| |
[First lines]
Title Cards: Western Australia 1931
Title Cards: For 100 years the Aboriginal Peoples have resisted the invasion of their lands by white settlers.
Title Cards: Now, a special law, the Aborigines Act, controls their lives in every detail.
Title Cards: Mr. A. O. Neville, the Chief Protector of Aborigines, is the legal guardian of every Aborigine in the State of Western Australia.
Title Cards: He has the power "to remove any half-caste child" from their family, from anywhere within the state.
|
Molly Craig: [about everybody in Moore River] This people... make me sick!
|
[first spoken lines]
Molly Craig: [v.o., in native language] This is a true story - story of my sister Daisy, my cousin Gracie and me when we were little. Our people, the Jigalong mob, we were desert people then, walking all over our land. My mum told me about how the white people came to our country. They made a storehouse here at Jigalong - brought clothes and other things - flour, tobacco, tea. Gave them to us on ration day. We came there, made a camp nearby. They were building a long fence.
|
A.O. Neville: If only they would understand what we are trying to do for them
|
[Molly, Daisy and Gracie wake up their first morning at Moore River]
Nina, Dormitory Boss: [to them] What's your name? Where you from?
[they don't answer]
Nina, Dormitory Boss: You'll get used to it.
|
Gracie Fields: [in native language to her cousins] New clothes!
Miss Jessop: [in English] This is your new home. We don't use that jabber here. You speak English.
|
Moodoo: This girl is clever. She wants to go home.
|
Daisy Kadibill: [after Molly lifts Daisy up to a bird's nest to gather some eggs to eat] Three of them!
Molly Craig: Perfect. One for you, one for me, and one for both of us!
|
Maud: [to Molly] See that bird? That's the spirit bird. He will always look after you.
|
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!
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
|
|