Gabriel (film)
Encyclopedia
Gabriel is a 2007 Australian
supernatural
action
-horror film
set in purgatory
. It follows the archangel
Gabriel
's fight to rid purgatory of the evil Fallen
and save the soul
s of its inhabitants. Gabriel is the first feature directed
by Shane Abbess, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Matt Hylton Todd. It stars Andy Whitfield
as Gabriel, Dwaine Stevenson as Sammael
, Samantha Noble
as Amitiel and Erika Heynatz
as Lilith
.
As an action movie, Gabriel is unconventional by Australian filmmaking standards. Produced without government funding on a low budget, the filmmakers aimed to create a film that could compete in international markets and become financially profitable. The movie's ending turns out to be far from mainstream and leaves the audience to choose which ideology mentioned in the movie to trust. Upon its Australian release on 15 November 2007, Gabriel received mixed reviews and came fifth in its opening week box office
. Gabriel was released on DVD in the U.S. on 19 February 2008.
and hell
have fought over purgatory
and the soul
s trapped inside it. Each side has sent seven warriors: Archangel
s from heaven, Fallen angel
s from hell. They must assume human
form to enter purgatory. Hell has attained control, transforming purgatory into a dark, seedy city. The last Archangel, Gabriel
(Andy Whitfield), endeavours to discover what has become of his comrades and to restore the Light.
Upon entering purgatory, Gabriel first visits the Archangel Michael's
apartment, finding it abandoned. Meanwhile, four of the seven Fallen—Sammael
(Dwaine Stevenson), Asmodeus
(Michael Piccirilli), Balan
(Brendan Clearkin), and Baliel
—gather and Sammael kills an insubordinate Baliel, so reducing the Fallen's number from seven to six. While walking through the city, Gabriel receives a vision about the whereabouts of his comrade Uriel
(Harry Pavlidis). However, the leader of the Fallen, Sammael, senses Gabriel’s presence and sends the Fallen Molloch
(Goran D. Kleut) to kill him. Gabriel fights and kills Molloch, then proceeds to the city's outskirts. He finds a dishevelled and alcoholic Uriel hiding in a rundown bus. Uriel explains that the Fallen can sense Archangels when they use their powers, and teaches Gabriel to conceal his bright blue angel eyes. He also reluctantly tells Gabriel what happened to some of the other five Archangels: Remiel
was killed before Uriel arrived; and Amitiel (Samantha Noble), who now calls herself Jade, was defeated by Sammael, stripped of her wings, and forced to work as a prostitute
; the whereabouts of Ithuriel
(Matt Hylton Todd), Raphael
(Jack Campbell), and Michael are uncertain, but Raphael is most likely hiding in the East Side of the city and it is thought that Sammael has killed Michael. Uriel also explains that due to the nature of the evil and darkness that controls purgatory that Gabriel will be cut off from the "source". He reveals to Gabriel that this is what eventually led to the downfall of the Archangels sent before him. Cut off from their power the Archangels were eventually worn down and fell prey to the Fallen who thrive and become stronger the longer they stay in Purgatory. The Archangels have all assumed human form and have become subject to human desires and feelings which weakens them. Uriel and Amitiel are direct examples of how far the Archangels can truly fall. Uriel warns Gabriel that if they die in Purgatory their souls will die too, they completely vanish.
Gabriel travels back to the city, and finds the brothel where Amitiel works. He also encounters Asmodeus, the Fallen who runs the brothel. Gabriel rescues Amitiel and kills the Fallen Balan who tries to rape her. He then heals her of the drugs she has been taking to dull the pain of her job. Amitiel takes Gabriel to the soup kitchen
where the Archangel Ithuriel hides. Initially angry at Ithuriel for abandoning his mission, Gabriel eventually shows him compassion and understanding. Ithuriel takes Gabriel to the abandoned tunnels beneath the soup kitchen where the gravely wounded Raphael dwells. Gabriel heals Raphael, expending much of his strength. After rebuking Gabriel, Raphael explains that Sammael draws his immense power from the other Fallen. Gabriel proposes to take out the remaining Fallen one by one, before finally facing Sammael. Raphael is unconvinced, as Sammael has already killed the stronger angel Michael.
Gabriel fights and kills the Fallen Ahriman
(Kevin Copeland), then returns to Michael's apartment where he sketches a picture of Amitiel. In retaliation to Ahriman's death, the Fallen Lilith
(Erika Heynatz
) kills Uriel, Asmodeus kills Ithuriel, and Sammael kills Raphael. Driven mad by anger, Gabriel’s eyes turn bright brown, the colour of the Fallen. He returns to the brothel and viciously scars, then kills Asmodeus. Gabriel halts his imminent fall when he heals a young female the self-absorbed Asmodeus had surgically altered to vaguely resemble himself, returning her to her normal appearance. Shocked by his near fall, Gabriel returns to Amitiel. Amitiel comforts Gabriel and they make love. Gabriel then travels to a nightclub and kills Lilith, injecting her with several full vials of Ahriman's drugs. Gabriel chases Sammael to the nightclub’s rooftop.
Sammael refuses to fight Gabriel, instead asking him to listen to what he has to say. He explains how he despises being an angel, a being created entirely to serve others. He sees purgatory as a chance to take control of his own destiny, and asks Gabriel to join him. Refusing his offer, Gabriel unwittingly realises that Sammael is actually the Archangel Michael, his closest friend. Apparently, Michael had killed the Fallen Sammael and assumed Sammael's identity. The two Archangels fight, but because Gabriel has used up so much of his strength helping the other Archangels, Michael has the advantage. Michael ultimately impales Gabriel’s chest with a metal pipe. Gabriel admits that during his time as a human he has felt rage and anger, but he has also felt other positive emotions that Michael hasn’t. Gabriel embraces Michael, which drives the metal pipe through Michael’s chest, and tells Michael that he forgives him. Both Archangels collapse. Michael uses the last of his strength to heal Gabriel’s wound, then dies. Light returns to purgatory.
Kneeling in front of Michael's dead body, Gabriel shouts at God asking Him whether this is what He wanted. The healed Gabriel moves to the edge of the rooftop, and muses that he needs to understand why all this happened. He outstretches his arms, and lets himself fall. His final words are, "Forgive me... I hope I see you again..." A post-credits scene
shows Gabriel, (wearing different clothing, minus tattoo and with brown eyes), joining Amitiel and smiling. (The DVD version of the film does not contain the post-credit scene.)
