Cheap Rabbit-Proof Fence (DVD) (Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury, Kenneth Branagh) (Phillip Noyce) Price

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Customer Reviews of Rabbit-Proof Fence

A powerful true story about Australia's "Stolen Generation"
In 1931 Australia, A.O. Neville, working within the boundaries of the law, forcibly removes three half-caste girls from their aboriginal home. The three girls -- Molly, Daisy and Gracie -- are sent 1,200 miles from their home in Jigalong to a school for children such as themselves, half-aborigine, half-white. the camp strives to assimilate the children into the white culture through such things as church and disallowing the use of their native language. Molly is determined, though, to make it back to her mother, and on a day threatening rain, she, Gracie and Daisy escape from the school. The only way to make it back to Jigalong is to walk the 1200 miles along the rabbit-proof fence that stretches the entire length of Australia.

This film tells the true story of the girls' trek across Australia through such dangers as hunger, thirst, the desert and an aboriginal tracker who is just as determined to re-capture them. With stunning cinematography, a fine script and marvelous direction from Phillip Noyce, the viewer is drawn into this harrowing story. Peter Gabriel's score suits the setting and subtles acts to enrich the emotional impact of the film. The acting is equally good with Kenneth Branagh as A.O. Neville who earns the nickname "Devil" and David Gulpilil as the aboriginal tracker. the best performances, though, come from the three young girls: Tianna Sansbury as Daisy, the youngest; Laura Monaghan as Gracie, who forces herself to escape with Molly; and Everlyn Sampi as Molly, the head-strong young girl determined to let nothing stop them from returing home.

This is a powerful true story, full of emotion. Definitely not one to miss.

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Beautiful & Affecting Journey Into Past & Across a Continent
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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A Universal Wake Up Call
This is probably the most emotional a film has ever made me. It's powerful, disturbing, and full of hope in the same breath. For "westernized" reviewers who acknowledge the content of this movie as an atrocity, this film is a wake up call to truly challenge to your beliefs. If you were in the same situation as a white person in 1931, would you still feel the same as you do now after seeing the movie or would you believe assimilation was the right thing to do? The most important thing to take away from this film is to never forget.