A Castle; The Medi Evil Nightmare
A Castle; The Medi Evil Nightmare is a film written by Diarmuid Hannigan, contact details. Tel 0401416305 email charada@thecommunitycollaborators.com
The purpose of this film is to raise the consciousness of Australian society, through the means of a tragic comedy, by exposing the nations brutal history and how the failings of the past are very much relevant to our contemporary existence when it comes to engaging with the legal profession.
The film exposes the reason for the disrespect of family and community within Australia`s Judicial Structure and the impact this has on the contemporary Australian family, it explores its roots within the reality of Terra Nullius and the desperate need to make a Treaty with the original peoples of the land.
PITCH FOR FILM.
How the film relates to you and how you can help.
We are all aware of the law and how significant a role it plays in our lives; we all assume we can trust the law, however the law covers every aspect of our lives, from our inception at birth along the journey to love and marriage 40% ending in divorce and finally in death. All along this journey we will encounter the gate keepers to this mystical world, the lawyers.
Barristers Dressed in Wigs And Gowns their daily charge rate has no bounds.
Many of us who have traveled this journey either through divorce, dispute, debt, and disability have experienced the rigors of the Australian Legal System and guess what 80% of us are dissatisfied with the product but we are all completely dis empowered to make things better and are left to suck it up.
By becoming part of the investment team we can all participate in creating a product which will when produced bring about a shift in the consciousness of our culture and ultimately force this out dated and unaccountable cartel to be held to account.
The Australian diaspora is a fertile ground for ridicule particularly when it comes to the antics of our judicial brethren. There is an abundance of material available within our contemporary society to generate a tragic comedy with the use of our unique culture and the versatile twists of irony that we are currently exposed to.
Description of the film.
Australia was invaded by A “Medieval Castle”, a European construct of war and exploitation. The lack of Treaty means our current legal structure is failing all of the people in our nation, both the original peoples and the families that make up the wider community; through its failure to respect family and community.
“A Castle” portrays the reality of the nation’s legal roots, brings them into a contemporary world and blends the modern with the spirituality of its soul, its original peoples, to bring about a solution through healing, via a “Tragic Comedy”.
The story is structured upon a trinity, The Everyday Australian Family, The Aboriginal People and The Lawyers, (the people who run the judicial structure, and those whom they protect). Australia’s relationship with sheep, thread throughout the film to bring together a story that exposes the clash of cultures that impacts upon our contemporary society.
The story of the Australian Family is about the death of the last remaining parent in a family and how the estate and the family are treated after the death of the father by the legal profession.
The story of The Aboriginal Peoples` is about their destruction through legal process and the invasion of the sheep and their request for acknowledgment of a 50,000 year old spiritual connection to country through a formalised treaty.
The story of The Lawyers, the Judicial Structure is about the culture of the people who have formed it, the culture of the people who operate within it and their cultural disrespect for family and community in favour of their own financial gain, the role they have placed in the past in the attempts of annihilation of the aboriginal peoples through to the present day atrocities, based upon a culture of exploitation which are continuing to be inflicted upon all our community, both black and white.
The film identifies the historical flaws within the Australian Legal Structure through its failure to have a treaty with its original peoples and the consequences of that omission, which has prevented “the respect of family and community” to be a critical element in the formation of our Judicial System and the laws we live by.
The hubris that exudes through the behaviour and the sense of superiority above the citizens of the nation, displayed by the lawyer cartel is a fertile store to display its irony through targeted humour, more aptly described as taking the piss.
The film utilises the similarities of oppressive legalism currently in use against The Everyday Australian Family and what has and is being used against The Aboriginal People.
When the father of the family Walter dies he passes into the world of the spirit. Through that portal Walter`s spirit becomes enmeshed with those spirits that have formed this country. Through friendship and trust a bond is formed between these two cultures as they work together to create a change. The inequity created by the invasion of The Medieval Castle is exposed and shown to adversely impact on everyone.
A divinity via a message from the full moon and a plebiscite held on Facebook forces us to question and to demand a structural change within the working of the law and the behaviour of those who practice it.