, even by Australian standards. Director Shane Abbess described the budget as “the catering
budget on a Hollywood film
.” The film was shot for roughly . However, everyone involved in the production worked on deferred payment, meaning that the actual cost of the film runs "well into the millions" once deferrals have been taken into account. In addition, the filmmakers used money from the international distribution rights to complete the film's post-production. Shane Abbess claims that Gabriel's official budget will eventually be announced on its DVD release in a two-hour behind the scenes special feature.
According to Abbess, finding funding for the film was “impossibly hard.” The film was significantly funded out of the filmmakers’ own pockets: Abbess worked as a building labourer
, a removalist
, at a call centre
, and as a truck driver at the docks in order to raise the money to produce Gabriel. Five weeks into shooting, Abbess intended to return to his job as a removalist to raise more money to pay the caterers, but his old boss gave him a small sum of money to get the production over the line.
Preconceptions about what is an ‘Australian film’ contributed to the difficulty in finding funding. As an action film, Gabriel "defied the norm and went way outside convention." Producer Kristy Vernon states that “many Australia movies have been either driven by artistic or personal motivations or, have focused on cultural imperatives leading to ‘uncommercial’ movies being produced. These types of movies are unlikely to give off a reasonable return to investors. The consequence of this is that the Australian finance and investment sectors have been reluctant to support the funding of the movie industry.” Abbess is critical of contemporary Australian films, joking that audiences “fall asleep” through them. He also believes there is a mentality in the Australian film industry to wait for government funding, rather than to earn and finance your own films. Everyone he spoke to about getting the film made said that, “even with a big, huge budget, you’re not going to get this made out here.” However, after he got one or two people on board support increased in a snowball effect
.
Finding insurance
for the film was also problematic. One day before filming was due to start the insurance company determined that the film was too risky, and tried to shut down production. Abbess struggled to find another company to insure the film, ultimately having to lie about the film's content to satisfy them (he claimed the film's dangerous climactic rooftop action scene was "all green screen"). The company agreed, but only after they tripled their original price. This meant that certain scenes had to be dropped from the production, though they were ultimately shot as pick-ups.
s and demon
s in various religions, drawing characters from Christianity
, Judaism
, Zoroastrianism
as well as John Milton’s
Paradise Lost
. The writers chose their favourite seven angels and favourite seven demons to create an “all-star” supernatural battle. Abbess says, “There hadn’t really been a movie about angels. Not like this. I hadn’t even seen Constantine
at the time, nor the one with Christopher Walken
(The Prophecy
) in it, so as far as I knew – and, anyway, this is very different from those – it hadn’t been done before.” The writers were interested in the backstory and mythology of purgatory, and aimed to focus more on the characters than the special effect
s. Gabriel was deliberately designed to be commercial and “franchiseable.” It was written as the first part of a trilogy
, and, if financially successful, will be followed by two sequels that will explore the world outside purgatory.
Gabriel was written in the style of action and science fiction
movies from the 1980s and early 90s. This was partly because Shane Abbess was influenced by that era of cinema during his youth and partly because the minuscule budget demanded that the film couldn’t be laden with special effects. Abbess cites the films Alien
, Predator
and Die Hard
as influences. He describes cinema of that era as, “because CG
effects weren't huge yet, the whole thing had to be about characters; had to be things you could believe in.” Abbess also stated that he “did kinda of want to make one giant cliché.” Abbess also intended the film to emulate the intentionally “jumbled quality” of 1980s cinema.
Victor Lam drew the storyboard
s for Gabriel and oversaw every design aspect of the film. His job involved keeping the overall ‘feel’ of the film cohesive, and “making sure that it sits with Shane's direction and making sure that colour-wise, tonally it actually fits as well.” Because of the small budget, Lam’s designs had to be extremely budget conscious. The art department
collected props from “the local tip and thrift shops,” and costumes were bought second hand from St Vincent de Paul
. In addition, they saved money on set building and space rental by using abandoned industrial locations and condemned buildings soon to be demolished as sets. An advantage to this approach was that it added a layer of realism to the production. The disadvantage was that it restricted where director Shane Abbess could place the camera. Abbess crammed the camera into corners to shoot scenes.
The set Lam is most proud of is one of the Fallen’s underground lairs. To dress this set, Lam and his team hung fences, fake blood and plastic chains painted to look metallic around an abandoned shooting stage in Gore Hill
. Lam says, “The lead actor just came up and went, ‘Wow, that's really cool!' And we said, ‘Yeah! And it cost us nothing!’” Shane Abbess instructed the art department to include lots of fake blood and gore; Lam describes this as “video game influence.” He also acknowledges that his work has a strong comic book
influence. Some of the art department work didn’t make it into the final film. Lam and his team built a large sculpture made of hessian and chicken wire, and though “it looked really good” and fitted “really well with the whole theme of Gabriel,” it wasn’t used in the film.
and The Matrix
, while the stunt coordinator, Kyle Rowling, had worked on Star Wars
Episodes II
and III
. In order to better target international audiences, Shane Abbess directed the cast to use not necessarily full-blown American accents, but “neutral” accents.
Gabriel was shot on a JVC
GY-HD101E digital video
camera. Abbess praised the JVC’s versatility, small size and its ability to shoot at night. Another crucial advantage to digital video was its cheapness: “Ten years ago, we couldn’t have made this movie, because we would have had to shoot on film. It would have been as boring as bat shit, because we would only have had money to shoot a wide shot and two close ups before moving on. I got so much better coverage shooting it this way.”
The deferred payment plan caused friction between the filmmakers and some of the extras, who demanded immediate payment after their two nights on set “or basically we're going to kill you.” The lack of money forced Abbess to innovate ways to shoot scenes that he wouldn’t have normally done. The scene in which Balan is killed is an example of this. Abbess ran out of time to film this scene using conventional techniques, so positioned the camera at the end of the hallway and used “crash zooms… in and out of the action” to highlight the key moments. Abbess studied other low budget films like Requiem for a Dream and Donnie Darko
to identify ways the filmmakers worked around their small budgets.
