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Underbelly
The
Godfather slot
HITMAN
Slot game
UNDERBELLY
is the compelling dramatisation of Melbourne's
gangland killings.
Underbelly
is an Australian television drama series, based
on the real events of the 1995–2004 gang
war in Melbourne. The series began screening on
13 February 2008 on the Nine Network (and affiliates)
in all states and territories except Victoria,
due to a court injunction. Underbelly is a 13-part
mini-series, based on the book Leadbelly: Inside
Australia's Underworld, by Age journalists John
Silvester and Andrew Rule.
Synopsis
The
key players in Melbourne's criminal underworld,
including the Moran family and their rival, the
maverick Carl Williams, are featured using their
real names.
The
major factions, as presented in the story, are
the Morans, including Lewis, Mark, and Jason Moran,
the "Carlton Crew", which included Alphonse
Gangitano, Domenic "Mick" Gatto, his
lawyer George Defteros and Mario Condello, "the
Russians", led by Nik "The Russian"
Radev, and the Williams family, which included
Carl Williams, Tony Mokbel, Andrew "Benji"
Veniamin and, at different times, Victor Brincat
and Dino Dibra.
The
police investigators, Steve Owen and Jacqui James,
are fictional, but based on an amalgam of several
officers who worked on the Purana Task Force,
which was charged with investigating the gangland
war and halting the killing.
According
to its marketing, the series "uses the framework
of the murderous war between the two gangs, and
the bigger moral war between the gangs and the
Purana Task Force, to explore a complex array
of individual stories and relationships - some
touching, some incredible, all breathtaking -
it is a mini-series that examines the kaleidoscopic
nature of loyalty, love, revenge and pride when
the normal and identifiable emotions of human
attachment are moved from the context of social
decency to social indecency.
Production
Underbelly
was filmed on location in Melbourne. Parts of
the series have been filmed in the Essendon area,
near many of the houses and schools associated
with the 'Underworld'. Many of the Carlton scenes
were actually filmed in North Melbourne, primarily
around Errol Street. All La Porcella filming was
done at Rubicon Restaurant Errol Street, the scenes
involving Mario Condello loaning money was filmed
at the Lithuanian Club North Melbourne, the location
of Carl Williams first house is Duffy Street,
Maribyrnong, jail visits were filmed in the players'
change rooms at Telstra Dome, and a restaurant
scene was also filmed outside the Medallion Club,
Telstra Dome & scenes of when Mario Condello
moves into a apartment is filmed at Victoria Point,
Docklands. In some earlier scenes whereby witnesses
were contained in witness protection caravans
at Warrnambool, these were filmed in Werribee
South.
Marketing
The
lead-up to Underbelly resulted in a heavy marketing
campaign which covered radio, print, billboards
and an increased online presence, including the
use of social networking tools.
When
the CEO of the Nine network, David Gyngell noted
the need to up its online presence, and embrace
social networking as a valuable marketing tool,
the official website was launched. The original
website was launched on 15 January 2008, with
only a 3 minute trailer; while the full site,
with all its features, launched on 1 February
2008. It was announced that the full first episode
would be available for download on the site on
10 February, three days before the show premieres
on television, but this option was made unavailable
due to the Supreme court suppression case. This
intention follows a similar strategy used for
the launch of Sea Patrol in 2007. The site was
"poised to become" the biggest and most
detailed website the Nine Network has hosted for
a show so far, including features such as behind
the scenes footage, profiles, visitor interactivity
and the use of social networking tools.
Reception
Critical response
The
first episode of the series was screened privately
to media on 17 January 2008, prior the media had
been treated with extracts and trailers promoting
the series.
* On 3 January 2008, The Sydney Morning Herald's
critic Michael Idato declared the series "The
Blue Murder of its time", referring to the
critically acclaimed 1995 ABC TV drama Blue Murder,
considered by many to be the finest crime drama
ever produced in Australia.
*
In review on his blog on 17 January 2008, David
Knox, stated that Underbelly "is our own
Sopranos", and awarded it 4½; out
of 5 stars. He also commented:
“
If there are any criticisms to be found with Underbelly,
they are few. One or two shots give away that
period Melbourne was actually shot in 2007. And
while watching these gangsters thrive on power
with ballsy disdain, it was hard not to think
of the behaviour of some television executives
in recent history. This aside, Underbelly looks
set to be one of the highlights of the 2008 television
year.”
*
A review appeared in the Herald Sun on 18 January
2008, in which critic Paul Anderson quoted:
“
"Whether you followed the Melbourne gangland
war or not, there's a fair chance you will be
blown away by the coming TV series Underbelly.
Underbelly is a slick, violent and sexually charged
dramatisation backed by a ripping soundtrack."
