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) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   12,356 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 5% 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:

Statement movie about a bad chapter in Australian history 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

Colour:

Colour

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 world premiere of this film was held in an outdoor screening at Jigalong, the outback community where the girls were taken from, and where they still live. 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:

The Masked Masqueraders more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
22 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
Statement movie about a bad chapter in Australian history, 3 November 2002
7/10
Author: Chris Docker (eyeforfilm) from Scotland, United Kingdom

Official policy between 1910 and 1970 in Australia allowed half-caste Aborigine children to be forcibly removed from their families and incarcerated ‘for their own' good in training schools where their were educated to become fitting servants for white families. This institutionalised eugenics, still recent enough to be remembered by its victims, is still a controversial issue in Australia where the PM John Howard refuses to give an official apology. The film has been doing very well in Australia. The story follows three such girls who are forcibly re-located but escape, and follow the ‘rabbit-proof fence' on a 1500 mile journey back home. The title itself seems to echo not only the yellow brick road of the Wizard of Oz (another journey to reclaim one's wholeness) but the fence that was erected to contain animals – which is just how the Aborigine children are treated, albeit with the best intentions. The story was adapted from a book by the daughter of the youngest surviving half-cast Aborigine portrayed in the film – the actual child actors had mostly never seen a motion picture before let alone acted in one.

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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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