2020 English Trials Module A Essay PDF

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Mark in trials: 15/20 The 1997 Film, The Castle  was directed by Australian satirist Rob Sitch. It was made as a satirical drama that follows the life of the average Australian Family in the 1970s. The film primarily focuses on the journey of Darryl Kerrigan, the main character and depicts the typical ‘Aussie Battler’ as he battles against the authorities & courts to get his own family’s and his neighbours houses back. The composer, Rob Sitch, is able to shape a sense of cultural identity through the use of film techniques which give the viewer an insight into the various cultural identities, including; The pompous nature of the upper class, the typical ‘Aussie Battler attitude’, and the conservative depiction of females. The culture of the upper class in the film is shaped to be pompous of snobby, whereas some characters in the film reject this identity and challenge some of th stereotypical beliefs about this upper class. This stereotypical cultural identity can be found during the scene at the court where Darryl is up against a group of lawyers and solicitors. Rob Sitch uses a mid-shot which captures the upper body of one of the lawyers and his facial expression, showing a smirk at Darryl & his incompetent lawyer, and friend, Dennis Denuto. The smirking facial expression is in response to a lacklustre response to the magistrate, demonstrated by the continued stuttering and accompanying close up shot of Dennis which captures his hands and body as they flap around papers to find a somewhat impossible to find legislation or case that he is trying to refer to, in order to back up his claim. The mid-shot that captured the upper-class AirLink lawyer’s smug facial expression also captures the backup, showing the accompanying lawyers holding in a laugh which highlights their pompous and snobby nature which reinforces some of the stereotypes which people may draw upon. The film techniques used here are able to shape this cultural identity of the upper class, however, a character such as Lawrence, a QC who Darryl meets in the public area inside of the magistrate’s court. Lawrence an upper-class citizen challenges this sense of culture as his conversation with Darryl is heavily contrasted to that of the lawyers. Sitch uses a panning shot, which then stops at a close-up shot of the two at eye-level height. The use of a eye-level shot demonstrates that they are on the same level of social standing. The viewer would have no idea that Lawrence makes a large income if he hadn’t revealed his job later on. The quote from Darryl “You must be proud as punch” creates a relaxed atmosphere which receives a joyful grin from Lawrence and agrees with Darryl, during their conversation about their children. This line is combined with a close-up shot of Lawrence to reveal this joyful facial expression, creating this relaxed environment, which is juxtaposed to the previous scene where there is high intensity during the legal battle that Darryl & Dennis are having with the AirLink lawyers. These two experiences capture both sides of the upper class in Australia, which gives a more rounded and equal view of this cultural identity and reinforces stereotypes, however, characters like Lawrence are able to challenge these assumptions one might have. The cultural identity of the “Aussie Battler” is primarily created by the main character, Darryl Kerrigan. Rob Sitch has created this film, The Castle to reinforce our assumptions about the Aussie Battler way of life, such as the Aussie Battler’s love and care for his family and friends

and the opposing nature against the authorities is captured through Darryl Kerrigan. This sense of cultural identity is shaped by Rob Sitch’s use of film techiques and diague to create this culture. This is found in a scene at Bonnydoon, the family’s holiday destination where the use of a long shot capturing the nature surrounding their holiday home eventually fades into a mid-shot of Darryl and his wife Sal on the porch of this home. Darryl says “How’s the serenity” which refers to the classic Australian sounds of nature of birds, rivers, etc. This quote also refers to the serenity between all the family members who are present at Bonnydoon, capturing his love and care for his family and friends. This midshot of Darryl and Sal is able to create a relaxed environment as Darryl and his wife share a smile, highlighting their satisfaction and clearly shows how Darryl’s ‘Aussie battler’ cultural identity is being depicted through his love for family and friends. Another scene highlights the Aussie battler’s opposition towards the authorities during a dinner table scene at the home of the Kerrigans, The use of a panning shot captures the emotions of all the family members who are trying to deal with the fact that the authorities are trying to compulsorily acquire their homes. The Aussie battlers defiant nature against the authorities is captured by a close-up shot of Darryl who gives an inspiring speech to his family about how they won’t let their home go. Darryl deciding he is going to take them to court to fight against the large corporations who seemingly have it very easy. The close-up shot of Darryl shows the passion in his face as he describes the actions he is going to take and builds the tension, as well as raising hopes for his family, highlighting his Aussie battler qualities and overall shaping the cultural identity of the Aussie battler in the castle. In conclusion, Rob Sitch’s use of film techniques and dialogue in his film, The Castle is able to accurately shape the various cultural identities in the film, including the pompous nature of the upper class, shown through the AirLink lawyer’s, but challenged by Lawrence, as well as the cultural identity of the Aussie Battler, expertly depicted in Darryl Kerrigan. These cultural identities were shaped and mostly affirmed by Sitch’s film, however, some challenges these typical cultural identities....