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Summary: Beautiful & Affecting Journey Into Past & Across a Continent
Review: In Australia prior to 1970, the law gave the "Chief Protector of the Aborigines" legal guardianship of all the Aborigine people and the power to forcibly remove half-white Aborigines from their homes and place them in schools where they would be educated in the ways of White society. In 1931, the "Chief Protector of the Aborigines" was a man named A.O. Neville (Kenneth Branaugh). "Rabbit-Proof Fence" is the story of three half-Aborigine girls whom Mr. Neville ordered removed from their mothers' care and the girls' courageous journey back home. Molly(Everlyn Sampi), who was the oldest at 14 years, her young sister Daisy (Tianna Sansbury), and their cousin Gracie (Laura Monaghan) were placed far from their home in the "Moore River Native Settlement" for their education. This is the story of the girls' 9-week journey on foot, following Australia's continent-spanning rabbit-proof fence, to try to reach their home and family in northern Australia."Rabbit-Proof Fence" is a true story, based on the book written by Molly's daughter, Doris Pilkington. This is a stunningly beautiful film in its portrayal of the Australian landscape and its native peoples. Thanks to the beautiful cinematography and the excellent performances, "Rabbit-Proof Fence" is riveting all the way through even though the story of people trudging across a continent on foot offers little variation. Everlyn Sampi gives an outstanding performance as Molly, who is responsible for the fate of her young charges for the course of their arduous journey. Molly is a young woman of few words, but she speaks volumes with her eyes and is magnetic in her ability to fix the audience's attention on the screen. The other great performance is that of Kenneth Branaugh as A.O. Neville, the cause of all the girls' -and many other Aborigines'- troubles. It would have been very easy -but inaccurate, I think- to portray Neville as a horrible power-mongering bureaucrat. With relatively few scenes or dialogue, Branaugh effectively communicates that Neville's intentions were essentially good and that he took his responsibilities seriously. That said, the film does not shy away from demonstrating that his actions were misguided and ultimately very destructive to Australia's Aborigine people and to the nation's moral fabric. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Aborigine struggle against a racist white Aussie Government.
Review: This is a very compelling story about the Australian Government policy from the early 1900's through 1970 to relocate Aborigine children to orphanages by taking them from their families and their mothers. What is lacking is the usual guns and bloodshed associated with genocide, but the goal is the same. To entirely wipe out a culture is the purpose of genocide, and bloodless genocide is no less a crime against humanity. In the case, the Aborigne culture of Australia is over 40,000 years old and maybe the oldest surviving culture on Earth. Gracie, Daisy, and Molly did not cooperate with this plan of the "master race," and ran away. This was the start of a 1,500 mile walk home. Three little girls knew that if they found the rabbit proof fence that stretched across Australia and headed north, they would end up at home. This is a stretch of land that is one of the most forbidding on the planet. This is the story about the "lost generations." Both the trek home and committing this wonderful story of survival against wrong were monumental tasks. Director Phillip Noyce conducted numerous auditions with aborigne girls. After he makes his selections, he warns them, like any good grandfather, to not get spoiled. Like other grandfathers, he then proceeds to spoil what seems to be his three adopted grandchildren. A less kind hearted Director would not be able to pull off what this movie accomplishes. The special features of the DVD documents how the film crew became like a family, with all of the playfullness, teasing, tears, arguments and making up of a real family (or tribe). When the scene was shot for the movie of the girls being taken away from their families, there were tears and charged emotions put on film. When the scene ended and the cameras stopped, the crew had to take a prolonged break because the emotions hadn't stopped. Aboriginal actresses and acting coaches along with the white crew had to hug and cry all the way out what they had started. Later, when you see the aborigine girls during informal play and interaction with others, it is easy to recognize the similarities to the little princess daughter or grand daughter you may have at home. Please don't miss the deeper levels of this movie. If you look deeper, there is quite a statement within this movie about motherhood, daughterhood, and sisterhood. Perhaps, even a mother nature/earth statement. A full response to the governments question of intelligence is a challenge to come up with a universal standard. Is intelligence quotations from Shakespeare while undergoing death by thirst, starvation and elements in the outback? Or is it squeezing the water from roots of plants, catching, roasting and eating giant lizards or eating beetle larva. I know exactly whom I want to be with in the outback. It isn't Sydney from Sydney. It is Gracie, Daisy, and Molly. It is Moodoo, the tracker in this film that is pretending to follow the girls but never quite catching them. Can you recognize him?
He is the same person that played the Aborigne teenager many years ago in "Walk About." He looks like he is in the same physical condition and ready for the next "walk about." I really want to see more movies like this highlighting Aborignal culture and the Australian landscape.
