09-25-2007, 12:02 AM
In this sequel to Three Coins in a Fountain, the British have chosen another people to oppress. In this case it's the Aborigines. Kenneth Branaugh plays the intellectual snob who believes half-breed children must be rescued from the Aborigines, indoctrinated in all ways white, and married to whites so as to "breed out" the aboriginal traits. The title stems from a fence being built across Australia to keep rabbits on one side and the white farmers on the other.
This would have made a great science fiction movie, what with all the outrageous divisive cultural absurdities. But unfortunately it is based on something called history.
Was it a good movie? I suppose so. But I can't say I enjoyed it. Maybe I'm just jaded, because I keep thinking, How many times do we need to see oppression in action, because we never learn anything from it, it just keeps happening all over again, and we never dare condemn it until it's deep in our rearview mirror.
This was Lady Cranefly's pick, by the way. Not that I didn't have an interest. In a nutshell, I just really like things that hop -- and this movie shouted hop. I mean, vision is a strange thing. We're all attracted to certain visual cues. With regard to art, Jackson Pollack clicks for some of us. For others, we need the rectangles of Mondrian, or the animatronic doodads of Tanguy, or Miro's connect-the-blots.
It's similar with moving objects. We're each drawn to certain forms of motion over others. For me, it's hopping. I could watch just about anything hop for hours on end. And what did I expect from this movie? Well, rabbits for one! I mean, most of the movie takes place along this bloody rabbit-proof fence. But did they show one single rabbit? Nooooo. Not one! Still, this is Australia, right? They gotta show kangaroos. Lots of kangaroos.
Did they? Noooo.
I'm giving this movie a zero. I'd like to give it a negative number. To set a movie in Australia and not have any hopping -- that's just despicable. It's sad. It's pathetic. It's criminal!!!
Afterwards I went out and rented King Solomon's Mines just to watch that long scene near the end where all the Watusi tribesmen are hopping in unison to a heavy drumbeat. It's brilliant, and absolutely hypnotic. I could watch it for hours while puffing on a cigarette. Well, actually I don't smoke, but I'd do something with my hand. Those big tall sweaty Watusi tribesmen hopping and hopping and hopping...
All in all, I'd suggest you stay clear of this "rabbit-less" fence and instead go rent King Solomon's Mine. The 1950 version with Stewart Granger. One hour and eighteen minutes in.
--cranefly
This would have made a great science fiction movie, what with all the outrageous divisive cultural absurdities. But unfortunately it is based on something called history.
Was it a good movie? I suppose so. But I can't say I enjoyed it. Maybe I'm just jaded, because I keep thinking, How many times do we need to see oppression in action, because we never learn anything from it, it just keeps happening all over again, and we never dare condemn it until it's deep in our rearview mirror.
This was Lady Cranefly's pick, by the way. Not that I didn't have an interest. In a nutshell, I just really like things that hop -- and this movie shouted hop. I mean, vision is a strange thing. We're all attracted to certain visual cues. With regard to art, Jackson Pollack clicks for some of us. For others, we need the rectangles of Mondrian, or the animatronic doodads of Tanguy, or Miro's connect-the-blots.
It's similar with moving objects. We're each drawn to certain forms of motion over others. For me, it's hopping. I could watch just about anything hop for hours on end. And what did I expect from this movie? Well, rabbits for one! I mean, most of the movie takes place along this bloody rabbit-proof fence. But did they show one single rabbit? Nooooo. Not one! Still, this is Australia, right? They gotta show kangaroos. Lots of kangaroos.
Did they? Noooo.
I'm giving this movie a zero. I'd like to give it a negative number. To set a movie in Australia and not have any hopping -- that's just despicable. It's sad. It's pathetic. It's criminal!!!
Afterwards I went out and rented King Solomon's Mines just to watch that long scene near the end where all the Watusi tribesmen are hopping in unison to a heavy drumbeat. It's brilliant, and absolutely hypnotic. I could watch it for hours while puffing on a cigarette. Well, actually I don't smoke, but I'd do something with my hand. Those big tall sweaty Watusi tribesmen hopping and hopping and hopping...
All in all, I'd suggest you stay clear of this "rabbit-less" fence and instead go rent King Solomon's Mine. The 1950 version with Stewart Granger. One hour and eighteen minutes in.
--cranefly
I'm nobody's pony.
