follow the oolong-proof fence

February 11, 2003 11:20 PM

Rabbit Proof Fence is a movie about Australia's "stolen generation," the 100,000 Aboriginal and "half-caste" children kidnapped between 1910 and 1970 and raised in institutions, as part of a policy to "breed out" their Aboriginal blood and integrate them into white society. The movie is the true story of three girls who ran away and walked 1500 miles back home. Molly, the oldest one, walked it again years later when they captured her and her children. Here's a teacher's guide (pdf) based on the gov't report about the stolen generation. (book by Molly's daughter Doris Pilkington, movie soundtrack by Peter Gabriel. It's getting a lot of press despite its low profile -- go support your local indie theater)
posted by fotzepolitic (13 comments total)

I was lucky enough to see this a couple of months ago, when it came out in the UK, and can recommend it highly...

I can also recommend the Aboriginal Memorial.
posted by plep at 12:17 AM on February 12, 2003

Not at all new, but Nicholas Roeg's Walkabout is noteworthy as well.
posted by hama7 at 1:21 AM on February 12, 2003

Molly Craig has been quoted as saying "That's not my story'' after seeing the film.
However I can't seem to find the original article on the Herald Sun website.
posted by X-00 at 1:46 AM on February 12, 2003

Apparently it was the first movie Molly had ever seen in a cinema. According to an item I heard on ABC radio at the time, she said it was "boring". It wasn't clear that she really got the whole "movie" concept.

That aside, many white blindfold Australian historians and journalists question the existence of the stolen generation itself.

I'm not the only australian who thinks that Andrew Bolt (author of the Herald-Sun article) is a racist bastard.
posted by riddley at 2:08 AM on February 12, 2003

David Gulpilil, the tracker in Rabbit Proof Fence, was also the aboriginal face in Walkabout and Crocodile Dundee (for which he was paid $10,000). He is now staring in a new film, called The Tracker.
His is a story which highlights the myriad difficulties faced by the aboriginal (and white) Australians in achieving recconciliation.
He hunts crocs to sell the skins, to make ends meet.
posted by asok at 4:25 AM on February 12, 2003

Thanks for the info and the reminder, fotzepolitic - I have been keeping an eye out for this film since someone recommended it in this thread where there are some other recommendations on aboriginal films.
posted by madamjujujive at 4:36 AM on February 12, 2003

I haven't seen the film yet, but I can definitely recommend Gabriel's gorgeous soundtrack, Long Walk Home, which may not be quite as transcendent as Passion, but is up there. It weaves together natural sounds of the outback, samples from the amazing Blind Boys of Alabama, and traditional aboriginal instruments.
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:16 AM on February 12, 2003

Its been playing along side City of God, another FANTASTIC art house film. I recommend heading to the Outer Circle if you live in DC before they are gone!
posted by Pollomacho at 6:17 AM on February 12, 2003

It's out on DVD in April, FYI. It's already in my NetFlix queue.
posted by Ufez Jones at 7:33 AM on February 12, 2003

X-00: Molly Craig has been quoted as saying "That's not my story'' after seeing the film.

From a link off the first link:

"...On the second journey, she had to leave one child behind and carry the other," says Noyce, "and then that child that she'd carried was taken from her and she's never seen that child and she's still waiting to hold that child. So that for her was more traumatic, because she mended the wounds of the first journey, she was reunited with her own mum. But the second part of this unbelievable story was that her child was taken, never to come back."

As the film ended at Jigalong, Molly turned to Phil Noyce and said, "That's the story you should have told".

Facinating, I'll be looking for this moving film.
posted by DBAPaul at 9:16 AM on February 12, 2003

More on David Gulpilil.
posted by rdr at 10:01 AM on February 12, 2003

Wow, Christopher Doyle did the cinematography, I'd go and see it just for that.
posted by bobo123 at 11:39 AM on February 12, 2003

phillip noyce also has another movie out now :) he is being prolific recently!
posted by kliuless at 6:27 PM on February 12, 2003