoying.

US version vs original version
I must have watched the original version of this film (bought in Australia on VHS) at least 10 times. For many years I've wanted to get rid of the VHS version and buy it on DVD. During trips to Australia over the last few years I have tried to buy it (region 4, PAL), but have always been told that it is not available on DVD.

How disappointing that Australians have to buy the US version on DVD, which is technically illegal - and unless they have illegally modified their DVD players to watch region 1 discs, technically impossible.

Australian veiwers will then be further horrified when they find that their cult film has been altered in about 30 places. Many words and phrases have been changed, and the fact that the words don't match the lip movements is patently obvious. Music has been changed, music has been added where it didn't exist, and some scenes (which were very funny!) have been deleted entirely. For example - watch the trailer on the disc, the scene where she talks about not having kids until she is "at least 23" has been removed entirely. Why? The running time is only 84 minutes!

Fantastic film, but a huge thumbs down for Miramax. If the rest of the world is forced to listen to American slang and work it out using context, why can't the US listen to the slang from another country? I'm sure the writers of the Castle were less than thrilled to have their work altered in this way.

Then of course some American audiences are wondering about the rating - R. The only reason for this is the f... word. On a recent trip to the US I observed that 8 out of 12 films at a local cinema were rated R. In some cases these same films are rated 12-14 in Switzerland. For those wondering - the original rating on the Australian version was "M 15+ medium level course language"

Some might argue that American audiences would have be unable to understand an unaltered version, but please - is there really a big difference between "scooped it [icecream] out of the punnet" (original) and "scooped it out of the bowl" (US). Or the plane flying overhead is no longer from Brisbane, it is "Sydney to Melbourne" in the US version. "Tertiary education" is also deemed too difficult and is instead simplified to "College education". This is but a small selection....

So in short - fanstastic film - but I'm keeping my original VHS version. Should the Australian distributors ever decide to make this great film available on DVD for their own audiences, I'll be the first to buy a copy.

My text, despite what the system might say, refers to the *DVD* version of this film. I can only assume that the American VHS version has been similarly altered from the Australian version.

Flat out hilarious
Living where I live, there was zero chance of seeing this film in a theater so I bought the video on the recommendation of a friend from Australia (thanks Natalie). Turns out that it's one of the funniest films I've ever had the pleasure to see. In it you'll find Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) fighting for his 'Castle'. Facing seemingly impossible odds against the compulsory acquisition of his home by a quasi-governmental airport authority, to make way for an airport expansion project, Darryl takes them head on, and with hysterical results. The ensuing battle will leave you cheering for Darryl, his family, and yes, even his hapless lawyer, Dennis. I laughed so hard my sides hurt and I was in tears.

This is a warm, 'make you feel good' film, chock full of great, quirky characters that are nicely developed and wonderfully portrayed.

Folks, this is definitely one of the funniest, most charming comedies you'll ever see (in my humble opinion). Unless your sense of humor has been surgically removed, you'll laugh 'til it hurts, so buy it!! (or borrow it, not my copy of course)

P.S. If you'd like to see a couple more really nice Aussie flicks, look for 'Muriel's Wedding' and 'Soft Fruit' (a very dark and touching comedy). They're both on my list of favorites along with The Castle.

Enjoy!!