March 9 movie: Rabbit-Proof Fence

[Brian]

Jeanne has announced the next monthly screening on Friday, March 9, at Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church, 2700 Montrose Ave. in Montrose, CA 91020 -- admission is free, and everybody is welcome:

Greetings, Friends of GATHER, INSPIRE, ACT, and the Montrose Peace Vigil,

Our film for March will be in keeping with our Lenten theme of walking as a spiritual journey. “Rabbit-Proof Fence” tells the true story of three aboriginal girls who are forcibly taken from their families in 1931 to be trained as domestic servants as part of an official Australian government policy. They make a daring escape and embark on an epic 1,500 mile journey to get back home -- following the rabbit-proof fence that bisects the Australian continent -- with the authorities in hot pursuit.

We hope that you will Gather with us and be Inspired by the courage of the young girls.

The film will begin at 7:30 in Fellowship Hall. You are welcome to arrive at 7 to enjoy a few refreshments and to remain for a discussion after the film.

Peace,
Jeanne

[Oss Rae]

This is a great movie.

A few years ago I was trying to find ways to help Australian Aborigines and ultimately went to and documented this solidarity action in L.A. (I never did find an organization I could support.) la.indymedia.org/news/2015/05/268096.php

[anni]

The official trailer from 2002:

[Brian]

I've been a fan of Australian films since I first saw Nicolas Roeg's "Walkabout" in the 1970's, then I fell in love with Aboriginal culture and music with Wim Wenders' masterpiece, "Until the End of the World" years later.  Somehow, I don't remember hearing anything about "Rabbit-Proof Fence," despite its critical success.  I ran into Jenny, who still lived in Australia when it was released, selling Girl Scout cookies with her daughters at Vons last Sunday -- she says the movie is absolutely wonderful, but sad.

"Rabbit-Proof Fence" has earned 87 percent on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer.  Peter Gabriel received a Golden Globe nomination for the score.  The running time is 94 minutes.

Everyone is welcome this Friday, March 9, at the free screening in Fellowship Hall -- which is on the floor below the sanctuary -- with its couches, armchairs and tables with folding chairs spread out in front of a big screen.  You can enter Fellowship Hall through the gate on the left side of the building, or just walk through the open kitchen door in the back.  There's always plenty of parking available in the church's lot.

The Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church website: www.cvumc.org/

Thanks to Oss Rae for promoting this screening through the Eagle Rock vigil's e-mail list.

[Sharon W]

We saw "Rabbit-Proof Fence" when it came out and it is heartbreaking. It is a good illustration of the lengths those who believe in white supremacy will go to avoid facing the truth that their belief is wrong. Currently the US has a school-to-prison pipeline that I consider another illustration, www.tolerance.org/magazine/spring-2013/the-schooltoprison-pipeline.

[Oss Rae]

Mar 7, 2018 0:00:12 GMT -8 Brian said:

I've been a fan of Australian films since I first saw Nicolas Roeg's "Walkabout" in the 1970's, then I fell in love with Aboriginal culture and music with Wim Wenders' masterpiece, "Until the End of the World" years later.

A lot of great stuff has come out of Australia's movie and TV industries. A few years ago I watched a bunch of it again, prompted by me rediscovering Prisoner Cell Block H, the TV drama about a women's prison circa the '70s-'80s. (Some may remember seeing it here in L.A. in '79-'80 when it ran on KTLA.) It addressed all kinds of issues, even nuclear weapons and Australian Aborigines.

From what I've read, discrimination against Australian Aborigines was even worse than racial discrimination here in the U.S. One movie, Fringe Dwellers (directed by Bruce Beresford) depicted daily life of Aborigines in the mid-'80s, and it was like the U.S. south in the '50s.

[Oss Rae]

Now Australian Aborigines have quite a presence the the media. Netflix carries a lot of TV series starring and dealing with Aborigines (e.g.,The Gods of Wheat Street and Blackstone). When Rabbit-Proof Fence was being made, there weren't many child actors, which made casting a challenge. Now there are many.

[Oss Rae]

It was nice to see it projected last night. When I originally saw it many years ago, it was on my tiny TV screen. Last night I was able to appreciate the cinematography and the scenery. I got more into it this time.

[Jeanne]

Mar 10, 2018 15:16:20 GMT -8 Oss Rae said:

It was nice to see it projected last night. When I originally saw it many years ago, it was on my tiny TV screen. Last night I was able to appreciate the cinematography and the scenery. I got more into it this time.

Glad you enjoyed the scale of it. The sound was very dramatic for me.

Also, one impression that I neglected to mention last night was how so many people that the girls ran into were kind and helpful. The one who caught Grace and the creep who called the police were the exceptions. Molly and Daisy were repeatedly fed by benevolent strangers. This appeared as an anomaly to me with my current cynical world view. Perhaps there was a more hospitable culture in those times in such a rugged place. I'm really pondering that.

[Brian]

Mar 10, 2018 18:43:48 GMT -8 Jeanne said:

The sound was very dramatic for me.

It wasn't just the stereo.  The natural sounds of Western Australia were rendered beautifully, along with the Aboriginal songs and Peter Gabriel's score.

The audio quality was so much better than prior screenings.  Maybe I've been reading too many rants by Neil Young lately, but it sounded like Friday's movie was shown from a DVD or a Blue Ray disc and the previous sources came from online downloads.