STARS : Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury, Laura Monaghan, Kenneth Branagh, Ningali Lawford, David Gulpilil and Deborah Mailman.

Rabbit Proof Fence is based on the real life events and the story has been brought vividly to life by Aussie director Philip Noyce (Dead Calm, The Saint, Bone Collector) is what can only be considered a departure from his usual style of late.

The setting is outback Western Australia in 1930, and legislation is in place that allows Aboriginal children, who are considered half-caste (one parent of a non-Aboriginal background) to be taken from their homes, re-settled and educated. The Chief Protector, Mr A. O. Neville (Branagh) is the man who ultimately decides which children should be relocated for “their own good”, within the state of Western Australia. Mr Neville, held this position for over 25 years and “selected” thousands of children for relocation in the belief that he was doing what was best for them.

As a result of the legislation Molly (Sampi), her sister Daisy (Sansbury) and their cousin Gracie (Monaghan) are removed from their mothers and taken to the Moore River settlement 1500 miles south from their home. The culture shock faced by the girls is unimaginable as the girls are expected to simply forget their heritage and live like “white people” from that point on. Many of the girls are trained to do servants work, as well as learn the “Christian Ways” of life.

Faced with the prospect of this life sentence and devastated by this knowledge, Molly takes the 2 girls and makes a daring escape, to find the Rabbit-proof Fence, that will take them right to their home. But it will not be easy, they are tired, hungry and are being pursued by many, including a bush tracker, who is amazed by these girls bravery and cleverness, in the harsh Australian Outback.

The girls must deal with their own fear of the unknown by walking all this way and not knowing the dangers that lay ahead of them. But, Molly’s determination to get back to her mother is the main driving force, behind their escape and endurance. But luckily they meet some kind people along the way, to help these girls on their quest.

Verdict : Outstanding

THE EXTRAS

* Audio Commentary : The commentary features Director Phillip Noyce, Sound Editor Peter Gabriel, Star Kenneth Branagh, Screenwriter Christine Olsen and Molly’s Daughter/Writer Doris Pilkington. The participants have been recorded separately and pieced together to make the commentary with Phillip Noyce by far the dominant speaker. Whilst it is informative and kind of flows, it does not focus directly on the scenes at hand. My only complaint is that Noyce spends far too much time on self-promotion, i.e. Name and film dropping, than concentrating on the seriousness of the subject matter.

* Documentary : Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence Narrated by Steve Liebman, interviews with Phillip Noyce (Director) and Rachael Maza (Children’s Drama Coach) . Information about the film, how the cast were chosen for the film, especially the casting of the 3 girls who play the lead characters. Also shows the original audition tapes and how the girls prepared for the role, including the coaching and acting classes. Including the trials and tribulations of the preparation on the movie and the days leading up to and including the filming. Focus on various scenes, from the movie, especially the abduction scene, which had a painful and harsh reality on cast and crew.

* Interviews : Interviews with 8 cast and crew members, which include Phillip Noyce (director), Christine Olsen (Writer/Producer), David Elfick & Jeremy Thomas (Executive Producers), Kenneth Branagh (Mr Neville), Christopher Doyle (Director of Photography), Rachael Maza (Children’s Drama Coach) and Peter Gabriel (Composer). Each person, discusses their views on the film and how they felt about being a part of this film.

* Biographies : Text information about the various cast and crew, including a little about their past and the film credits.

* Theatrical Trailers : Teaser Trailer, Theatrical Trailer, ‘Chase’ Television Commercial and ‘Emotive’ Television Commercial. They are very good, thought provoking trailers

* DVD-rom Features : Includes a Study Guide and Press Articles

CONCLUSION

A disturbing and heart-breaking depiction of a page in Australia’s dark history. Wonderfully portrayed and an absolute joy to watch.

With thanks to Magna Pacific, Rabbit Proof Fence is a rental only title at the moment and will be available to buy from December 3rd.