Rabbit Proof Fence in the Context of Australian Identity

Rabbit Proof Fence in the context of Australian identity:

In the introductory lecture our attention was focused on a number of core themes which run throughout the course. One such theme was the concept of a nation and the way in which cultural products of the nation shape our sense of identity. Rabbit Proof Fence is an important film to examine within this context as it is the first international film to examine the issue of Australia’s Stolen Generation. The film brought the story of the Australian Stolen Generation to a wide audience, both nationally and internationally. Today I am going to consider what kind of impact the film had and also a number of important points concerning the film.

The film is an adaptation of the 1996 book ‘Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence’ by Doris Garimara. The story is concerned with the journey of three young aboriginal girls who escape from the Moore River Native Settlement and walk the 1600 kilometers home to Jigalong. The three young girls were taken from their homes in the 1930s and placed in settlements initiated by government policy which forcibly removed half caste children from their aboriginal families. Soon after their arrival they escape and begin their long journey back to their tribal homelands.

First we must examine the context in which the film was released. The film was prompted by the report of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission entitled Bringing Them Home. The report commissioned by the Keating government made a number of various findings. The most controversial of which was the finding that the policies of forcible separation constituted genocide within the terms of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. These findings in turn led to a demand for an apology by the Australian government which the new Prime Minister John Howard refused to give. Consequently the issue of the Stolen Generation is a contentious one within Australian society and has only just really come to the surface of political debate within the past 10-15years.

Robert Manne stated in the Sydney Morning Herald that Rabbit Proof Fence is the ‘first important feature film on the subject’ of the Stolen Generation and comments that ‘no episode in our history is more ideologically sensitive or of greater contemporary significance for indigenous and non-indigenous relations that the story of the stolen generations.’ (23 February

2002)

In response to the contentious subject matter of the film, Rabbit Proof Fence is governed by the process of simplification and condensation. The film runs through a simple, yet effective plot of abduction, incarceration, escape, pursuit and finally homecoming. The film removes all extraneous material for example the initial journey from Jigalong to the Moore River native settlement is condensed. Therefore it is evident that the film privileges narrative interpretation over historical accuracy.

To what extent do Hollywood narrative conventions override the historical Aboriginal experience which is fore grounded in the book?

The film combines documentary techniques with emotive scenes to encourage a certain response from the audience. The documentary footage acts to encourage the audience to see the film as one of truth and realism. The film is introduced by the living Molly who speaks in dialect and ends with documentary like footage of herself and Daisy walking over the land. These scenes attempt to frame the narrative as one of truth and place the narrative in context.

Moreover, the film also encourages an emotional response from the audience through a variety of techniques including the aboriginal gaze and highlighting the immense pain and anguish of the main characters. For example the scene in which Molly and Daisy are in the unbearable heat walking bare foot home when Molly collapses from exhaustion we are encouraged to feel empathetic towards Molly. This combination enables the filmmaker to utilize the conventions of both film and documentary in eliciting an emotional response whilst maintaining