The Castle Voted The Most Quintessentially Australian Film Of All Time

Remember the 1998 movie The Castle? Of course you do, and you love it. So it shouldn't come as any great surprise to learn that it's been voted the most classic Australian film of all time.

It was a battle of the big guns in a survey that included 16 iconic Aussie films - a mixture of old and new favourites. The winner worked strongly through the pack, beating the likes of Wolf Creek and Rabbit Proof Fence - both films that deal with outback Australia in very different ways.

Other names that managed to get to the second round include Gallipoli, Red Dog, Crocodile Dundee, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Muriel's Wedding and Strictly Ballroom.

Red Dog was another strong contender, coming in second to the incredible story about a man just trying to hold onto his castle.

The Castle was released in 1997 and still holds its appeal today.

The film's synopsis reads: "The Kerrigan home, in the outer Melbourne blue-collar suburb of Coolaroo, 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 airport.

"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."

Michael Caton and his on-screen family portray that beautiful Aussie spirit throughout the film, which is littered with classic lines like 'a man's home is his castle', 'how's the serenity' and 'we're going to Bonnie Doon'.

The story is an epic David vs Goliath tale that has been treasured in Australian culture.

Incredibly, the whole thing was filmed in just 10 days. The entire project, from original idea to final cut, only took five weeks to bring to fruition.

The original home from the movie was put up for auction in 2011 and when loads of people kept calling an asking for a price valuation, the agent kept replying with: "Tell him he's dreamin'."

You bloody ripper!

Featured Image Credit: Roadshow Entertainment

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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