Physical effects were also created cheaply. Instead of using expensive rain towers, the rain featured in the film’s climactic scenes was created simply using hoses and unheated water. This meant that one night of production had to be wrapped three hours early because lead actor Andy Whitfield became hypothermic
: his temperature dropped to 32.5 degrees Celsius (90.5 degrees Fahrenheit). Abbess described this as the hardest scene to shoot. Initially intending to make Gabriel without CGI effects, Abbess also tried to reproduce bullet time
on a low budget by using giant props on strings, though he eventually decided computer generated effects were more successful.
The style of fighting in Gabriel was intended to be a "stylised version of pub
brawling." Shane Abbess intended for each of Gabriel's successive fights with the Fallen to be "a whole different experience," and strove to shoot each one differently. The lack of time meant there was little time for the performers to rehearse fight scenes: Andy Whitfield says that some fight scenes were rehearsed for only "three minutes before the cameras rolled." The hallway fight between Gabriel and Asmodeus was an example of this; the actors learned and executed a 98 move fight sequence in only an hour. Abbess states that stunt co-ordinator Kyle Rowling was "instrumental" to the quality of the action scenes.
audience these days." In mid 2006 when the edit was "working really well" the filmmakers chose to show it to Sony Pictures Australia
. Abbess chose Sony particularly because of their subsidiary
Screen Gems
; he believes "they knew how to handle films like Hostel and Underworld
." Sony picked up Gabriel up for international release. The filmmakers used the money from this deal to complete the editing process and the film’s effects. The filmmakers chose to assemble a team of freelancers rather than hire an effects company. The team completed 805 effects shots on a budget Sony had estimated would only cover six. Four months was spent completing the sound design.
Faith Martin avoid anyone who "reminded people of a soap opera
." Despite this, two of the cast have appeared in Australian soap Home and Away
: Michael Piccirilli appeared as Dr James Fraser during the late nineties, and Amy Mathews
(Maggie) began her stint as Rachel Armstrong while shooting her role for Gabriel. Erika Heynatz
"wasn’t anyone" when she was cast in the role of Lilith, but became well known after winning the 2006 series of It Takes Two. Producer
Kristy Vernon states that even if the film had more money, "we probably would still have gone with somebody unknown, because part of doing this movie was making it fresh and new and something different."
Lead actor Andy Whitfield was initially hesitant to audition because he and his wife had just had a baby, and because he would have to accept deferred payment. His agent compelled him to consider the role as it was a lead in a feature film
: "What you‘ve always wanted to do." Whitfield auditioned without any expectations of getting the role, which meant "he didn't really care as much" and he was free to "go for it, and go nuts" without any pressure. After getting the role, it was his wife who encouraged him to accept it by telling him it would be an inspiring thing to tell his son.
, Sydney on 7 November 2007, while its general Australian release was on 15 November. Before its premiere, excerpts from the film were shown at the 2007 Supanova Pop Culture Expo
in Sydney. Gabriel received an 'M' rating from the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification with the consumer advice "moderate violence, coarse language, drug use and sexual references." Initially rumoured to have a U.S. release during January or February 2008, Gabriel's U.S. DVD was released on 19 February 2008.
Margaret Pomeranz
enjoyed the film, stating that while "there's nothing amazingly deep about it," it has "an amazingly interesting look and sound." In contrast, David Stratton
, Pomeranz's co-presenter from At the Movies, described the film as "tedious," deriding its dialogue, "derivative" story and uninteresting characters. Sydney Morning Herald reviewer Richard Jinman concurred with Stratton's assessment, stating that the "cliched aesthetic ... is a turn-off, as is the rather stilted dialogue." He went on to write that Gabriel is "hamstrung by a lack of visceral thrills, engaging characters and a storyline that can command attention for almost two hours." Michael Adams from The Movie Show
gave Gabriel "an 'A' for Ambition;" Adams admitted that some of the action is "clever" and many of the performances "solid," but found the overall film mediocre. Urban Cinefile's review was largely positive, calling the film "visually arresting" and "exciting."
Many critics addressed Gabriel's similarity to other films. Stratton asserted the film borrowed themes from Night Watch
and Day Watch
, and had the look of Underworld
or a poor-man's The Matrix
. Adams noted the film's debt to Blade Runner
, while Jinman compared the film's aesthetic to Mad Max
and 1980s music videos.
journalist Jim Schembri described Gabriel's opening week as "impressive," writing that "The gloom-laden film may not be for all tastes, but it looks like it's hitting the right spots with its intended audience of goths
, emo
s and people who have trouble sleeping at night." In its five weeks playing in theaters, Gabriel grossed $1,462,320. Gabriels earnings ranked it at 110th among all the 295 films released in Australia in 2007.
Cinema of Australia
Cinema of Australia, more commonly referred to as the Australian film industry, refers to the system of production, distribution, and exhibition of films in Australia. Film production commenced in Australia in 1906 with the production of The Story of the Kelly Gang, the earliest feature film made...
supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
-horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
set in purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...
. It follows the archangel
Archangel
An archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
Gabriel
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an Archangel who typically serves as a messenger to humans from God.He first appears in the Book of Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions. In the Gospel of Luke Gabriel foretells the births of both John the Baptist and of Jesus...
's fight to rid purgatory of the evil Fallen
Fallen angel
Fallen angel is a concept developed in Jewish mythology from interpretation of the Book of Enoch. The actual term fallen angel is not found in either the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament. Christians adopted the concept of fallen angels mainly based on their interpretations of the Book of...
and save the soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
s of its inhabitants. Gabriel is the first feature directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Shane Abbess, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Matt Hylton Todd. It stars Andy Whitfield
Andy Whitfield
Andy Whitfield was a Welsh actor and model. He was best known for his leading role in the Starz television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand during 2010, a year before his death at the age of 39.-Career:...
as Gabriel, Dwaine Stevenson as Sammael
Samael
Samael is an important archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore, a figure who is accuser, seducer and destroyer, and has been regarded as both good and evil...
, Samantha Noble
Samantha Noble
Samantha C. Noble is an Australian actress who has worked on television series and films. She is currently best known for her role as Jade/Amitiel in Gabriel, and has appeared in several films including See No Evil and .-Personal life:...
as Amitiel and Erika Heynatz
Erika Heynatz
Erika Heynatz is an Australian model, actress, singer and television personality.-Career:...
as Lilith
Lilith
Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...
.
