Rabbit-Proof Fence (movie)
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Rabbit-Proof Fence is an Australian film based on the book of the same name by Doris Pilkington Garimara allegedly based on historical events about three young half-caste Aboriginal girls who ran away from a Western Australian settlement in which they were placed in 1931, in order to return to their Aboriginal family. The film follows the girls walking for nine weeks along 1500 miles of fence to return to their mother's community. The fence is "rabbit proof", i.e. prevents rabbits from crossing.
When it was released, the film caused debate over its historical accuracy. Some conservatives such as Andrew Bolt criticised the portrayal of A. O. Neville, the Protector of Aborigines in Western Australia responsible for removing the girls from their families, as paternalistic and racist. Bolt also claimed that the film ignored the fact that the girls were not being cared for properly by their parents. It formed a part of the broader argument over the stolen generation and the necessity of an apology to Australia's indigenous peoples.
- Director
- Producer
- Phillip Noyce
- Christine Olsen (writer)
- John Winter
- Cast
- Everlyn Sampi - Molly Craig
- Tianna Sansbury - Daisy Craig
- Kenneth Branagh - A.O. Neville
- David Gulpilil - Moodoo
External links
- Official film website (http://www.rabbitprooffence.com.au/)
- "A rabbit-proof fence full of holes" (http://www.ipe.net.au/RPFence.html), The Australian, March 11, 2002. Critique by Peter Howson (Minister for Aboriginal affairs in 1971 and 1972) and Des Moore (director of the Institute for Private Enterprise)
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