The chasm of power inequity between the two entities; “The Judicial structure”, the defenders of the castle, those who live within its walls and “The everyday people”, the exploited peasants who live outside the castle walls, provide an abundance of electrifying material for a tragic comedy.
Through that wry humour unique to the Australian vehicular, the film projects the modern day inequity the Australian people face due to the historical denial of respect for family and community without treaty that are the laws that have formed our judicial structure. The wool industry and the invasion of the sheep is the thread that binds the film entwined with the original peoples and the ancient spirit of this land.
A More detailed description of the film.
Section one.
The main character Walter Riley emerges from the exit of the Flagstaff underground railway station in central Melbourne which is adjacent to the Federal Court that borders the Flagstaff gardens in central Melbourne. This was the lookout used by the founder of Melbourne John Batman and his fellow colonists which is located on top of the hill close by to Melbourne`s first cemetery. The Song by Yothu Yindy, “Treaty Now” is played in the background as treaty is the connection between respect for family and community which is absent from the legal matrix, a matrix without a legitimate structure. Walter is on his way to get his will written by Campbell Gamble, a city lawyer and partner in the law firm Kalamity Khaos and Krook. (KKK). Walter enters a park The Flagstaff gardens situated close to the home of John Batman the founder of Melbourne.
Walter encounters an Aboriginal spirit and a conversation occurs between the Aboriginal man, John Batman and himself, as an ex-convict now sheep herder. The scene drops back in time and is set at the Flagstaff Gardens but in such a way as to depict the original state of the landscape. The scene incorporates ancient trees as old as 700 years that make up the original spiritual landscape of Australia and are still very much a part of the original people’s cultural intelligence as they are the places where their mothers gave birth to their children and form a connection with country that is timeless.
Walter returns to the present day in The Flagstaff Gardens and comes across a spiritual healing fire the source of the music and the theme of treaty, family and community are portrayed.
Walter meets with the lawyer, Campbell Gamble of Kalamity Khaos and Krook KKK a descendant of the squattocracy and has his will written. The lawyer constructs the will which preordains the scene for a dispute between the lawyer and the family, (Walters’s children after Walter has died) the lawyer’s modus operandi.
Campbell Gamble is a member of a secret society of lawyers and is involved in arranging an event which will display six ancient aboriginal skulls that were stolen and are held in Scotland in a museum.
Section two.
On Walters’s way home he sits by the river, a billabong. He contemplates a scene from his childhood where his father stops the car to collect a dead sheep so as to retrieve the dead wool for a few pennies.
A revised version of Waltzing Matilda, “Once a happy family lived by a billabong”, is sung to the Queensland version of the song. Again he meets the aboriginal spirit, the inequity in the law, the Aborigines find a sheep and are killed, the squatter finds the land, murders the Aboriginals who found the sheep which is supported by the law of theft by finding, an inequity from the very beginning.
Walter arrives at his house and hides the will in a hole in the wall in his bedroom which happens to be one of the outside walls of the house. His daughter Betsy and grandson Troy arrive when he is in the back yard.
Troy has landed a job in pharmaceuticals which involves laundering money through an ATM for a shifty character called Tony an old school mate of Walter`s.
The film shifts to a scene where the bankers cut a very large discount on their fine with the regulators from $970 billion to $700 million an amount of less than 0.1% of the maximum fine for the sake of survival of the whole Australian monetary system. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia was caught on 53,700 breaches of money laundering law by allowing cash transactions over and above $10,000 to occur through their ARM machines. The maximum fine per offence is $18 Million dollars.
Section Three.
Robert Thorpe an aboriginal elder: talking about the inequity in the legal structure and the relevance of treaty and respect for family and community in our laws.
Archie Roach sings “They took the children away”, the final disgrace.
Campbell Gamble drops into the RSL on his way to the Grand-final he spots a Pokie Machine with a reserved sign on it that was reserved by Betsy; Walter`s daughter. Campbell ignores the sign plays the machine, gets a win and leaves before Betsy notices.