As an action movie, Gabriel is unconventional by Australian filmmaking standards. Produced without government funding on a low budget, the filmmakers aimed to create a film that could compete in international markets and become financially profitable. The movie's ending turns out to be far from mainstream and leaves the audience to choose which ideology mentioned in the movie to trust. Upon its Australian release on 15 November 2007, Gabriel received mixed reviews and came fifth in its opening week box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
. Gabriel was released on DVD in the U.S. on 19 February 2008.
Plot
Since the beginning of time, heavenHeaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
and hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
have fought over purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...
and the soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
s trapped inside it. Each side has sent seven warriors: Archangel
Archangel
An archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
s from heaven, Fallen angel
Fallen angel
Fallen angel is a concept developed in Jewish mythology from interpretation of the Book of Enoch. The actual term fallen angel is not found in either the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament. Christians adopted the concept of fallen angels mainly based on their interpretations of the Book of...
s from hell. They must assume human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
form to enter purgatory. Hell has attained control, transforming purgatory into a dark, seedy city. The last Archangel, Gabriel
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an Archangel who typically serves as a messenger to humans from God.He first appears in the Book of Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions. In the Gospel of Luke Gabriel foretells the births of both John the Baptist and of Jesus...
(Andy Whitfield), endeavours to discover what has become of his comrades and to restore the Light.
Upon entering purgatory, Gabriel first visits the Archangel Michael's
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
apartment, finding it abandoned. Meanwhile, four of the seven Fallen—Sammael
Samael
Samael is an important archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore, a figure who is accuser, seducer and destroyer, and has been regarded as both good and evil...
(Dwaine Stevenson), Asmodeus
Asmodai
Asmodeus or Asmodai is a king of demons mostly known from the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit, in which he is the primary antagonist. The demon is also mentioned in some Talmudic legends, for instance, in the story of the construction of the Temple of Solomon. He was supposed by some Renaissance...
(Michael Piccirilli), Balan
Balam (demon)
In demonology, Balam is a great and powerful king of Hell who commands over forty legions of demons. He gives perfect answers on things past, present, and to come, and can also make men invisible and witty.Balam is depicted as being three-headed...
(Brendan Clearkin), and Baliel
Belial
Belial is one of the four crown princes of Hell and a demon in the Bible, Jewish apocrypha and Christian apocrypha...
—gather and Sammael kills an insubordinate Baliel, so reducing the Fallen's number from seven to six. While walking through the city, Gabriel receives a vision about the whereabouts of his comrade Uriel
Uriel
Uriel is one of the archangels of post-Exilic Rabbinic tradition, and also of certain Christian traditions...
(Harry Pavlidis). However, the leader of the Fallen, Sammael, senses Gabriel’s presence and sends the Fallen Molloch
Moloch
Moloch — also rendered as Molech, Molekh, Molok, Molek, Molock, or Moloc — is the name of an ancient Semitic god...
(Goran D. Kleut) to kill him. Gabriel fights and kills Molloch, then proceeds to the city's outskirts. He finds a dishevelled and alcoholic Uriel hiding in a rundown bus. Uriel explains that the Fallen can sense Archangels when they use their powers, and teaches Gabriel to conceal his bright blue angel eyes. He also reluctantly tells Gabriel what happened to some of the other five Archangels: Remiel
Ramiel
Râmîêl is a fallen Watcher in the apocryphal Book of Enoch, one of 20 leaders, mentioned sixth. Ramiel means "thunder of God" from the Hebrew elements ra'am and El, "God". Remiel is one of the archangels of the Christian and Islamic traditions, the Hebrew name meaning "Mercy of God" or "Compassion...
was killed before Uriel arrived; and Amitiel (Samantha Noble), who now calls herself Jade, was defeated by Sammael, stripped of her wings, and forced to work as a prostitute
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
; the whereabouts of Ithuriel
Ithuriel
Ithuriel is one of the 3 deputy sarim of the holy sefiroth serving under the ethnarchy of the angel Sephuriron....
(Matt Hylton Todd), Raphael
Raphael (archangel)
Raphael is an archangel of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, who in the Judeo-Christian tradition performs all manners of healing....
(Jack Campbell), and Michael are uncertain, but Raphael is most likely hiding in the East Side of the city and it is thought that Sammael has killed Michael. Uriel also explains that due to the nature of the evil and darkness that controls purgatory that Gabriel will be cut off from the "source". He reveals to Gabriel that this is what eventually led to the downfall of the Archangels sent before him. Cut off from their power the Archangels were eventually worn down and fell prey to the Fallen who thrive and become stronger the longer they stay in Purgatory. The Archangels have all assumed human form and have become subject to human desires and feelings which weakens them. Uriel and Amitiel are direct examples of how far the Archangels can truly fall. Uriel warns Gabriel that if they die in Purgatory their souls will die too, they completely vanish.
Gabriel travels back to the city, and finds the brothel where Amitiel works. He also encounters Asmodeus, the Fallen who runs the brothel. Gabriel rescues Amitiel and kills the Fallen Balan who tries to rape her. He then heals her of the drugs she has been taking to dull the pain of her job. Amitiel takes Gabriel to the soup kitchen
Soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, a bread line, or a meal center is a place where food is offered to the hungry for free or at a reasonably low price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, they are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church groups or community groups...
where the Archangel Ithuriel hides. Initially angry at Ithuriel for abandoning his mission, Gabriel eventually shows him compassion and understanding. Ithuriel takes Gabriel to the abandoned tunnels beneath the soup kitchen where the gravely wounded Raphael dwells. Gabriel heals Raphael, expending much of his strength. After rebuking Gabriel, Raphael explains that Sammael draws his immense power from the other Fallen. Gabriel proposes to take out the remaining Fallen one by one, before finally facing Sammael. Raphael is unconvinced, as Sammael has already killed the stronger angel Michael.
Gabriel fights and kills the Fallen Ahriman
Angra Mainyu
Angra Mainyu is the Avestan-language name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive spirit". The Middle Persian equivalent is Ahriman.-In Zoroaster's revelation:...
(Kevin Copeland), then returns to Michael's apartment where he sketches a picture of Amitiel. In retaliation to Ahriman's death, the Fallen Lilith
Lilith
Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...
(Erika Heynatz
Erika Heynatz
Erika Heynatz is an Australian model, actress, singer and television personality.-Career:...
