Rabbit Proof Fence Analysis
The film, Rabbit Proof Fence, produced in 2002 and directed by Phillip Noyce, follows the journey of three Aboriginal girls, Molly, Daisy and Gracie, who in 1931 were forcibly removed from their home in Jigalong, Western Australia, then sent to the Moore River settlement. The young girls escaped and fled across the harsh, desert landscape using the rabbit-proof fence as their only guide, to return home. The film is based on a lamentable period in our history. It’s set in a context where European settlers such as A.O. Neville, chief protector of the Aboriginals argued “in spite of himself the native must be helped,” that our enlightened society held a responsibility to share its way of life with more “primitive” Aboriginal Australian communities.
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During the traumatic abduction of the young girls, as the mothers wail we hear a voiceover from Neville’s presentation and his euphemism that children have been “gathered up to be given the benefit of everything our culture has to offer,” which is contradictory to the grief in the images on screen, reflecting his ignorance of the land and its people. Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for at least 60,000 years, however, the European invaders of Australia found a vast, empty land and justified their terra nullius claim accordingly. The symbol of the fence is redolent of a European superficial concept of ownership – laying out a boundary, staking a claim – a physical means of asserting title to a piece of land. In contrast the aboriginal concept of ownership is more about having the right to be on and live in harmony with the land. After the escape from Moore River, Molly looks around and affirms to her sisters, “Jigalong that way, north.” Noyce juxtaposes this with a close up of Neville’s hand holding a pencil and tracing a line north. This symbolises Molly’s closer belonging to the land as she has no need for a map. Noyce reveals how the Europeans failed to appreciate and adapt to the Australian landscape.
The text form of Rabbit Proof Fence is a film. Phillip Noyce’s purpose was about the acknowledgement of history in a context which is grounded
During the traumatic abduction of the young girls, as the mothers wail we hear a voiceover from Neville’s presentation and his euphemism that children have been “gathered up to be given the benefit of everything our culture has to offer,” which is contradictory to the grief in the images on screen, reflecting his ignorance of the land and its people. Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for at least 60,000 years, however, the European invaders of Australia found a vast, empty land and justified their terra nullius claim accordingly. The symbol of the fence is redolent of a European superficial concept of ownership – laying out a boundary, staking a claim – a physical means of asserting title to a piece of land. In contrast the aboriginal concept of ownership is more about having the right to be on and live in harmony with the land. After the escape from Moore River, Molly looks around and affirms to her sisters, “Jigalong that way, north.” Noyce juxtaposes this with a close up of Neville’s hand holding a pencil and tracing a line north. This symbolises Molly’s closer belonging to the land as she has no need for a map. Noyce reveals how the Europeans failed to appreciate and adapt to the Australian landscape.
The text form of Rabbit Proof Fence is a film. Phillip Noyce’s purpose was about the acknowledgement of history in a context which is grounded