Walter arrives with the rest of the family and Tony is also there to watch the grand final, Collingwood supporters all dressed up in their Collingwood gear. Walter is getting the signs of a heart attack during the thrill of the game but due to his excitement and obsession with football he does not notice nor does anyone else. Walter dies of a heart attack after West Coast mark the ball five minutes before the end of the game while Collingwood are still in front.
The Collingwood supporters mention the theft of the cup by West Coast and the Aboriginal component retort: “You stole our land, there has never been a treaty and all is fair in love and war.
Walter`s death makes the news, Collingwood Supporter dies of excitement whilst watching the Grand Final. Campbell Gamble by watching the death notices knows when and where the funeral will be held.
Section four.
Walters’s funeral
Walters’s funeral occurs at a small church in Halls Gap, the song “Living in the land down under” by Men at Work, is played. As the song is being played during the funeral Campbell Gamble is busy finding the cash stashed under Walter`s mattress, locating the family heirlooms which are stored in a safe and arranging with the locksmith to change the locks on the house.
Campbell arrives at the feast of the Vultures held in an old court room under the Old Melbourne Magistrates Court. The lawyers from various areas, family, injury, deceased estates, bankruptcy, aged care, property, criminal and last but not least lawyers representing infrastructure, the Rhodes` who build roads whist devouring our ancient birthing trees are all there: each one feasting on their particular delicacy of human misery, feasting upon family cohesion through dismemberment and division to boost their own fees. The important government regulators also attend and share in this feast.
Walter is buried in the country cemetery; his spirit leaves the grave as the Kookaburra song is playing. The song is haunting sung by young children and backed up by a digeridoo, the sound of the kookaburra and the night.
He enters the surrounding forest and encounters a group of spirits sitting by the campfire. There is a predominance of aboriginal elders, Note there are many more people of aboriginal decent in the spirit world due to the 50,000 history. Ned Kelly without a head is floating around along with six other headless aboriginal spirits being led by Walter`s dead dog Bluey.
He is handed a Coopers, a slice of Charada (cheesecake) obtained from the wake, Charada being love magic in the aboriginal language, and made to feel welcome. There is a Tatts Lotto Machine in the background, not working.
Section Five
Lawyer stitches up the family
Betsy and Troy return home after the funeral to find the house locked. A card and an official letter from the lawyer have been left stuck to the front door. They try to phone but it is after hours no other number, go to the police station and meet “Constable Care”, are told they cannot break in and will have to camp outside until Monday or else they can be locked up.
By Wednesday “they” that is all of Walters family meet at Campbell Gamble’s office where Campbell shows them he is all powerful as the executor, under the terms of the will; after all it is the law. The family are upset, Campbell has recorded it. During the meeting Troy inadvertently picks up a sheet of paper which was left on a seat in Campbell’s office. It is a copy of a letter from The University of Edinburgh indicating approval to send the ancient aboriginal skulls to Melbourne for a private exhibition in the National Gallery of Victoria. The family leave, then begin to telephone him Campbell states to them that they are stalking him and not to telephone, but they continue. This continuation of polite but firm telephone conversation gives him reason to obtain an intervention order on all of the family and over four properties. The family are using the properties as residences and to run their business but they have to vacate due to court delays and the threat of jail.
The family go to Ararat to have a meeting at the youngest son Arthur`s campsite who is now living in a caravan on the shores of the lake.
On the journey to Arthur`s, Troy has an inspiration, an idea to get out of this jam and buys a Tatts Lotto ticket in Ararat.
At dusk Troy is sitting under a sacred tree in the bush and an aboriginal spirit arrives, Troy tells him how he has a plan and has bought a Tatts Lotto ticket to help the family through their problems. The spirit takes out a mobile phone and takes a picture of the ticket and returns to the spirit campfire.
Walter realises that the spirit has met his grandson and explains that the head of Ned is tied up in the will as part of his estate and he has Ned`s head. Ned has always been troublesome without his head. The elders are enthused that Ned can get his head back and decide to get the Tatts Lotto machine out. They rig the machine to win on Troy`s numbers.
Troy is sitting in the caravan and guess what, he has the winning ticket.