) kills Uriel, Asmodeus kills Ithuriel, and Sammael kills Raphael. Driven mad by anger, Gabriel’s eyes turn bright brown, the colour of the Fallen. He returns to the brothel and viciously scars, then kills Asmodeus. Gabriel halts his imminent fall when he heals a young female the self-absorbed Asmodeus had surgically altered to vaguely resemble himself, returning her to her normal appearance. Shocked by his near fall, Gabriel returns to Amitiel. Amitiel comforts Gabriel and they make love. Gabriel then travels to a nightclub and kills Lilith, injecting her with several full vials of Ahriman's drugs. Gabriel chases Sammael to the nightclub’s rooftop.
Sammael refuses to fight Gabriel, instead asking him to listen to what he has to say. He explains how he despises being an angel, a being created entirely to serve others. He sees purgatory as a chance to take control of his own destiny, and asks Gabriel to join him. Refusing his offer, Gabriel unwittingly realises that Sammael is actually the Archangel Michael, his closest friend. Apparently, Michael had killed the Fallen Sammael and assumed Sammael's identity. The two Archangels fight, but because Gabriel has used up so much of his strength helping the other Archangels, Michael has the advantage. Michael ultimately impales Gabriel’s chest with a metal pipe. Gabriel admits that during his time as a human he has felt rage and anger, but he has also felt other positive emotions that Michael hasn’t. Gabriel embraces Michael, which drives the metal pipe through Michael’s chest, and tells Michael that he forgives him. Both Archangels collapse. Michael uses the last of his strength to heal Gabriel’s wound, then dies. Light returns to purgatory.
Kneeling in front of Michael's dead body, Gabriel shouts at God asking Him whether this is what He wanted. The healed Gabriel moves to the edge of the rooftop, and muses that he needs to understand why all this happened. He outstretches his arms, and lets himself fall. His final words are, "Forgive me... I hope I see you again..." A post-credits scene
Post-credits scene
A post-credits scene is a short clip that appears after some or all of the closing credits of a film have run...
shows Gabriel, (wearing different clothing, minus tattoo and with brown eyes), joining Amitiel and smiling. (The DVD version of the film does not contain the post-credit scene.)
Financing
Gabriel was made on a minuscule budgetBudget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
, even by Australian standards. Director Shane Abbess described the budget as “the catering
Catering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
budget on a Hollywood film
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
.” The film was shot for roughly . However, everyone involved in the production worked on deferred payment, meaning that the actual cost of the film runs "well into the millions" once deferrals have been taken into account. In addition, the filmmakers used money from the international distribution rights to complete the film's post-production. Shane Abbess claims that Gabriel's official budget will eventually be announced on its DVD release in a two-hour behind the scenes special feature.
According to Abbess, finding funding for the film was “impossibly hard.” The film was significantly funded out of the filmmakers’ own pockets: Abbess worked as a building labourer
Manual labour
Manual labour , manual or manual work is physical work done by people, most especially in contrast to that done by machines, and also to that done by working animals...
, a removalist
Moving company
A moving company, removalist, or van line is a company that helps people and businesses relocate their goods from one place to another. Typically they use moving vans, but for international moves or where storage is required, they may use special containerised vans or shipping containers.National...
, at a call centre
Call centre
A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
, and as a truck driver at the docks in order to raise the money to produce Gabriel. Five weeks into shooting, Abbess intended to return to his job as a removalist to raise more money to pay the caterers, but his old boss gave him a small sum of money to get the production over the line.
Preconceptions about what is an ‘Australian film’ contributed to the difficulty in finding funding. As an action film, Gabriel "defied the norm and went way outside convention." Producer Kristy Vernon states that “many Australia movies have been either driven by artistic or personal motivations or, have focused on cultural imperatives leading to ‘uncommercial’ movies being produced. These types of movies are unlikely to give off a reasonable return to investors. The consequence of this is that the Australian finance and investment sectors have been reluctant to support the funding of the movie industry.” Abbess is critical of contemporary Australian films, joking that audiences “fall asleep” through them. He also believes there is a mentality in the Australian film industry to wait for government funding, rather than to earn and finance your own films. Everyone he spoke to about getting the film made said that, “even with a big, huge budget, you’re not going to get this made out here.” However, after he got one or two people on board support increased in a snowball effect
Snowball effect
Snowball effect is a figurative term for a process that starts from an initial state of small significance and builds upon itself, becoming larger , and perhaps potentially dangerous or disastrous , though it might be beneficial instead...
.
Finding insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
for the film was also problematic. One day before filming was due to start the insurance company determined that the film was too risky, and tried to shut down production. Abbess struggled to find another company to insure the film, ultimately having to lie about the film's content to satisfy them (he claimed the film's dangerous climactic rooftop action scene was "all green screen"). The company agreed, but only after they tripled their original price. This meant that certain scenes had to be dropped from the production, though they were ultimately shot as pick-ups.
Development
Abbess’s initial idea for the film was his fondness for the name ‘Gabriel.’ He and co-writer Matt Hylton Todd researched angelAngel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s and demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s in various religions, drawing characters from Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
as well as John Milton’s
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
. The writers chose their favourite seven angels and favourite seven demons to create an “all-star” supernatural battle. Abbess says, “There hadn’t really been a movie about angels. Not like this. I hadn’t even seen Constantine
Constantine (film)
Constantine is a 2005 American action horror film directed by Francis Lawrence as his directorial debut, starring Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, with Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, and Djimon Hounsou...
at the time, nor the one with Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
(The Prophecy
The Prophecy
The Prophecy is a 1995 fantasy horror-thriller film starring Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Christopher Walken, Eric Stoltz, and Viggo Mortensen. It was written and directed by Gregory Widen, and is the first motion picture of The Prophecy series including four sequels...
) in it, so as far as I knew – and, anyway, this is very different from those – it hadn’t been done before.” The writers were interested in the backstory and mythology of purgatory, and aimed to focus more on the characters than the special effect
Special effect
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects ....
s. Gabriel was deliberately designed to be commercial and “franchiseable.” It was written as the first part of a trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
, and, if financially successful, will be followed by two sequels that will explore the world outside purgatory.
Gabriel was written in the style of action and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
movies from the 1980s and early 90s. This was partly because Shane Abbess was influenced by that era of cinema during his youth and partly because the minuscule budget demanded that the film couldn’t be laden with special effects. Abbess cites the films Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
, Predator
Predator (film)
Predator is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox....
and Die Hard
Die Hard
Die Hard is a 1988 American action film and the first in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. It is based on a 1979 novel by Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to the book The Detective, which...
as influences. He describes cinema of that era as, “because CG
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
effects weren't huge yet, the whole thing had to be about characters; had to be things you could believe in.” Abbess also stated that he “did kinda of want to make one giant cliché.” Abbess also intended the film to emulate the intentionally “jumbled quality” of 1980s cinema.
Design
Production designerProduction designer
In film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
Victor Lam drew the storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
s for Gabriel and oversaw every design aspect of the film. His job involved keeping the overall ‘feel’ of the film cohesive, and “making sure that it sits with Shane's direction and making sure that colour-wise, tonally it actually fits as well.” Because of the small budget, Lam’s designs had to be extremely budget conscious. The art department
Art department
Art department in movie terms means the section of a production's crew concerned with visual artistry. Working under the supervision of the production designer and/or art director, the art department is responsible for arranging the overall look of the film as desired by the film director...
collected props from “the local tip and thrift shops,” and costumes were bought second hand from St Vincent de Paul
Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
The St Vincent de Paul Society is an international Roman Catholic voluntary organization dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing direct practical assistance to anyone in need. Active in England & Wales since 1844, today it continues to address social and material need in all...
. In addition, they saved money on set building and space rental by using abandoned industrial locations and condemned buildings soon to be demolished as sets. An advantage to this approach was that it added a layer of realism to the production. The disadvantage was that it restricted where director Shane Abbess could place the camera. Abbess crammed the camera into corners to shoot scenes.
The set Lam is most proud of is one of the Fallen’s underground lairs. To dress this set, Lam and his team hung fences, fake blood and plastic chains painted to look metallic around an abandoned shooting stage in Gore Hill
Gore Hill, New South Wales
Gore Hill is an urban locality on the North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gore Hill is located in the western part of the suburb of St Leonards....
. Lam says, “The lead actor just came up and went, ‘Wow, that's really cool!' And we said, ‘Yeah! And it cost us nothing!’” Shane Abbess instructed the art department to include lots of fake blood and gore; Lam describes this as “video game influence.” He also acknowledges that his work has a strong comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
influence. Some of the art department work didn’t make it into the final film. Lam and his team built a large sculpture made of hessian and chicken wire, and though “it looked really good” and fitted “really well with the whole theme of Gabriel,” it wasn’t used in the film.
Filming
The film was shot on location in Sydney over a period of eight weeks in late 2005, plus a week of pick-ups in March 2006. The production team consisted of many experienced Australian filmmakers who had worked on major Hollywood productions filmed in Australia. The lighting crews had worked on Superman ReturnsSuperman Returns
Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
and The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
, while the stunt coordinator, Kyle Rowling, had worked on Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
Episodes II
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is a 2002 American epic space opera film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales. It is the fifth film to be released in the Star Wars saga and the second in terms of the series' internal chronology...
and III
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology....
. In order to better target international audiences, Shane Abbess directed the cast to use not necessarily full-blown American accents, but “neutral” accents.
Gabriel was shot on a JVC
JVC
, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
GY-HD101E digital video
Digital video
Digital video is a type of digital recording system that works by using a digital rather than an analog video signal.The terms camera, video camera, and camcorder are used interchangeably in this article.- History :...
camera. Abbess praised the JVC’s versatility, small size and its ability to shoot at night. Another crucial advantage to digital video was its cheapness: “Ten years ago, we couldn’t have made this movie, because we would have had to shoot on film. It would have been as boring as bat shit, because we would only have had money to shoot a wide shot and two close ups before moving on. I got so much better coverage shooting it this way.”
The deferred payment plan caused friction between the filmmakers and some of the extras, who demanded immediate payment after their two nights on set “or basically we're going to kill you.” The lack of money forced Abbess to innovate ways to shoot scenes that he wouldn’t have normally done. The scene in which Balan is killed is an example of this. Abbess ran out of time to film this scene using conventional techniques, so positioned the camera at the end of the hallway and used “crash zooms… in and out of the action” to highlight the key moments. Abbess studied other low budget films like Requiem for a Dream and Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko is a 2001 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Noah Wyle, Jena Malone, and Mary McDonnell...
to identify ways the filmmakers worked around their small budgets.
Physical effects were also created cheaply. Instead of using expensive rain towers, the rain featured in the film’s climactic scenes was created simply using hoses and unheated water. This meant that one night of production had to be wrapped three hours early because lead actor Andy Whitfield became hypothermic
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
: his temperature dropped to 32.5 degrees Celsius (90.5 degrees Fahrenheit). Abbess described this as the hardest scene to shoot. Initially intending to make Gabriel without CGI effects, Abbess also tried to reproduce bullet time
Bullet time
Bullet time is a special and visual effect that refers to a digitally enhanced simulation of variable-speed photography used in films, broadcast advertisements, and video games...
on a low budget by using giant props on strings, though he eventually decided computer generated effects were more successful.
The style of fighting in Gabriel was intended to be a "stylised version of pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
brawling." Shane Abbess intended for each of Gabriel's successive fights with the Fallen to be "a whole different experience," and strove to shoot each one differently. The lack of time meant there was little time for the performers to rehearse fight scenes: Andy Whitfield says that some fight scenes were rehearsed for only "three minutes before the cameras rolled." The hallway fight between Gabriel and Asmodeus was an example of this; the actors learned and executed a 98 move fight sequence in only an hour. Abbess states that stunt co-ordinator Kyle Rowling was "instrumental" to the quality of the action scenes.
Post-production
The first cut of Gabriel was a "self indulgent" three hours long. This rough was screened for some executives in Hollywood who recommended that film be cut down to under two hours "because we're an MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
audience these days." In mid 2006 when the edit was "working really well" the filmmakers chose to show it to Sony Pictures Australia
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
. Abbess chose Sony particularly because of their subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
; he believes "they knew how to handle films like Hostel and Underworld
Underworld (2003 film)
Underworld is a 2003 action-horror film about the secret history of Vampires and Lycans . It is the first installment in the Underworld series. The main plot revolves around Selene , a vampire who is a Death Dealer hunting Lycans...
." Sony picked up Gabriel up for international release. The filmmakers used the money from this deal to complete the editing process and the film’s effects. The filmmakers chose to assemble a team of freelancers rather than hire an effects company. The team completed 805 effects shots on a budget Sony had estimated would only cover six. Four months was spent completing the sound design.
Casting
Shane Abbess believes that "he couldn't ask for a better cast." He tried to cast actors who were unknown, both internationally and within Australia. In addition, he aimed for "a very international feel," intending that audiences would look at the cast and say, "They belong on the big cinema screen anywhere in the world." He requested that Casting DirectorCasting (performing arts)
In the performing arts, casting is a pre-production process for selecting a cast of actors, dancers, singers, models and other talent for a live or recorded performance.-Casting process:...
Faith Martin avoid anyone who "reminded people of a soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
." Despite this, two of the cast have appeared in Australian soap Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
: Michael Piccirilli appeared as Dr James Fraser during the late nineties, and Amy Mathews
Amy Mathews
Amy Mathews is an Australian television, film and theatre actress. She is best known for her role as Rachel Armstrong in Australian soap opera Home and Away.-Early life:...
(Maggie) began her stint as Rachel Armstrong while shooting her role for Gabriel. Erika Heynatz
Erika Heynatz
Erika Heynatz is an Australian model, actress, singer and television personality.-Career:...
"wasn’t anyone" when she was cast in the role of Lilith, but became well known after winning the 2006 series of It Takes Two. Producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Kristy Vernon states that even if the film had more money, "we probably would still have gone with somebody unknown, because part of doing this movie was making it fresh and new and something different."
Lead actor Andy Whitfield was initially hesitant to audition because he and his wife had just had a baby, and because he would have to accept deferred payment. His agent compelled him to consider the role as it was a lead in a feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
: "What you‘ve always wanted to do." Whitfield auditioned without any expectations of getting the role, which meant "he didn't really care as much" and he was free to "go for it, and go nuts" without any pressure. After getting the role, it was his wife who encouraged him to accept it by telling him it would be an inspiring thing to tell his son.
Characters
- Andy WhitfieldAndy WhitfieldAndy Whitfield was a Welsh actor and model. He was best known for his leading role in the Starz television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand during 2010, a year before his death at the age of 39.-Career:...
as GabrielGabrielIn Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an Archangel who typically serves as a messenger to humans from God.He first appears in the Book of Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions. In the Gospel of Luke Gabriel foretells the births of both John the Baptist and of Jesus...
: A committed and respected Archangel, Gabriel is occasionally reckless and stubborn. He aspires to emulate his stronger and wiser mentor, MichaelMichael (archangel)Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
. Whitfield was drawn to the character because "everything and anything seems possible and yet he is so utterly inexperienced to deal with even the most harmless of humans." Initially confident that he could pull off the role "his" way, throughout filming Abbess pushed Whitfield to "go to places that I would normally choose not to go to." This is Whitfield's first feature role.
- Dwaine Stevenson as SammaelSamaelSamael is an important archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore, a figure who is accuser, seducer and destroyer, and has been regarded as both good and evil...
/MichaelMichael (archangel)Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
: The most feared and faithful Fallen, Michael seeks control of the city to challenge what he calls a lack of freedom in the followers of the Light. Stevenson was attracted to the character's difficulties, finding the role confronting and challenging. He describes playing the role as "a very intimidating process and a lonely one. Each day I turned up to set, and began getting dressed, I could almost feel the character laughing at me saying, ‘Well, let’s see what you get today.’" One critic summarised his impression of the character as "Trent ReznorTrent ReznorMichael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
of Nine Inch NailsNine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
wearing ping-pong balls as contact lensContact lensA contact lens, or simply contact, is a lens placed on the eye. They are considered medical devices and can be worn to correct vision, for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons. In 2004, it was estimated that 125 million people use contact lenses worldwide, including 28 to 38 million in the United...
es."
- Samantha NobleSamantha NobleSamantha C. Noble is an Australian actress who has worked on television series and films. She is currently best known for her role as Jade/Amitiel in Gabriel, and has appeared in several films including See No Evil and .-Personal life:...
as Amitiel/Jade: Amitiel is the stealth assassinAssassinationTo carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of the Archangels, valued for her ability to nurture and heal more than her skills in combat. As Jade, a hooker with a heart of goldHooker with a heart of goldThe hooker with a heart of gold is a stock character in which a "fallen woman", usually a prostitute, is a kindly and internally wholesome person.-Characteristics:...
, she falls in love with Gabriel, tempting him to abandon his quest. Noble was drawn to the character because she "fell in love with her strength and veracity along with her sadness and vulnerability." Different to the roles Noble is usually cast in, the role involved lots of "reacting and listening rather than driving and manipulating."
- Erika HeynatzErika HeynatzErika Heynatz is an Australian model, actress, singer and television personality.-Career:...
as LilithLilithLilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...
: One of the Fallen, Lilith has a strong hatred of men. She is "driven by undiluted instinct and spiritual force." Heynatz states she was "inspired to find out where the character draws her power from, what fuels her, threatens her, and how she maintains her control. I also liked the idea of examining the idea of dominance and subservience." Heynatz found the "clear and consistent direction" from Director Shane Abbess and co-writer Matt Hylton Todd "new and empowering."
- Harry Pavlidis as UrielUrielUriel is one of the archangels of post-Exilic Rabbinic tradition, and also of certain Christian traditions...
: Uriel is the diplomat of the Archangels, preferring truce to conflict. After being corrupted by purgatory, Uriel runs away from the city and lives as a hermitHermitA hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
. The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
review of Gabriel made special mention of Harry Pavlidis's Uriel, labelling him a "scene stealerScene stealerA scene stealer is a character in a film or dramatic performance that dominates the audience's attention, often through charisma, humour or powerful acting, thus "stealing the scene" or "stealing the show". The term usually applies to a supporting character, such a sidekick, best friend,...
."
- Jack Campbell as RaphaelRaphael (archangel)Raphael is an archangel of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, who in the Judeo-Christian tradition performs all manners of healing....
: Known for his leadership skills, the Archangel Raphael is impeded from fighting the war in purgatory only after he receives a near fatal bullet wound. Campbell has had recurring roles on the Australian television show All SaintsAll Saints (TV series)All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009...
and the New Zealand soap operaSoap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
City LifeCity Life (TV series)City Life was a New Zealand soap opera that screened on TVNZ from 1996-1998. It was portrayed the lives and loves of ten singles who lived in an upmarket apartment building in Auckland, New Zealand...
.
- Michael Piccirilli as AsmodeusAsmodeusAsmodeus may refer to:* Asmodai, a demon-like figure of the Talmud and Book of Tobit* Asmodeus , Austrian black-metal band*Asmodeus , the name of several characters in Marvel Comics*Asmodeus...
: Vain, playful and perverted, Asmodeus chooses to remain Fallen in order to satisfy his carnal desires. The Sydney Morning Herald offered particular praise for Piccirilli's performance, calling the psychopathic narcissist "genuinely unsettling."
- Matt Hylton Todd as IthurielIthurielIthuriel is one of the 3 deputy sarim of the holy sefiroth serving under the ethnarchy of the angel Sephuriron....
: Ithuriel is a kind hearted and compassionate Archangel, but doesn't believe himself strong enough to fight the Dark. He chooses to open a soup kitchen as a way to reach out to the souls in purgatory. Matt Hylton Todd is also the co-writer of the film.
- Kevin Copeland as AhrimanAngra MainyuAngra Mainyu is the Avestan-language name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive spirit". The Middle Persian equivalent is Ahriman.-In Zoroaster's revelation:...
: The Fallen Ahriman quarrels with Sammael over strategy: where Sammael recommends patience, Ahriman proposes to hunt down and kill Gabriel immediately. Ahriman runs a drug making factory.
- Brendan Clearkin as BalanBalam (demon)In demonology, Balam is a great and powerful king of Hell who commands over forty legions of demons. He gives perfect answers on things past, present, and to come, and can also make men invisible and witty.Balam is depicted as being three-headed...
: The Fallen Balan is sadistic; he beats and tries to rape Amitiel.
Release
Sony Pictures Entertainment is distributing Gabriel, both within Australia and internationally. Sony initially wanted to release Gabriel in the U.S. before the rest of the world, but Shane Abbess fought so the film would come to Australia first. Its Australian premiere was at The Entertainment QuarterThe Entertainment Quarter
The Entertainment Quarter is an entertainment precinct in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The Entertainment Quarter sits beside Fox Studios Australia in the suburb of Moore Park, located 3 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is part of local government area...
, Sydney on 7 November 2007, while its general Australian release was on 15 November. Before its premiere, excerpts from the film were shown at the 2007 Supanova Pop Culture Expo
Supanova Pop Culture Expo
Supanova Pop Culture Expo is a fan convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy film and TV, comic books, anime, gaming and collectables. It is held annually in the Australian cities of Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Melbourne....
in Sydney. Gabriel received an 'M' rating from the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification with the consumer advice "moderate violence, coarse language, drug use and sexual references." Initially rumoured to have a U.S. release during January or February 2008, Gabriel's U.S. DVD was released on 19 February 2008.
Reception
Gabriel received mixed reviews upon release. In general, its visual style and technical achievements on such a low budget were praised, while its stilted dialogue and unoriginal storyline were criticised. Leading Australian film criticFilm criticism
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz AM is an Australian film critic and television personality.-Early life:Pomeranz was born in 1944 in Waverley, a suburb of Sydney, and was educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney in Croydon, the then newly opened Macquarie University, and the Playwright's Studio at...
enjoyed the film, stating that while "there's nothing amazingly deep about it," it has "an amazingly interesting look and sound." In contrast, David Stratton
David Stratton
David James Stratton is an English- Australian film critic and television personality.-Life and career:Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England in 1939, Stratton was sent to Hampshire to see out the war years with his grandmother, an avid filmgoer, where he was taken to the local cinemas regularly...
, Pomeranz's co-presenter from At the Movies, described the film as "tedious," deriding its dialogue, "derivative" story and uninteresting characters. Sydney Morning Herald reviewer Richard Jinman concurred with Stratton's assessment, stating that the "cliched aesthetic ... is a turn-off, as is the rather stilted dialogue." He went on to write that Gabriel is "hamstrung by a lack of visceral thrills, engaging characters and a storyline that can command attention for almost two hours." Michael Adams from The Movie Show
The Movie Show
The Movie Show is an Australian film review program that airs on SBS TV. Its history falls into three parts.-Original format:The original format, which ran from 30 October 1986 to 12 May 2004, had two presenters, David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz. Stratton and Pomeranz left for the ABC in early...
gave Gabriel "an 'A' for Ambition;" Adams admitted that some of the action is "clever" and many of the performances "solid," but found the overall film mediocre. Urban Cinefile's review was largely positive, calling the film "visually arresting" and "exciting."
Many critics addressed Gabriel's similarity to other films. Stratton asserted the film borrowed themes from Night Watch
Night Watch (2004 film)
Night Watch is a 2004 Russian supernatural thriller film directed by Timur Bekmambetov. It is loosely based on the novel The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko, and is the first part of a trilogy, followed by Day Watch and ending supposedly with Twilight Watch .-Plot:In the prologue, which...
and Day Watch
Day Watch
Day Watch , is a 2006 Russian dark fantasy action film marketed as "the first film of the year", opened in theatres across Russia on January 1, 2006, the U.S. on June 1, 2007 and the UK on October 5, 2007. It is a sequel to the 2004 film Night Watch, featuring the same cast...
, and had the look of Underworld
Underworld (2003 film)
Underworld is a 2003 action-horror film about the secret history of Vampires and Lycans . It is the first installment in the Underworld series. The main plot revolves around Selene , a vampire who is a Death Dealer hunting Lycans...
or a poor-man's The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
. Adams noted the film's debt to Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
, while Jinman compared the film's aesthetic to Mad Max
Mad Max
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
and 1980s music videos.
Box office
Gabriel grossed approximately in its Australian opening week, ranking fifth at the Australian box office. Gabriel's opening week gross represented the second highest of an Australian-made film released in 2007, behind Rogue which opened the previous week with approximately A$667 000. In its opening weekend, Gabriel opened on 98 screens and averaged $4,797 per screen, the third highest per screen average of the top 20 grossing films for the weekend. The AgeThe Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
journalist Jim Schembri described Gabriel's opening week as "impressive," writing that "The gloom-laden film may not be for all tastes, but it looks like it's hitting the right spots with its intended audience of goths
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
, emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
s and people who have trouble sleeping at night." In its five weeks playing in theaters, Gabriel grossed $1,462,320. Gabriels earnings ranked it at 110th among all the 295 films released in Australia in 2007.
External links
- Gabriel trailer at IGN.com