*
In an article appearing on 31 January 2008, The
Daily Telegraph's TV editor, Marcus Casey, said
of Underbelly after viewing the first four episodes:
“
"If the quality is maintained then, while
not perfect, Underbelly should equal, if not better,
Australia's best ever crime dramas - the Phoenix
series and Blue Murder."
Family Groups reaction
On
11 February the Australian Family Association
(AFA), was publicly outraged that Underbelly would
be screening at 8:30pm, well within reach of children,
after clips of the series were leaked onto the
internet. The clips highlighted the use of extreme
profanities, and scenes that show a violent bashing,
a cold-blooded murder, and a sexual encounter.
The
Nine Network defended the timeslot and the M classification,
saying the clips, leaked from the Network's production
department, were indeed from the series, but not
all of them made the final cut.[12] The Network
set its own classification, under the accepted
rules of the Australian Commercial Television
Code of Conduct.
The
Australian Family Association threatened to take
the matter to Communications Minister Stephen
Conroy if the content of the show was anything
near that of an unauthorised promotional clip
leaked from Nine's production department.
Ratings
The
opening double episodes, which aired on 13 February
attracted 1,326,000 and 1,324,000 viewers nationally,
minus Victoria, where a court ban prevented its
screening. In Victoria alone, the series was expected
to atrract 800,000 to 1 million viewers, which
would have put Underbelly figures over the 2 million
mark. The replacement movie for Underbelly in
Victoria, The Shawshank Redemption, managed only
271,000 viewers.
The
third episode, which aired on 20 February, managed
to hold most of its viewers from its premiere,
attracting 1,273,000 viewers nationally (except
Victoria),[15] a decline of only 50,000 viewers.
In Victoria, CSI: Miami was broadcast in Underbelly's
place. The fourth episode, which aired on 27 February,
managed to hold nearly all of its viewers from
the previous episode, attracting 1,250,000 viewers
nationally (except Victoria), a decline of only
23,000 viewers.
Though
leaked copies of episodes one through to thirteen
are available online, the show is continuing to
attract huge television audiences, according to
The West Australian.
Legal issues
Supreme
Court writ threat
George
Defteros, a high-profile lawyer cleared of charges
relating to underworld war, disrupted the lead-up
to the series' launch, when he threatened the
Nine Network with a Supreme Court writ on 26 January
2008. Defteros, said to be portrayed by George
Kapiniaris, engaged a top Melbourne defamation
specialist, saying:
“ Any attempt to depict me as a lawyer of
low impropriety and unethical behaviour will be
met with legal proceedings instituted by my lawyers,
I regard the depiction of the gangland wars, in
particular my role as a lawyer acting for parties,
as nothing more than farcical and pure pantomime.
We'll be watching it very closely.”
Nine
Network had subsequently said there would now
be no direct reference to Mr Defteros, despite
earlier publicity. A spokeswoman for the network
said "There is no lawyer called Defteros
in Underbelly" but Defteros said he could
still be defamed by implication, noting "It's
already been advertised as me".
The
case was dropped by Director of Public Prosecutions
Paul Coghlan, QC, due to a lack of evidence.
Supreme Court Suppression
The
screening of Underbelly in Victoria was put into
jeopardy, after last-minute legal proceedings
took place due to the Director of Public Prosecutions,
Jeremy Rapke, QC. Rapke secured an urgent viewing
of the series, before he decided to seek an injunction
stopping its broadcast in Victoria. A Supreme
Court judge called prosecutors and defence lawyers
together after serious concerns were raised about
whether the show could prejudice a jury for the
trial this year of a man who has pleaded not guilty
to the 2004 gangland killing of Lewis Moran. Although
the accused man is not named in the series, there
are concerns the show could hurt his chance of
a fair trial.
The
Supreme court hearing took place on 11 February
2008 - only two days before the series' was due
to premiere. The Nine Network was ordered by a
DPP subpoena to hand over tapes of all 13 episodes,
as well as outlines and story lines, to the Victorian
Supreme Court by 10am on 11 February 2008.[22][23]
The Nine Network, refused to voluntarily hand
over the tapes, saying they were incomplete and
that the network's lawyers were closely supervising
production but the Network was willing to comply
with any Court order and took this matter very
seriously. The network is also adamant that the
series makes no assertions about the guilt of
the accused killer. The court subpoena stated
that copies of two completed episodes, along with
uncut versions of the other 11 episodes, plus
episode outlines and story lines, must be handed
to the court by 10am on 11 February. At the hearing,
which took place at the Geelong Supreme Court,
the judge, Justice Betty King, gave prosecution
and defence lawyers 24 hours to view the series
and return to court the following day to decide
whether it had the potential to affect the forthcoming
trial. Justice King issued a suppression order
on 12 February banning the Nine Network from broadcasting
the series in the state of Victoria and on the
internet indefinitely, until after the murder
trial is completed. It has also been ordered to
remove character profiles from its official website.
