Rent Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

A Mystery wrapped around an Enigma - Picnic at Hanging Rock review by CP Customer

Peter Weir 'Picnic on Hanging Rock' is one of the most hypnotic and haunting films ever to come from Australia.

It concerns the vanishes of three girls during an afternoons picnic and the people who become obsessed by the incident.

The film is tense and really gets under your skin. I loved the music that created a tangible atmosphere, accompanied by sublime visuals that pulled me into the story.

When the credits rolled I was felt thoroughly satisfied. Though to be warned it's not a hollywood film so don't expect ever question to be left answered - but this added to the enjoyment.

A timeless classic - Picnic at Hanging Rock review by SN

The film feels like a blend of Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout (1971) and Luchino Visconti's Death In Venice (also 1971). The amazing cinematography by Russell Boyd is mixed with some beautiful classical music by Mozart and Beethoven, panpipes by Zamfir and an original score by David Appleyard. The music is perfect. I do like the fact a lot of films like these from the 70s used classical music instead of bland original scores.

Picnic in Hanging Rock will not be for everyone. The film can be described as slow, but I found the pacing to be just right because like Walkabout and Death in Venice, it tells a story through dreamlike imagery. The imaginative direction by Peter Weir creates a sense of other worldliness. The story straddles reality and an ethereal feeling of magic or spiritism. I like the fact you are trying to figure out what is going on as the characters on the screen.

I read that the ambiguous ending left many frustrated or annoyed, but the story really is not about the missing girls per-se, it is about the after-effects of their disappearance. The film is about how people deal with the consequence of a seismic event.

The casting is excellent. I especially enjoyed watching Rachel Roberts as the crusty Mrs Appleyard, Anne-Louise Lambert as the esoteric Miranda, Margaret Nelson as spooky Sarah, Wyn Roberts as Sgt Bumpher and Christine Schuler as Edith, a girl we have all met once in our life. They are all superb.

It is a haunting film and a credit to the Australian film industry.

46 years on... - Picnic at Hanging Rock review by TE

Despite having one of the great film titles (taken from the earlier novel) 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' has not really stood the test of time (at least not for me).

It's sense of mystery is heavily diluted by the affected, highly stylised way that the young women talk to each other. The undertones of repressed sexuality are there, but everything is done with a heavy touch and the core enigma feels plain lifeless and wishy-washy. Do we care what happened to the girls?

Emotional hysteria in girls' boarding schools has become something of a cinematic cliche. Peter Weir may have got into this sub-genre earlier than others, but there are many better films from this vibrant period for Australian cinema.