On Monday the family go and hire a local Northcote lawyer, Nick Kalamidies who professes to be looking after their interests but behind the scenes teams up with Campbell to keep the legal shenanigans going. His billboard reads Nick Kalamidies and associates, “Honest Lawyers who you can trust”.
Troy and his mother Betsy find a house to rent just down the road from Walter`s house, it needs a bit of fixing so Troy decides to pull some weather boards off Walter`s house.
When pulling the boards off the house he finds an old leather satchel hidden in the outside wall cavity with a note that locates, Ned`s head in a biscuit tin in the back yard and a mobile phone and also a video cassette recorder that appeared to be hooked up to a camera. He leaves with the treasures returns home.
Troy and his mother Betsy go through the Satchel find the mobile phone that Walter used to record the interview with Campbell and also find a map of where to find Ned`s skull in the back yard.
Troy calls his uncle Neville who understands old electrical things and has a metal detector.
Troy digs up the biscuit tin which contains Ned`s skull which is given to the Kelly family for burial. A note written by Betsy to her father Walter, which she places with Ned`s skull happens to be written on the same piece of paper that Troy picked up from Campbell’s office which notifies that the aboriginal skulls are coming to Melbourne.
Neville arranges with Tony and another mate of Walters who is a fraud squad detective to pay a visit to Campbell under the auspices that it is a criminal investigation. They negotiate the return of the properties, the jewellery and the money that Campbell has attempted to steal without having to go through the court system.
Ned in spirit world now has his head and recites the Poem of Lawyers of Grave Robbers. The note that Betsy wrote to Walter is buried with Ned`s Skull and arrives in spirit world, when Walter is reading the note the Aboriginal Elder spots the notice on the back and reads about the planned display of the aboriginal skulls.
Section Six
In the spirit world it is obvious that Ned functions a whole lot better with a head. Ned and Walter are delegated by the elder aboriginal spirit to work on the return of the aboriginal skulls.
The heads are shipped to Melbourne, an order is placed with Walter`s old cake company for six replica skull cakes, Troy sometimes helps out there and gets a phone call from Robert the new owner of the cake shop to assist in making the skull cakes.
By this stage Walter has learned the art of spirit dreaming and can communicate with Troy via his dreams.
A plan is hatched to replace the heads with substitutes when they arrive and when the skull cakes are delivered to the gallery.
Troy’s pharmaceuticals boss, Tony, gets the job as security guard for the week at the gallery and the skulls are swapped. The heads are returned to the aboriginal custodians and laid to rest where they are joined with their spirit.
The spirits deciding that more heads are better and that because they have lived with one another in a box for the past two hundred years know the importance of getting on with one another and not arguing, they decide to put their heads together and go to work. They hatch a plan to have a vote on Facebook the day following the exhibition of the false heads which is set for the March equinox.
They all join Facebook and all enter the dreaming paths of those who are alive. Awareness of a Facebook sight grows the site proclaims a need for treaty that will create respect for our families and communities in our laws.
The establishment who control the mainstream media suppress the campaign and they are aware the vote will be taken the day following the exhibition of the heads. They all feel confident in doing a good job of hiding the Facebook plebiscite as they have full control of the media.
Section Seven
The display of the skulls goes ahead with much pontification, it is a black tie event, the finest of the legal establishment attend dressed in their puffery.
Wild Black Swan is served at the banquet; unfortunately the swans were sourced from an estuary that had been polluted by chemicals and heavy metals from upstream mining and cold seam methane extraction. A lot of nasty people get very unwell.
Alas for the status quo the spirit world is very much a part of the moon spirit and through this process the moon sends out a message it sings the song of respect of family and community through a treaty a sign appears formed from the smoke of the healing fire, it is the night of the third full moon of the year and remains in the sky till dawn. The message and the song travel the globe and reaches out to all peoples of the world. The media cannot help themselves and cannot be held quite any more the message from the moon is everywhere. The vote is taken and the vote is overwhelming. 16.0 million in favour 500,000 against.
The result the legal profession is forced to respect family and community the regulators are made to regulate under consumer law and the main offenders are bought to trail and jailed.
The film finishes with the depiction of mother and a good feeling of peace with the spirit of the healing fire beneath the Birthing tree.
