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Rabbit-Proof Fence

In the year 1931, the Aboriginal tribes of Western Australia, who had resisted the takeover of their lands by white settlers, would come under the control of the Aborigines Act for nearly 40 years. This mainly served as a means to rid the country of "half-caste" children, those born to both Aboriginal and white parents; under the control of one A. O. Neville, known as the Chief prosecutor of the Aborigines, many families were split apart forever, their children forced into special camps where they would be schooled in the methods of servitude to whites. ***

"Rabbit-Proof Fence" tells the true story of three such children of the so-called "Stolen Generations:" young Molly Craig (Everlyn Sampi), her sister Daisy (Tianna Sansbury), and their cousin Gracie (Laura Monaghan), who lived with their mother and grandmother in the Jigalong sect, from which they were taken by force to the Moore River Native Settlement. More than 1,200 miles away from their home, and stripped of the innocence of their childhood, Molly, Daisy, and Gracie would be made to give up their native tongue, and perform the duties specified to them by their captors under the control of Mr. Neville (Kenneth Branagh). Then one day, Molly refuses to accept their situation, and the three embark on a perilous and life-affirming journey home along Australia's miles-long rabbit-proof fence, constructed to keep the West free of crop-eating pests, and stretching from the north end of the continent to the south. ***

As performed by Sampi, Sansbury, and Monaghan, three very young actresses who possess a very evident talent, the three girls are treated by the screenplay not as the latest poster children for the ills of the white man's burden, but as human beings with whom we can relate. Their struggles, their fears, their refusal to be reared as slaves, are handled with the utmost care and honesty by the cast as well as the filmmakers, who realize than in order for us to experience the film, we must also experience the characters. ***

The film is directed by Phillip Noyce, who passed up "The Sum of All Fears" in favor of this harrowing, moving, and ultimately powerful project about courage, strength, and willpower. He's working from a screenplay that finds its basis in the novel by Doris Pilkington Garimara, the lone surviving daughter of Molly Craig. The book is unread by me, but there seems to be a great sense of authenticity than hangs over the movie, guiding it along its fragile and complicated journey to an ending that hits with the force of a bullet. Some may wonder what Noyce, the director of "Clear and Present Danger" and "The Bone Collector," is doing with material like this, but his devotion to the film and passion for the project is evident in every frame, every intimate scene, and every moving, irresistibly consuming moment. Here, he proves himself as a frontrunner for one of the best directors working today. ***

There are scenes within this movie that possess great power and force. Seeing the girls torn from their mothers is every bit as heartbreaking as that of two sisters torn from one another in Steven Speilberg's "The Color Purple." Watching their hardships, and their quiet resistance to his dominance, brings us into their inner emotions in a way that allows us to associate them with events like American segregation and the Holocaust. This is a little-known chapter in our world's history that is every bit as important and deserving of recognition as African-American and Jewish oppression; the fact that the film is based completely on a true story altogether heightens the impact of these events. Accompanied by the gorgeous cinematography of Christopher Doyle and the brilliant score by Peter Gabriel, these elements combine to make "Rabbit-Proof Fence" a glorious and moving tribute to the resilience of the human spirit. Once you see it, you'll never forget it.

The unique style of "Rabbit-Proof Fence" presents a challenge for those who must author the DVD's image transfer. With a constant juggling of visual influences like graininess and odd color schemes, a lot of things could have gone wrong. But luckily enough, the transfer works incredibly. Colors are nicely saturated with no bleeding, and accuracy works with the intentions of the filmmakers in creating an atmosphere in key scenes. Contrast looks very good, and though shadow detail is wanting in minor instances, it is good overall. Edges are very sharp with little enhancement halos. The grainy scenes look good here, and those that are smooth and clean-looking are excellent. Well-done. ***

Performing even more admirably is the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, which makes full use of the soundfield with the euphoric score by Peter Gabriel. Powerful deep bass and terrific surround signals work wonders in bringing out the emotion of the movie, and they sound clean throughout. Dialogue is natural and remains audible, and the atmospheric sounds of the nature and landscape are well-recorded and ambient. Great!