Picnic at Hanging Rock: The Criterion Collection (Widescreen)

 

 

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This film is based on a novel by the same title, written about a mysterious disappearance of a group of girls on a school outing in the bushland of southern Australia in the early part of the 20th century. There are a couple of levels at which this film can be appreciated and understood. To begin, the setting is so imperial England that you would think you were back in the Mother Country at any one of a number of Victorian boarding schools for young girls, when in actuality this is an outpost of the Empire. The learning environment is strict, unyielding and rather unimaginative in its curriculum. Against this stark backdrop, we learn that the students have been promised a school picnic at a spot in the countryside called 'Hanging Rock'. How typically English: a term-ending trip to the beach for all the well-behaved students who deserve to be free from the tyranny of the classroom for one day. Things go ominously wrong on a number of counts right from the start. The plans for the outing are vague; details of their destination are sketchy at best; and the drivers are a bunch of irresponsible, whisky-swigging leering louts. Sometime in the afternoon, a group of head-strong girls head off to trek to the actual rock itself. This little troupe is led by a girl who seems to possess a siren-like charm that fearlessly draws the others into the dangers of the great beyond. The film follows as three of them inexplicably disappear into the cleft of Hanging Rock. They were later followed by a schoolmarm who also disappeared. In the desperate search to find their missing 'chums', a number of tragedies play out in the form of curses: one of the girls is found in a terrible state of mental shock; a similar fate is visited on one of the male drivers who feels sexually drawn to go looking for one of the girls; and the school falls on hard times because of the bad publicity that now plagues it. This is a superb piece of cinematic filming that shows just enough to allow the viewer's imagination to take over and do the rest, which is what a good English mystery is all about anyway. It also reinforces the garrison mentality of many colonials back then never to venture outside the fort for fear of being attacked by some evil force. Emotional suggestibility, rather than commonsense, is the operating force that haunts this production, even to the point of never offering a reasonable explanation as to how and why the girls disappeared.

so stunning, i first saw this film 6 years ago, and i have not seen a film that has come close!

First, this enigmatic film is NOT based on a true story. A group of school girls go on a school excursion to "Hanging Rock" in Victoria, Australia. The period is around early 1900s. Four girls decide to climb the rock along with a teacher. At the end of the day, only one hysterical girl can be found, and can shed no light on what happened to the others.

Sound intriguing enough? This film asks more questions that it answers, inviting the viewer to dream up their own explanation for what happened to the girls. According to the Joan Lindsay novel's "missing chapter", the girls were sucked down a wormhole (or something), but I think both Lindsay and Weir were wise to leave this out. Which perhaps adds to the mystique.

In all its nebulous beauty, the film actually does a remarkable job of capturing a resplendent mood. The Australian vistas are even more evocative than that of "The Piano" -- ethereal and brooding. This curious rock that hangs over the film with its menacing presence is given almost mythical status, and even to the viewer on the other side of the screen seems oddly alluring.

Personally I'd have liked the ending to be a bit different, but hey, the movie is hauntingly memorable, and if it's any consolation, it's not until after the movie you may wish for a more clear-cut resolution.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Tedium ad infinitum, avec mademoiselles
"Picnic at Hanging Rock" is a beautifully shot movie about the mysterious disappearance of 4 women on a geologically intriguing exposed volcanic plug. Read more

Published on July 13 2004 by K. Gittins

2.0 out of 5 stars Overrated, pretentious, but interesting
I came to this film fully expecting to like it because of the many glowing reviews I'd read over the years. Read more

Published on July 5 2004 by Rosamond1

1.0 out of 5 stars Really bad and cliche...
and not even worth further words. Save your time and money.

Published on Jun 23 2004 by G. Alcock

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent film! Good plot, great music, good acting.
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film, often mistakenly belived to be based on a true story, which it is not, is set on Valentine's day... Read more

Published on April 1 2004 by Ted

5.0 out of 5 stars A statement against cold rationalism and muted emotion
I would highly recommend this offbeat Peter Weir offering to anyone who enjoys thoughtful period pieces or stylistically distinctive films. Read more

Published on Mar 28 2004 by toby_tsang

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating film
Sorry for my bad english. I'm Italian and I fear that can't explain well my opinion. I try:
For me who see this Peter Weir's film or love it or hate it. Read more

Published on Feb 6 2004 by giancarlo longo

5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling and mysterious
While I prefer Australian director Peter Weir's nightmarish World War I epic "Gallipoli," "Picnic at Hanging Rock" certainly ranks as one of his best efforts... Read more

Published on Dec 27 2003 by Jeffrey Leach

5.0 out of 5 stars True Story of Schoolgirl Disappearance in the Outback
This really is an amazingly engrossing film given the limited case information that director Peter Weir has to work with. Read more

Published on Dec 1 2003 by OverTheMoon

3.0 out of 5 stars A story like lantana
This brilliant feature film is actually a true story of 4 people getting lost and never being seen again on a school excursion to hanging rock in victoria, Australia on valentines... Read more

Published on Nov 6 2003 by barry_202

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Nearly Flawless (**** 1/2)
One of the breakthrough Australian films of the 1970s, directed by Peter Weir in his unique style. A group of schoolgirls and some of their teachers go off to the geological... Read more

Published on Oct 24 2003 by Cody

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