Rabbit proof fence is a 2002 australian drama film directed and produced by phillip noyce based on the book follow the rabbit proof fence by doris pilkington garimara. For example, the australian policies bore a striking resemblance to the treatment of native american children by the u. Rabbit proof fence filming techniques free essay example. For many white australians, it was the first direct emotional experience of what it meant to be a stolen child. Aboriginal children of mixed race were taken by force from their mothers and raised in training schools that would prepare them for lives as factory workers or. Today, the rabbit proof fence, now called the state barrier fence, stands as a barrier to entry against all invasive species such as dingoes, kangaroos and emus, which damage crops, as well as wild dogs which attack livestock. In comparison to canadian indigenous people, the aborigine. Rpf is a docodrama based in the 1930s, which deals the issue of the stolen generation. The rich language of the cinema provides the foundation for jbfcs visual glossary. The fact that it is only loosely based on the true story to. Molly character analysis in follow the rabbitproof fence. Hughesdaeth and birch argue, with their own investments in different sides of the story, that the empathic appeal of rabbitproof fence stamps the film as a hollywood commodity, safely packaging difference. Knowing that the interpretation from nonindigenous people may lead towards the misrepresentations of indigenous. We have free resources to support you through the pandemic.
This module has been designed to accompany the film rabbitproof fence 2002. With everlyn sampi, tianna sansbury, kenneth branagh, laura monaghan. These kinds of response reveal some of the limitations of the global commodity market in which the film was positioned by its promoters. Below are some resources that could be used when working with this topic and film. He has symbolised home by repeatedly showing images of the spirit bird and the rabbit proof fence, since it is a connection to their home. Rabbitproof fence was warmly received by both audiences and critics upon its release in 2002. Set in 1931, rabbitproof fence brings to the screen the horrific consequences of a british policy that removed australian children who were of mixed whiteaboriginal background from their homes a practice that continued until the 1970s. It was and is an incredible monument to folly of man, for the rabbits soon managed to dig beneath the rabbit proof fence and spread to the sheep. The rabbit proof fence of australia amusing planet. She tells her own story in under the wintamarra tree 2003, of her premature birth, under the tree of the books title on balfour downs station, a pastoral lease and cattle station located about 2 kilometres northeast of newman in western australias pilbara region. The fence was erected in the early 1900s to keep wild rabbits out of farm lands on the western side of the continent.
Neville kenneth branagh, a man so intransigently certain of its. They called it the rabbit proof fence, and it stretched fully 1500 kilometers from the burning hot northwest to the cool and rainy south of the great continent. Doris pilkington garimara tells the story of her mother in follow the rabbitproof fence. The main character who will make the epic journey that the film narrates, molly, asks the worker where your country. The film rabbitproof fence conveys the importance of home and country to indigenous peoples. Rabbitproof fence never provides a definitive answer to these questions, though given how long indigenous children continued to be removed. Rabbitproof fence is the harrowing true story of three mixedrace aboriginal children who walked a thousand miles to get back to their mothers. It concerns the authors mother, and two other young mixedrace aboriginal girls, who ran away from the moore river native settlement, north of perth, in order to return to their aboriginal. In rabbitproof fence, effective editing provides the viewer with a number of points of view when the girls are being removed from their family. Read this music and movies essay and over 89,000 other research documents. Perhaps the film lacks a touch of poetry, a grandness. Yet no event seems to elicit such a profound reaction as the stolen. Comment on how you feel, the music, the reactions of the children and the.
Rotten tomatoes gave it a rating of 88% based on 8. Rabbit proof fence in the context of australian identity. Rabbitproof fence letterboxd social film discovery. Do you feel that the film set out to recreate the book faithfully, or did it aim to adapt the book. Phillip noyces rabbit proof fence was a interesting and gripping film immediately from the get go. After watching the film you realise there is one filming technique which people usually leave out, and that is symbolism the use of symbolism in rabbit proof fence is used to explore the concept that the journey matters and not the destination does not really. The policies depicted in the movie were enforced by the australian government, we are told, until 1970. The film runs through a simple, yet effective plot of abduction, incarceration, escape, pursuit and finally homecoming. The woman whose 1,000mile childhood trek across the australian outback inspired the 2002 film rabbitproof fence has died in the countrys far northwest. Find out more about why the rabbitproof fence movie is an important film in relation to australian history. Doris pilkingtons mother and the protagonist of the book, molly is an intrepid fifteenyearold halfcaste, or mixedrace, aboriginal girl. Based on a true story, the film is set in 1931, in the outback of australia where molly craig 14, her younger sister daisy craig 8, and their cousin gracie 10 try to return to their homeland after they have been forcefully taken to a relocation camp by the government. The film rabbit proof fence is reminiscent of a war story as the country has been invaded and taken over.
The director phillip noyce refers to home in different ways. Part 1 rabbit proof fence wide reading and textual resources. It is based on the book follow the rabbitproof fence by. Rabbit proof fence essays in rabbit proof fence, it tells of tragic and untold stories of the stolen generation, the estimated 30,000 aboriginal children forcibly removed from their parents by australian authorities between 1900 and the late 1960s. Rabbitproof fence is a powerful film based on the true story and. Three young girls are taken from their homes in a rural northern town of western australia, two thousand kilometres from home to the moore river native settlement in order to be. Before watching the film these activities, which students may complete before seeing the film, provide an. In 1931, three halfwhite, halfaboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their houses to be trained as domestic staff, and set off on a journey across the outback. Although, it is only loosely based on a true story concerning mollys mother. Rabbit proof fence, sympathises the viewer with the aborigines, sharing the atmosphere of hopeless, powerlessness and loss, bringing out its significance in its message. Rabbitproof fence tells the true story of three aboriginal australian girls molly, her sister daisy and their cousin, gracie.
