Amazon.co.uk Review
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's 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
Customer Reviews:
expected better.......2008-02-27
after having watched the new Australian PM say "sorry" to Native Australians juxtaposed with a new (white) Australian saying "sorry?they should be thanking us for giving them schools and education etc" I rented this with the expectation of obtaining an understanding of the policies employed and the emotions involved from 'real' australians. I can only echo a previous comment that this falls a bit flat and seems a bit of a'cop out'. i can understand viewers empathy but there was not, for me, the huge emotional involvement in the characters that I expected.All in all a disappointment although i'm sure there is a fantastic film in these stories if someone has the time to portray this abhorrent reality properly. By the way,in my (limited)experience the attitude of the white australian quoted appears to still be the prevalent attitude in the australia of today.....
life is unfair.......2008-02-22
I loved this film. Is very sad and touching. And it's feels more strong because is a real life story. And unfortunately still happening in some 3rd world countries. Life is so unfair!!!!!
Inspiring True Story.......2007-10-06
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.
Disappointing. A big let down.......2007-09-26
I'm sorry. I know that this is a very 'worthy' subject and is certainly part of a dreadful piece of recent Australian social history (the last case occuring in 1970), but i found this film tedious, lacking emotion - and given the subject matter that was very surprising - lacking any kind of punch & extremely disjointed.
Sometimes we fall for these social commentary type films, but you know what? - they're not all good.
Kenneth Branagh was just incredibly ineffectual. The whole film seemed to be shying away from probably upsetting the population & just didn't do enough to hit home the sheer audacity & arrogance of this policy.
I really really wanted to like this film as it seemed to promise all of the qualities that i love in good, low-key, social markers. However, i was let down on almost every level by a limp, vapid & , well, just plain uninteresting film.
SHOULD and COULD have been so very much better. I was doubly interested as i used to live in the pilbara area in which the film was partly shot, but just felt so very unaffected by the end.
A saving grace? hard to think of one really, but the appearance of the real women at the end was at least reasonably interesting.
AWESOME!.......2007-08-16
Unfortunately it was a true story, but I loved it. Molly was a very strong person.
Amazon.co.uk Review
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's 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
Customer Reviews:
expected better.......2008-02-27
after having watched the new Australian PM say "sorry" to Native Australians juxtaposed with a new (white) Australian saying "sorry?they should be thanking us for giving them schools and education etc" I rented this with the expectation of obtaining an understanding of the policies employed and the emotions involved from 'real' australians. I can only echo a previous comment that this falls a bit flat and seems a bit of a'cop out'. i can understand viewers empathy but there was not, for me, the huge emotional involvement in the characters that I expected.All in all a disappointment although i'm sure there is a fantastic film in these stories if someone has the time to portray this abhorrent reality properly. By the way,in my (limited)experience the attitude of the white australian quoted appears to still be the prevalent attitude in the australia of today.....
life is unfair.......2008-02-22
I loved this film. Is very sad and touching. And it's feels more strong because is a real life story. And unfortunately still happening in some 3rd world countries. Life is so unfair!!!!!
Inspiring True Story.......2007-10-06
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.
Disappointing. A big let down.......2007-09-26
I'm sorry. I know that this is a very 'worthy' subject and is certainly part of a dreadful piece of recent Australian social history (the last case occuring in 1970), but i found this film tedious, lacking emotion - and given the subject matter that was very surprising - lacking any kind of punch & extremely disjointed.
Sometimes we fall for these social commentary type films, but you know what? - they're not all good.
Kenneth Branagh was just incredibly ineffectual. The whole film seemed to be shying away from probably upsetting the population & just didn't do enough to hit home the sheer audacity & arrogance of this policy.
I really really wanted to like this film as it seemed to promise all of the qualities that i love in good, low-key, social markers. However, i was let down on almost every level by a limp, vapid & , well, just plain uninteresting film.
SHOULD and COULD have been so very much better. I was doubly interested as i used to live in the pilbara area in which the film was partly shot, but just felt so very unaffected by the end.
A saving grace? hard to think of one really, but the appearance of the real women at the end was at least reasonably interesting.
AWESOME!.......2007-08-16
Unfortunately it was a true story, but I loved it. Molly was a very strong person.
UK DVD:
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- Rent [2005]
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- Save The Last Dance Dvd [2001]
- Scum [1979] (Ray Winstone)
- Sense And Sensibility (Collector's Edition) [1996]
- Shogun [5 Disc Box Set] [1981]
- Shooting Dogs [2005]
UK DVD List
UK DVD
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