IMDb > Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
Rabbit-Proof Fence
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Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) More at IMDbPro »

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Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) -- In 1931, three aboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their homes to be trained as domestic staff and set off on a trek across the Outback.
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) -- In 1931, three aboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their homes to be trained as domestic staff and set off on a trek across the Outback.
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) -- Virgin.net Movies - Trailer (WMP)

Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   12,345 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 19% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers:

Doris Pilkington (book)
Christine Olsen (screenplay)

Contact:

View company contact information for Rabbit-Proof Fence on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

21 February 2002 (Australia) more

Tagline:

If you were kidnapped by the government, would you walk the 1500 miles back home? more

Plot:

In 1931, three aboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their homes to be trained as domestic staff and set off on a trek across the Outback. full summary | full synopsis

Plot Keywords:

more

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 21 wins & 24 nominations more

User Comments:

Powerful story, beautifully shot and pretty well acted – more than deserves 90 minutes of your time more (214 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Everlyn Sampi ... Molly Craig
Tianna Sansbury ... Daisy Kadibill
Laura Monaghan ... Gracie Fields
David Gulpilil ... Moodoo
Ningali Lawford ... Maud
Myarn Lawford ... Molly's Grandmother
Deborah Mailman ... Mavis
Jason Clarke ... Constable Riggs

Kenneth Branagh ... A.O. Neville
Natasha Wanganeen ... Nina, Dormitory Boss
Garry McDonald ... Mr. Neal at Moore River

Roy Billing ... Police Inspector
Lorna Leslie ... Miss Thomas
Celine O'Leary ... Miss Jessop
Kate Roberts ... Matron at Moore River
more
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Additional Details

MPAA:

Rated PG for emotional thematic material.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

Aboriginal | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Switzerland:10 (canton of Zurich) | Malaysia:U | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Portugal:M/12 | South Africa:13V (theatrical rating) | South Africa:PG (DVD rating) | USA:TV-PG (cable rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:I | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG (certificate #38838)


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

The last scene in the movie, which shows the real-life Molly walking with a walking stick, was shot first. According to Phillip Noyce, during an interview after a screening, Molly's age and health made it so that it would be best if that scene was shot first. more

Goofs:

Continuity: Far into the story the film shows the view from Mr. Neville's office window, allowing us to see a few applicants. Among those is a couple whose application had been rejected early in the story by Mr. Neville. Obviously the same set served different scenes that were far apart in time. more

Quotes:

[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.
more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gulpilil: One Red Blood (2002) (V) more

Soundtrack:

Old Folks at Home (Swanee River) more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
18 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
Powerful story, beautifully shot and pretty well acted – more than deserves 90 minutes of your time, 8 November 2002
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

1931 Australia. The state has passed a law that facilitates the collection of mixed race children to boarding camps where they are trained in their white side of their blood and to be home help as adults. The eventual aim is to prevent the growth of the aborigines as a race by watering down any mixed blood. A small group of children, Molly, Gracie and Daisy are taken from their mother and transferred across the country to one such camp. However Molly leads the trio in an escape from the camp and follow the rabbit proof fence that divides the country to return to her home.

I managed to fluke free preview tickets for this because the tickets I had come to collect were all gone! I must admit this film hadn't really appealed to me when I saw summaries and the poster, but I'm very glad that I did. The plot is based on fact and is a period of history that I admit I knew nothing about. I was surprised that this cruel and immoral practice carried on till as late as the seventies. The fact that the current Prime Minister of Australia refuses to apologise for it to this day shows that it is important that this story be told.

The film is told in a steady, unsentimental tone that allows the film to be powerful without the typically Hollywood use of sweeping music or other such lazy tools. Instead the circumstances of the story create the emotion. The story is a little weak at some points – once the children escape the film has a touch too many scenes of near-capture and escape to sustain the drama. Also the film (understandably) lends a lot of respect to the Aborigines – giving them a sense of mysticism that they maybe don't deserve. This is a slight problem when a key action involves a hawk that is supposedly summoned by their mothers (or something!). However these are minor complaints given the sweeping emotion of the film and the sheer power of the story.

The production and direction are excellent. Noyce has created a beautiful vision of the Australian Outback that really feeds the film. However the sound is also superb. Rhythmic footsteps ring out, crunching and banging of the landscape – it works best in a cinema I guess but it adds to the dramatic feel of the film, even if some sudden noises caused me to jump without any reason in the scene to do so.

The cast are mixed but are important where it matters. Sampi is amazing as Molly. She carries the film with her strength but also little facial expressions that reveal that she is a child, reveal her strength and tell so very much. Both Sansbury and Monaghan also do well but not as well as the lead. Branagh is also perfectly pitched. Neville could easily have been overplayed as a hammy villain of the piece but here he is played just right – he is a real man and we are left to decide for ourselves what to make of him. Some of the cast are average – some of the children in the camp can't act and the majority of the white police officers are maybe a shade too much caricatured as evil men who dislike the blacks.

Overall this film may struggle to draw the Friday night crowd just looking for a bit of escapism of a weekend, but it is still well worth a look. It is beautifully shot and uses the Australian landscape to great effect complimenting the enormity and emotion of the terrible, terrible true story. Not exactly cheerful or uplifting but a powerful story that deserves 90 minutes of your time.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Worthless film hammer_1777
If you liked this riveting tale about sisters... delyma-1
fascist alert! Fai-ling_Rhyter
Never heard of this before... insane_treefrog
Has Australia Apologised? pomegranite
used in junior and senior highschools elizabeth-mccambridge
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