The film ‘Rabbit Proof Fence” by Phillip Noyce is based on a true story of three Aboriginal girls, who were taken away from their family in 1931. Noyce portrays the varying experiences of the stolen generations through the journey of the young girls as they try to escape and head back home to their family, home and land. Factors contributing to their experience include The Moore River Settlement institution, the challenges they occur through their journey, as well as how Aboriginals were treated in the institutions.
The Moore River Settlement is an institution whose aim is to train half caste Aboriginals. When Molly, Gracie and Daisy first arrive they are confused and terrified of their new surroundings. Within this institution, they were not allowed to speak their own language, or act like they traditionally did. Half caste children in the institution had to basically live like a “white” person. For example, before they have their meals they need to say a prayer, which goes to show the teachings of Christianity by the institution.
The children their slept in beds and had to fold their blankets once they have woken up. Basically, they were taught all the things that a white child was taught. It is by showing the “insides” of an institution that Noyce is able to portray the varying experiences of the stolen generations. Molly decides to escape. On the journey home to Jigalong, the girls encounter many problems just to survive the harsh terrain and the conditions. Molly is very resourceful as she makes the most of her surroundings to fit her needs.
The Essay on Child Protection History
That is that all professionals whose work is associated with children must report instances where they are “at risk of harm”. In 1998 new Legislation in NSW was introduced. The Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act. (see hand out for more information) During this time Aboriginal families and children are overrepresented in the child protection system. In NSW, approximately 2% of the ...
When Molly and Daisy got hungry, Molly would hunt for bird eggs and lift Daisy up to get them (as they were in a nest up in a tree).
Molly also decides to escape when rain is about to come as she knew that it would cover their tracks. Using Daisy’s side bag, Molly managed to outwit the tracker that was after them. She used Daisy’s side bag as bait for the tracker, and she hid (with Gracie and Daisy) deep in the grass, using the grass as cover. Noyce is able to portray the varying experiences of the stolen generation, by using the experiences of Molly, Gracie and Daisy.
One scene in the film which is particularly moving and disturbing is the scene where one of the girls from the institution got caught by the tracker. The girl ran away from the institution to see her boyfriend but was caught and brought back to the institution, where she was then placed in the boob (small shed for troublemakers).
Within this boob, she was severely punished. She got her hair cut all the way down to her roots and also got whipped by the nun that executed her punishment. This was moving and disturbing as this aroused sympathy and anger within the audience towards her treatment.
It is also in this way that Noyce is able to portray the varying experiences of the stolen generation, by having the viewers see what is actually going on. The overall message of the film was to show people and to tell the real-life story of Molly, Gracie, and Daisy’s experiences during the stolen generation. The film properly and clearly demonstrated how half cast children were treated during the stolen generation. Noyce presents this fairly accurately to those told in modern history textbooks and the general plot and information was included.
This film was successful in presenting its purpose along with its accurate scenes and demonstrations of the events during the stolen generation. Ultimately, the film was quite interesting as Noyce was able to portray the varying experiences of the stolen generation clearly and fairly accurately. What really engaged audiences was the fact that the film actually presented and revealed the reality of what the institutions were like in a motion picture. Furthermore, the film expressed major themes of bravery and courage, and allowed the audience to sympathize with the characters in the film.
The Essay on Film Study: the Shining
Film is an important part of culture, because it combines aspects such as song, story-telling, art and expression. The scenes of a film come together to create harmony and to express an idea. The Shining is a film that expressed Stephen King’s novel in a cinematic way. In every scene from this film there are indications of formalist techniques, when viewed all together as a movie, the idea of this ...
