Rabbit Proof Fence

Rabbit Proof Fence

An Australian film Rabbit Proof Fence directed by Philip Noyce is reliable to an historian studying the Protection policies of the Australian Government during the 1930's in that it tells a true story about three Aboriginal children who were taken away from their families because they were half-castes. However, it is not reliable in that it only tells us about the effect of Protection policy in Western Australia, not the whole country.

This film outlines the experiences three young half-caste Aboriginal girls, who were forcibly taken away by the white Australians, had and recounts their journey back home. Its motive is to increase the awareness of general public, especially white Australians, about life of many Aboriginal people and hardships and sufferings they had to go through in the twentieth century. The film tells a story of great courage and helps the reconciliation process.

The film helps general public of Australia to gain a better knowledge about Australia's true history. It is also helpful to history students studying Australian history. It tells about removal policies of Western Australian Government and why they were taken. It shows them that girls' experience in the Moore River Settlement was harsh and that the removal policy was cruel and tragic for the families. It also shows how white people regarded Aboriginal people and half-castes and how they wanted to breed them into whites.

However, it is not useful in that we do not know whether Australian Government had the same policy as Western Australian Government. Also, the film focuses only on half-caste children and it is made from only one person's story. Therefore, we do not what happened to other Aboriginal people who were not half-castes and we know that not all Aborigines people had the same experience as the particular person in the film.

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