The Rabbit-proof Fence: Stolen Generation And The Powerlessness Of Aboriginals
“The Rabbit-Proof fence” is a devastating film about three Aboriginal ‘half-caste' girls, Molly, Daisy, and Gracie who were taken from their family concerning the stolen generations. The film was released on February 21st, 2002 and mainly portrays their journey along the 'Rabbit-proof fence' and was directed by Phillip Noyce. “Rabbit-Proof Fence” is based on the book, ‘Follow the rabbit proof fence’, which is a true story written by Dorris Pilkington Garimara. This film mainly portrays the perspective of the three Aboriginal ‘half-caste’ girls who were uncontrollably taken from their mother, by law enforcement to live in a camp full of half-caste Aboriginal children. Conveying the perspective that the actions of law enforcement caused powerlessness within the victims and their families. The family’s helplessness was constantly re-enforced by Constable Riggs's remarks. The movie's cultural perspective displays the cultural connection to the land through beliefs and special totems within tribes and is constantly conveyed throughout the film. The Government was trying to breed Aboriginal people out of the future generations which was unjust. This vile, racist, and inhumane act lasted from 1910 to 1970, resulting in them finally being able to live with their families.
Both the “Stolen generation” and “The fair one’s” scenes consist of multiple language features, to engage the audience in understanding a perspective displayed towards the indigenous culture and the powerlessness within the victims. There are many language features used such as metaphor, repetition, tricolon, colloquial language, hyperbole, bicolon, irony, specialized vocabulary, emotive language, modality, and matonomy. For instance, a metaphor was used effectively. This was displayed when the officer made the statement, “Move one inch, and I'll lock your mother up!”. This indicates the high levels of disrespect towards indigenous people and their powerlessness against the Caucasian society causing them to be easily subject to blackmail. Secondly, Repetition was used to display the powerlessness within the victims. The phrases “You got no say in it” and “Nothin’ you can do”,display that Indigenous people were disempowered by Caucasian Colonialist Australians and we subjected to highly racist and unfair laws. Thirdly, another effective language feature used was a tricolon. A tricolon was used to display the high expectations the Caucasian had towards the Aboriginal people. The statement “Duty, service, responsibility” was made in “The fair one’s” exert. This statement was used to portray the expectations of Indigenous Australians. Indigenous people during this time were expected to be obedient, Aboriginal children were also powerless and had no say in what was occurring. Another useful example includes colloquial language. The phrase “The black fella’s camp”, creates a false sense that Aboriginal people don’t belong and need to be sent to an indigenous camp. The statement also Implies that Aboriginals are the problem. “Run you mob, run” is another example of colloquial language. The Indigenous Australians were relaxed and used hybrid English, displaying that the mother of the children was possibly in a vulnerable state when their children were taken. Another example of a language feature includes a hyperbole. The phrase “I know it all feels very strange, but after a few days you’ll feel quite at home!”, was made in “The fair one’s” scene. The children had just arrived at the camp when Molly was getting tested for “The Fair ones”. This hyperbole refers to the way that Indigenous people were disrespected and had to deal with whatever had occurred. In this case the children had to deal with the fact that they may never see their parents again, due to the highly racist laws and policies. A statement that was made by the officer when he had forced the children to stay in the car was, “ Sit up and Stay up”. This language feature is known as a bicolon and was used as a form of blackmail, to make the children think of what will happen to their mother if they didn’t do what the officer said. This statement also conveyed the lack of power within both the children and their mother. Another language feature includes irony. At the start of the video a statement was made by a Caucasian man, “Come get your rations”. This may have been used to lure people to a particular area which would make the children’s capture easier. This is an example that displays how Aboriginal people were looked down on and taken advantage of, with people constantly tricking and bribing them. An example of Specialised Vocabulary within the short film includes the statement, “The Paper’s”. This is a legal term referring to a warrant, indicating that what was occurring was in fact Legal. The Indigenous people of Jigalong didn’t have written laws and colonialist Australia viewed this as inferior and not valid. Therefore, they took advantage of them and classified itas there being no law present. During the film, there were many examples of emotive language. Such as, when the mother of the children said, “My kids, mine!”. This proves that Indigenous children were truly loved by their parents and were very fearful of what was going to happen to them. Another example of a language feature includes modality, there are many examples of it expressed throughout the film. Including the statement, “You’ve got no say in it” and “Don’t move”. There is a constant display of high modality from the officer, Displaying the power within the officer and the powerlessness within Indigenous Australians. Lastly, Matonomy was used once in the “Stolen generations” scene. The statement which contained Matonomy was, “Nothing you can do here old girl, nothing you can do!”. This statement conveyed the Indigenous people’s powerlessness. Yet again, the Indigenous society was constantly underprivileged and surrounded by racist people and laws.