In response to the contentious subject matter of the film, rabbit proof fence is governed by the process of simplification and condensation. Rabbit proof fence response phillip noyces rabbit proof fence was a interesting and gripping film immediately from the get go. Rabbitproof fence and its connections to australian history. But its an important, and beautifully made, saga which provides plenty of food for thought. One such film is rabbitproof fence, directed by phillip noyce and based. Stolen generations rabbit proof fence teach indigenous. A short film report rabbitproof fence is an australianproduced drama movie and semidocumentary, being based on a book and true story told by doris. An australians response to rabbit proof fence rabbit proof fence is a film created in 2002 by the director phillip noyce. Analysis film techniques of rabbit proof fence english. Rabbit proof fence was a touching movie that caused me to think about some of the most important relationships that exist in mortality and the strength that binds those relationships over any distance. Analysing rabbit prooffence 2002 from a semiotic perspective that it is obvious since the opening scene uses a lot of symbols and signs to give audience a clear meaning of how molly has a strong relationship with her land. Rabbitproof fence was released in australia in 2002 and as well as being a box office success in australia, sold to numerous overseas markets, achieving cinema distribution in key territories including the us, uk, france, germany, italy. The film, rabbit proof fence communicates and connects deeply with the viewers knowledge, response and feelings deeply towards the injustice of the stolen generation. I was very appalled by the fact that children were being abducted from there homes by a government in such recent history.
Rabbit proof fence is a contemporary drama about the struggle of three aboriginal girls from western australia. It is loosely based on a true story concerning the authors mother molly, as well as two other mixedrace aboriginal girls, daisy kadibil and gracie, who escape from the moore river native settlement, north of perth, western. Generations, rabbitproof fence explores themes such as aboriginal spirituality, relationships with the land, family bonds, courage, determination and faith. In response they attempt the impossible and embark on a daring escape and epic journey to find their way back home across an unforgiving landscape that will test their very will to. Its called rabbitproof fence and its a beautiful, heartwrenching story about the. Postcolonial guilt and the myth of distance in rabbit proof fence. Rabbit proof fence is a good film to show classes learning about the stolen generations. The film removes all extraneous material for example the initial journey from. Rabbitproof fence is more than a significant film in the history of australian cinema. Rabbit proof fence atom study guide by clickview issuu. It was into this simmering cauldron that rabbitproof fence was thrown when it was released in australian cinemas in february. It is loosely based on a true story about the authors mother, molly, who was a part of the stolen generations. The main characters in the rabbit proof fence is molly, 15, gracie, 11 and daisy 8 years of age.
With the film facing the realities of the mistreatment indigenous people experienced to collaborating with the indigenous community to present this film, rabbitproof fence, i believe was a well represented film that brought up an issue within history that many people did not know of. The film, the rabbit proof fence is based on a true story. Clips from some of our greatest visual storytellers put these terms in context, showing how filmmakers use these concepts and techniques to create iconic imagery, memorable characters, and powerful stories. The most astonishing words in rabbitproof fence come right at the end, printed on the screen as a historical footnote. Rabbit proof fence tells an important story about a controversial time in australian history. Rabbitproof fence 2002 is a beautiful true story which keeps audience amused thought most of the film. The three girls run away from the school and walk back to their home using the rabbitproof fence that run. Rabbitproof fence will acquaint children with a shameful chapter of australian history and invite comparisons to the experiences of other countries, including the united states. The film is a story of three different aboriginal girls who first get taken away from their family and in turn end up being taken to an settlement called the moore river native settlement to be raised by the white settlers. Rabbitproof fence jbfc edu jacob burns film center. The film, rabbitproof fence, is directed by phillip noyce, and it is a film about three young aboriginal halfcaste girls molly, daisy, and gracie who were forcibly taken away from their families and taken to the camp at moore river native settlement to be taught to become servants. Yes the film was pretty faithful to the book and it was mostly the same throughout both the book and the film.
As well as this film, you can have a look at these two songs about the stolen generations. This book, written by doris pilkington, tells how her mother molly and her younger cousins gracie and daisy in the life of an aboriginal woman, no one is more important than her mother when she is. Molly and daisy are sisters and gracie is their cousin. Only three manage to escape on their epic journey home they must cross through enemy occupied territory, never knowing friend from foe. The invaders are taking away the children and placing them in camps. Rabbitproof fence rpf directed by philip noyce is based upon the novel follow the rabbitproof fence by doris pilkington. Actionmovie director phillip noyce drowsily answers. The film, rabbit proof fence, is directed by phillip noyce, and it is a film about three young aboriginal halfcaste girls molly, daisy, and gracie who were forcibly taken away from their families and taken to the camp at moore river native settlement to be taught to become servants. When captured alongside two of her sisters actually cousins and sent to the moore river native settlement, molly devises a plan to escape the internment camp and make her way home by following the rabbitproof fence through western australia. Aboriginal children of mixed race were taken by force from their mothers and raised in training schools that would prepare them for lives as factory workers or domestic. Rabbitproof fence is set in 1931, when the executor of that policy was a. It won best film at the 2002 afi awards, and the audience award at numerous international film festivals. The story of three sisters being stripped from their mothers and taken to camps to be civilized by the white australians gave no room for thoughts other than how cruel the mind of these officials must of been.
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