diff --git a/djangorestframework/compat.py b/djangorestframework/compat.py
index 7ced70c57..f21dc4ef6 100644
--- a/djangorestframework/compat.py
+++ b/djangorestframework/compat.py
@@ -366,6 +366,59 @@ else:
 
             return self._accept(request)
 
+# timezone support is new in Django 1.4
+try:
+    from django.utils import timezone
+except ImportError:
+    timezone = None
+
+# dateparse is ALSO new in Django 1.4
+try:
+    from django.utils.dateparse import parse_date, parse_datetime
+except ImportError:
+    import datetime
+    import re
+
+    date_re = re.compile(
+        r'(?P<year>\d{4})-(?P<month>\d{1,2})-(?P<day>\d{1,2})$'
+    )
+
+    datetime_re = re.compile(
+        r'(?P<year>\d{4})-(?P<month>\d{1,2})-(?P<day>\d{1,2})'
+        r'[T ](?P<hour>\d{1,2}):(?P<minute>\d{1,2})'
+        r'(?::(?P<second>\d{1,2})(?:\.(?P<microsecond>\d{1,6})\d{0,6})?)?'
+        r'(?P<tzinfo>Z|[+-]\d{1,2}:\d{1,2})?$'
+    )
+
+    time_re = re.compile(
+        r'(?P<hour>\d{1,2}):(?P<minute>\d{1,2})'
+        r'(?::(?P<second>\d{1,2})(?:\.(?P<microsecond>\d{1,6})\d{0,6})?)?'
+    )
+
+    def parse_date(value):
+        match = date_re.match(value)
+        if match:
+            kw = dict((k, int(v)) for k, v in match.groupdict().iteritems())
+            return datetime.date(**kw)
+
+    def parse_time(value):
+        match = time_re.match(value)
+        if match:
+            kw = match.groupdict()
+            if kw['microsecond']:
+                kw['microsecond'] = kw['microsecond'].ljust(6, '0')
+            kw = dict((k, int(v)) for k, v in kw.iteritems() if v is not None)
+            return datetime.time(**kw)
+
+    def parse_datetime(value):
+        """Parse datetime, but w/o the timezone awareness in 1.4"""
+        match = datetime_re.match(value)
+        if match:
+            kw = match.groupdict()
+            if kw['microsecond']:
+                kw['microsecond'] = kw['microsecond'].ljust(6, '0')
+            kw = dict((k, int(v)) for k, v in kw.iteritems() if v is not None)
+            return datetime.datetime(**kw)
 
 # Markdown is optional
 try:
diff --git a/djangorestframework/fields.py b/djangorestframework/fields.py
index a44eb417b..13b0e37d3 100644
--- a/djangorestframework/fields.py
+++ b/djangorestframework/fields.py
@@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.db import DEFAULT_DB_ALIAS
 from django.db.models.related import RelatedObject
-from django.utils import timezone
-from django.utils.dateparse import parse_date, parse_datetime
 from django.utils.encoding import is_protected_type, smart_unicode
 from django.utils.translation import ugettext_lazy as _
+from djangorestframework.compat import parse_date, parse_datetime
+from djangorestframework.compat import timezone
 
 
 def is_simple_callable(obj):
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ class DateField(Field):
         if value is None:
             return value
         if isinstance(value, datetime.datetime):
-            if settings.USE_TZ and timezone.is_aware(value):
+            if timezone and settings.USE_TZ and timezone.is_aware(value):
                 # Convert aware datetimes to the default time zone
                 # before casting them to dates (#17742).
                 default_timezone = timezone.get_default_timezone()
diff --git a/djangorestframework/settings.py b/djangorestframework/settings.py
index 8bb035559..e5181f4b4 100644
--- a/djangorestframework/settings.py
+++ b/djangorestframework/settings.py
@@ -88,7 +88,10 @@ def import_from_string(val, setting):
         module_path, class_name = '.'.join(parts[:-1]), parts[-1]
         module = importlib.import_module(module_path)
         return getattr(module, class_name)
-    except:
+    except Exception, e:
+        import traceback
+        tb = traceback.format_exc()
+        import pdb; pdb.set_trace()
         msg = "Could not import '%s' for API setting '%s'" % (val, setting)
         raise ImportError(msg)
 
diff --git a/djangorestframework/utils/encoders.py b/djangorestframework/utils/encoders.py
index ba7c85538..748760173 100644
--- a/djangorestframework/utils/encoders.py
+++ b/djangorestframework/utils/encoders.py
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ Helper classes for parsers.
 """
 import datetime
 import decimal
-from django.utils import timezone
 from django.utils import simplejson as json
+from djangorestframework.compat import timezone
 
 
 class JSONEncoder(json.JSONEncoder):
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ class JSONEncoder(json.JSONEncoder):
         elif isinstance(o, datetime.date):
             return o.isoformat()
         elif isinstance(o, datetime.time):
-            if timezone.is_aware(o):
+            if timezone and timezone.is_aware(o):
                 raise ValueError("JSON can't represent timezone-aware times.")
             r = o.isoformat()
             if o.microsecond: