Rabbit-Proof Fence

Starring:Kenneth Branagh, Tianna Sansbury
Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Based on a true story, Rabbit-Proof Fence moves with dignified grace from its joyful opening scenes to a conclusion that's moving beyond words. The title refers to a 1,500-mile fence separating outback desert from the farmlands of Western Australia. It is here, in 1931, that three aboriginal girls are separated from their mothers and transported to a distant training school, where they are prepared for assimilation into white society by a racist government policy. Gracie, Daisy, and Molly belong to Australia's "stolen generations," and this riveting film (based on the book by Molly's daughter, Doris Pilkington Garimara) follows their escape and tenacious journey homeward, while a stubborn policy enforcer (Kenneth Branagh) demands their recapture. Director Phillip Noyce chronicles their ordeal with gentle compassion, guiding his untrained, aboriginal child actors with a keen eye for meaningful expressions. Their performances evoke powerful emotions (subtly enhanced by Peter Gabriel's excellent score), illuminating a shameful chapter of Australian history while conveying our universal need for a true and proper home. --Jeff Shannon

Description

RABBIT-PROOF Fence -- featuring the Golden Globe-nominated score by Peter Gabriel -- is a powerful true story of hope and survival and has been met with international acclaim! At a time when it was Australian government policy to train aboriginal children as domestic workers and integrate them into white society, young Molly Craig decides to lead her little sister and cousin in a daring escape from their internment camp. Molly and the girls, part of what would become known as Australia's "Stolen Generations," must then elude the authorities on a dangerous 1,500-mile adventure along the rabbit-proof fence that bisects the continent and will lead them home. As shown by this outstanding motion picture, their universally touching plight and unparalleled courage are a beautiful testament to the undying strength of the human spirit!

Customer Reviews:

Inspiring True Story.......2007-06-05

Between 1905 and 1971 the Australian government had enacted a policy of forcibly removed all half-caste Aboriginal children to special training schools. The grown daughter of Molly wrote a book about her mother's experiences and this movie is an adaptation of that true story.

In 1931, Molly and her younger cousins, Gracie and Daisy, were three half-caste children from Western Australia who were taken from their parents under government edict and sent to an institution, were taught to forget their families, their culture, and re-invent themselves as members of "white" Australian society. The three girls begin an epic journey back to Western Australia, traveling 1,500 miles on foot with no food or water, and navigating by following the fence that has been build across the nation to stem an over-population of rabbits.

Though the movie shows that the government's officer in charge had essentially good intentions. That these actions brought about by this policy were misguided and ultimately very destructive to Australia's Aborigine people and to the nation's moral fabric. This story of hope and survival will give you faith in the undying strength of the human spirit. Well worth watching.

glad I bought it.......2007-05-15

After reading the book I wanted to see if the essence of the story would be uphelt in the movie and I wasn't disappointed. In fact I felt it helped me understand the enormity of what these girls accomplished!

Good and Simple.......2007-04-26

Can't add much to what Chris Luallen said about a good morality story with simplistic characters. I loved the movie nonetheless because of the journey these 3 young girls make across 1500 miles, much of which is desert. I do wish like Chris, that they had gone into more depth of their characters. Not to mention some depth into any of the characters. Not even the school master, the tracker, the people that help them along their sojourn, or any other character with any time on screen. We never feel we really know any of them. Still a great story about how between 1905 and 1970 the Austrailian government took half cast children and made orphans of them. I recommend it as a rental, but you may find it doesn't have much replayability because of the lack of character development.

Amazing True Story That Is A Bit Too Simplistic In Its Character Development.......2007-04-13

This movie tells the story of three aborginal children who were kidnapped from their mother and taken to a faraway school in order to be indoctrinated into white Australian culture. This was the policy of the Australian government towards "half-caste" children, meaning those born with one parent who was white and one who was aborginal. In some ways it was similar to how the United States built schools intended to assimilate American Indians into mainstream white society.

The rest of the movie depicts how the three kids escape and then, with tremendous bravery and determination, make a 1,500 mile journey on foot to home. It's an extraordinary story that covers an important aspect of Australian history that remains unknown to many people. So, on that level, I enjoyed the movie.

But what keeps it from reaching the highest level of cinema is that the movie is basically a simplistic "morality tale" with very little nuance or subtly. Of course, the three girls are inherently heroic. But I would have preferred that the rest of the cast were portrayed with greater depth and a wider diversity of perspectives. Instead almost all the white Australians are depicted as simplistic villans, with a few bad "sell-out" aborigines thrown in for good measure.

History teaches us that the interaction of cultures involves a complex dynamic with a wide diversity of personalities and both sides generally attempting to do what is in their own self-interest. This holds true even when one side is clearly more powerful and therefore able to generally dominate and victimize the other, as was the case between whites and aborigines in Australia.

I still consider this a movie worth seeing. But I do wish the movie had a bit more depth to it, particularly in terms of character development.

A difficult, but inspiring film.......2007-03-25

I recently watched this film again when we showed it to a group of fifth and sixth graders who will be visiting Australia this summer. The actions and attitudes expressed by the Australians in the film mirror those by some in the U.S. toward our American Indian tribes. The removal of half-caste aboriginal children from their families only ceased in 1970.

The acting by the children is unforced and excellent. Kenneth Branagh takes on and succeeds in a difficult role.

Average customer rating:

Inspiring True Story
glad I bought it
Good and Simple
Amazing True Story That Is A Bit Too Simplistic In Its Character Development
A difficult, but inspiring film

Rabbit-Proof Fence
Starring: Everlyn Sampi , Tianna Sansbury , Laura Monaghan , David Gulpilil , and Ningali Lawford
Director: Phillip Noyce
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008HE46