"Picnic at Hanging Rock"
Unrated
Starring Rachel Roberts, Dominic Guard, Helen Morse and Jacki Weaver
CineSight Rating *** 1/2
It is the turn of the century - St. Valentine's Day, 1900, to be precise. A group of young ladies from Appleyard College, an Australian finishing school, anticipate a school picnic at nearby Hanging Rock.
Accompanied by several teachers, they set off for the day. After lunch, three of the girls go exploring the lower reaches of the enchanting, mysterious geological formation - and vanish into thin air.
The second half of the movie deals with the repercussions of this tragedy over the following few weeks. Fearful parents begin withdrawing their daughters; teachers hand in their notice; and fear of the collapse of her precious school drives the principal, Mrs. Appleyard, to seek comfort in a bottle. Meanwhile, local townsfolk display their fear and anger, only later to capitalize on the sensational aspects of the case.
"Picnic at Hanging Rock" has been described by critics as a moody, haunting mystery. I would agree that director Peter Weir ("Dead Poet's Society", "The Truman Show") pulled off an amazing feat. Without the aid of the usual cinematic cliches or special effects, he has provided us with an engaging and entartaining conundrum.
Hanging Rock itself is presented as a lead character in the drama - breathtaking, romantic and somehow malevalent. At times you almost imagine seeing faces chiseled into the volcanic stone. Lingering soft-focus photography and ethereal pan pipe background lend an eerie fairytale sense that anything could happen there.
The mounting fear and despair which surround the school's survivors stems from the normalcy of life being suddenly and inexplicably shattered by the mystery; one with no bodies, no clues and no suspects, leaving their (and our) imaginations to run wild.
* Widescreen Only Format (director's cut)
The high rating on this disc isn't due to the lavish features. As you can
see there are very few. The rating is simply in appreciation of a piece
of masterful storytelling. The director's cut is, surprisingly, 7 minutes
shorter than the original 1975 theatrical release. Peter Weir made
slight cuts to heighten both the tension and ambiguity so central to the
story.
DVD Features
* Theatrical Trailer
* Languages: English
* Subtitles: English
CineSight Comments