Rating:
Summary: Poingnant and powerful and historical
Review: This touching story of struggle of 3 children against racism to return home along the "rabbit proof fence" is made all that more powerful and touching with the very last scene of this movie. The DVD extra feature of how these child stars were discovered and trained is entralling. See it.
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Summary: Er, the part they left out of the Paul Hogan films
Review: Austrailia may have an image of an ever-sunny, shrimp-on-the-barbie, g'day mate tourist destination, but those of us who actually READ history know better. One chapter some may have missed is held up for all to see in "Rabbit-Proof Fence". The Austrailian government engaged in its own version of "ethnic cleansing" well into the 20th century, while not necessarily genocidal, it certainly was designed to slowly strangle Aboriginal culture. "Rabbit-Proof Fence" tells a deceptively simple, almost mythic tale of three Aboriginal sisters who escape and make thier way home through the daunting Outback after being forcibly "relocated" some 1,200 miles away. Not as politically charged as Fred Schepsi's excellent, rarely screened "Chant Of Jimmy Blacksmith" (sadly unavailable in any home format) but more similar to Nicholas Roeg's "Walkabout". Those familiar with the latter film may relish the irony of Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil's appearance in "Rabbit.." as the government-hired tracker (in "Walkabout" he was the life-saving guide who led the lost children home). Director Phillip Noyce "borrows" a now-familiar but sure-fire heart-tugging device from Speilberg's "Schindler's List" for his epilogue, but it puts a very real and human face on this fact-based drama.
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Summary: 3.5 Stars. Well done movie
Review: The story is a little too remote to identify with, but that doesn't really matter. You identify with the three girls instead of the story. The movie moves along quite slowly for the first half, and is pretty boring, but once you learn to connect with the plight of these three girls who want nothing more than to go home, this film affects you on an instinctual level. Excellent cinematography of the australian plains. The tearful eyes of the girls draw a paternal/maternal instinct from you that connects you personally with the girls. The rest of the movie doesn't really matter, it is all based on the emotion generated by the three girls' journey home. Watch this film at least once. It may seem boring, but it is ultimately a powerful film if you can connect with the lead characters.
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Summary: the next nichole kidman
Review: the director phillip noyce thinks that everlyn sampi could be the next nichole kidman. i completely agree. she's got charm for days.and then some. what i thought was interesting was how she had to memorize her lines by having it read to her because of her limited reading skills, so its almost as though she was living the movie and not acting. people need to get hip to her so she can get more gigs. you know how hard it is for non whites in hollywood.
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Summary: A Fence Of Tears
Review: This story is very sad but in a way it's very interesting. This movie made me cry because how can someone be so cruel and take children away from their families and their culture. Seeing the movie made me think how hard it was for the 3 little girls to travel 1,500 miles just to be with their loved ones. I know that I would have done the same thing in order to be with my family and continue with my culture. I think people should have the right to be what they want to be. People should not try to take their rights away. I think people should watch this movie to know what I am talking about. I want people to see how cruel the world was to the Australian Aborigines.
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Summary: America's shame as well
Review: This was a beautiful film which I highly recommend. Unfortunately, the practice of separating indiginous children from their families and homes and sending them away to be re-educationed, Christianized, and de-cultured also happened in the United States. Many Native American children were taken from their homes and sent to schools where they were not allowed to speak their native tongue or observe any cultural tradition. A very good film about a young half-Cherokee boy taken from his grandparents is THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE.
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Summary: A Truly International Lesson in Racial Prejudice
Review: My wife and I live in Arctic Alaska and the Native people here have stories which reflect somewhat similar racial prejudice in education by the dominant white society. We hear stories from the past about how local Native students would be punished for speaking their Inupiat Eskimo language in class, and also how they would have to travel to other parts of Alaska and the Lower 48 to get a high school education.
Then to see an extreme example of this philosophy by the dominant white Australians against the aboriginal people, right into the 1970s. Painful, but a story that should be told, and told as well as in this movie.
The three young aborigine girls are forcibly removed from their village and taken off to a kind of boarding school to make them discard their culture and language. Like some other reviewers I credit this movie for focusing on the determination of the young girls, especially their 14-year-old leader, Molly, to escape from such a place and walk back a long, long way to their village, through all kinds of obstacles, including a hired aborigine tracker on their trail. See the movie, read the book, and then do what you can to help preserve and enhance the many indigenous cultures around the world in this era of globalization. Peace!
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Summary: Thought Provoking Film
Review: I had never heard of this film until I saw it in a video store, and after picking it up off the shelf it looked interesting to me. This is an IMPORTANT film about a little known chapter of Australian history (at least outside of Australia). With our own shameful treatment of Native Americans, we can learn something from this film. Absolutely great performances and cinematography. Highly recommended!
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