The Nine Network offered to air a heavily edited
version in Victoria, but the offer was rejected
by Justice King. It was initially planned that
an alternative program, Underbelly: A Special
Announcement, was going to air in Victoria instead
of the series' premiere, which was to discuss
what the series is about. This idea was scrapped,
and the movie, The Shawshank Redemption, was aired
in Victoria instead.
The
Nine Network declared their intention to appeal
against the decision, and Network lawyers stated
that they would exercise all legal options.
The
suppression also affects national audiences receiving
transmissions from Imparja Television, a Nine
Network affiliate. Imparja is unable to supply
its interstate audiences with Underbelly, due
to its single satellite signal broadcasts into
its specific regions, but also transmits into
some parts of Victoria, which is covered by the
suppression order. Alternative programming will
be shown until the restriction is lifted.
The
appeal began on February 29, 2008 in the Victorian
Court of Appeal,where Nine Network lawyers argued
that the network should be allowed to broadcast
the first three episodes of the series, saying
Justice King had "erred" in her decision
to suppress the series,as she had viewed the unedited
versions of the series, and not the final edited
cut that was to be shown to audiences.The network
believed the first three episodes, which depicted
events from the beginning of the underworld war
in 1995, would have no potential to prejudice
any part of the trial[29]. The trial in question
is due to begin on March 31, 2008. The judges
overseeing the appeal retired to decide their
verdict on March 3, 2008.
The
appeal's verdict was handed down on March 26,
2008, where the appeal's judges chose to continue
a ruling by Justice King that the series is not
to be broadcast or distributed in or out of Victoria.
During the appeal the Nine Network had proposed
to screen the first three episodes immediately
after any successful appeal, and would give the
court seven days written notice of its intention
to show any further episodes that it believed
would not prejudice the murder trial. The Court
of Appeal had dismissed the network's application
to appeal, and the network must now continue comply
with the suppression order issued by Justice King
until the offending trial is complete.
Illegal distribution
Despite
the ban on broadcasting the series in Victoria,
Victorians have still been able to access episodes
via illegal online distribution. The first episode
was made available on torrent sites within 20
minutes of it concluding in New South Wales. The
Nine Network has reportedly obtained the "ISP
address" of the first person to upload the
show, and network lawyers were considering legal
action. The Australian Federation Against Copyright
Theft (AFACT) is currently investigating the matter,
and is expected to make a list of recommendations
to Victoria Police.
Copies
of advanced episodes of the series which are yet
to air on the Nine Network have become available
on the internet. Every episode of the 13-part
series is available for download on a range of
sites. It was reported that on mininova.org more
than 3,000 users were attempting to download episode
seven late on the afternoon of 27 February 2008.
The Nine Network said it was considering legal
action. The broadcaster is also looking into how
copies got into the hands of underworld figures
in Victoria, including Roberta Williams, the former
wife of gangland kingpin Carl Williams.
Pirated
copies of the entire series were also made available
to the public. People were being offered a 4-disc
DVD set for AUD $10 - $80 in public places such
as carparks and building sites. The episodes were
commercial-free and came with introductory station
countdowns, suggesting a major leak from inside
the network's production department. Two network
employees had been questioned by the network over
the matter, but both denied distributing any copies
of the series.. Similarly, versions of episodes
10 - 13 which are currently available on peer
to peer sites are clearly production (ie pre-broadcast)
versions of these episodes. They feature the production
house's title screen, occasional sequences of
rough editing, and sub-broadcast quality sound
issues such as large variations in levels and
absent atmos tracks.
Fears
of inside leaks were again aroused, when advance
screener versions of unaired episodes 4-8 were
posted online on 26 February 2008. Screener episodes
are generally shown to select audiences, such
as sales staff and executives, well in advance
to being televised.
International
distribution
The
series will also air in New Zealand on TV3, Scandinavia,
Canada and France. (Credit:
Wikipedia).
Website
Underbelly
Articles
Underbelly:
A Tale of Two Cities to Employ Gambling Theme
Underbelly:
A Tale of Two Cities Highest Rated Launch Ever
Network
Nine pushes to screen Underbelly series in Victoria
Strong
local content
Profiles
Network
Nine
Underworld
Media
Man Australia has successfully pitched news stories
on Underbelly to media outlets including Gambling911
Shooting
starts for second Underbelly series - The Australian
Strong
local content - The Age
Underbelly:
A Tale of Two Cities to Employ Gambling Themes
- Gambling911
Underbelly:
A Tale of Two Cities Highest Rated Launch Ever
- Gambling911
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