There are multiple visual features used to create the representation of Aboriginal youth, conveying how they did and still do maintain a lack of power. Aboriginal people had no rights and relied on future generations to regain their freedom. Both “The fair ones” and “Stolen Generation” scenes displayed the outcomes of powerlessness and the racist laws they were subject to. The “Stolen Generation” received its name because it was believed that the generations this gruesome act occurred; the whole generation of Aboriginal “half-caste “children was stolen. Therefore, this name was appropriate for that particular situation. This effects the overall impact the film has because of the visual elements shown; it makes the audience feel bad for the Aboriginal people. Especially the victims of this vile, racist and inhumane act, which was, in fact, legal at the time. An example of the effect which visual elements have was displayed in the feature low framing at ground level. This minor feature impacts the deeper meaning by Implying that indigenous were the lowest in society. Furthermore, another example of the powerlessness conveyed throughout the film includes the visual element of the car running over seemingly important objects. This possibly suggests that because the Aboriginal people were looked down on they were thought to of owned nothing important. Another effective visual feature includes color, which impacts the film heavily. The officer’s jacket and car were both dark colors, conveying that the officer was serious and intimidating although the officers' clothing contrast’s when he was put in the rough outback environment. Another visual element of significant importance includes the type of car. The officers' car brand was a “Dodge”, which could have possibly been used cleverly by the author. Implying that the children should have dodged being captured, This could also possibly hint at the storyline. The most effective visual feature, was the constant visuals of the families pounding hands. This element signified that they were trapped like a jail or even worse. The girls’ clothing is another example that is conveyed in both scenes. In the “Stolen Generation” scene, the girls’ clothing is ragged and Dull, possibly signifying the Aboriginal families being poor or in poverty. During “The fair one’s” scene, the ‘half-caste’ Aboriginal children were dressed in white clothing. Presenting the power that Caucasian people had, especially within the lives of the children at the Moore River Settlement. The visual of the girls looking out the car window as they were leaving, signifies that there was no longer any hope and they were no longer in their mother’s custody. An effective visual feature displayed in The fair one’s” exert, was the Framing in Molly’s perspective. This is deemed effective because it is videoed as if the camera is Molly’s eye’s, to make the audience believe they were seeing through Molly’s eyes. Although, the most effective visual feature from that particular scene is the close shots of Mr. Neivelle bending down to talk to Molly. The visual effect occurs when Mr. Neivelle is talking, his voice echos and the visual is slightly blurry to convey that Molly is dizzy and confused. Furthermore, One more visual feature concerning this exert is the framing on a slight angle. Framing both Mr. Neivelle and Molly’s faces adds suspense as Molly is being judged because Nobody knew whether or not she is fair enough. These visual features convey both the powerlessness of Aboriginal people and constantly conveyed the perspective of children who have been taken from their families.
Audio features are the most effective part of both The “Stolen Generation” and “The fair one’s” exerts, because it creates a dramatic effect and makes the audience feel helpless and devastated. The visual effects are dramatized by the animal bellowing, tin rattling, heavy breathing, dramatic and Airey music, drumming, wailing, music intensifying, and Aboriginal language audio effects. These audio features add more tension to the song and Complement it. The animal bellowing signifies something is about to happen. Both the tin rattling and the camel moaning add to the sense of boredom and possibly imply that the Settlement camps are boring. The most effective audio feature is used in both the “Stolen Generations” and “The fair one’s' exerts. This feature is ‘heavy breathing’, although it is a basic feature, which portrays the children’s lack of understanding. During the “Stolen generation” scene, heavy breathing can be heard throughout the beating of the drums which implies that they are gaining momentum. Whereas, in “The fair one’s” scene heavy breathing can be heard throughout the slight music displaying that Molly is both scared and confused. During both the scenes, the heavy breathing partially relates to the children being scared and unsure of what was occurring. This displays the powerlessness within the victims by showing they are doing something they are scared about and have no choice, because of the racist laws. Airey music is used in both the scenes as it helps portray the uncertainty and confusion of the victims. Furthermore, During the “Stolen generations” scene, the children's mother was speaking to her children in their native language. It is possible that she was perhaps panicked and reverted to her native language, or she was possibly speaking to her children in code because the officer may not have understood. During the “Stolen generation” scene indigenous Dreamtime music was played. This was possibly implying that their culture was in danger. Near the end of the scene the women wailed to display the powerlessness within them and how distraught they were from losing their children. In both of the scenes, a significant audio feature is intense music. As the music intensified in the “Stolen Generation” scene, it signified it getting harder and closer to the end of the chase. Whereas, in the other scene the music Intensified as the suspense built, to signify Molly getting closer to Mr. Neivelle and becoming more scared and confused. The overall tone of the film is contemplative and the mood is uneasy, worrying but hopeful. These audio features evoke an emotional response from the audience, as it was dramatized and makes the viewers feel helpless and sorry for the powerless victim.
The ‘Rabbit proof fence’ by Philip Noyce is a captivating and devastating film conveying the powerlessness within Indigenous Australians and their limited rights. The movie silently makes a bold statement “There needs to be change and it needs to be now!”. Philip Noyce played a massive part in creating a film that has a wide range of visual, audio, and language features to create a true and meaningful film. That will hopefully ensure Aboriginal people get treated the same as Caucasian Australians, maintaining fair laws and obligations. As the exerts are displayed, it makes the audience feel empathetic toward the Indigenous Australians. It helps them have a deeper understanding of what occurred in the past and the changes that need to be made in the future. To ensure that the future generations of Aborigines are treated fairly and equally. The “Rabbit proof fence” helps Non-Indigenous Australians develop a deeper understanding of how Indigenous people were treated in the past. It helps them have a better connection with the Indigenous people, their land, and their beliefs. to ensure that no matter what your ethnicity is you are treated fairly equally.
