Picnic at Hanging Rock

1975 "On St. Valentine's Day in 1900 a party of schoolgirls set out to picnic at Hanging Rock ... Some were never to return."
7.4| 1h55m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 02 September 1975 Released
Producted By: Australian Film Commission
Country: Australia
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: https://picnicathangingrockofficial.com/
Synopsis

In the early 1900s, Miranda attends a girls boarding school in Australia. One Valentine's Day, the school's typically strict headmistress treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It's not until the end of the day that the faculty realizes the girls and one of the teachers have disappeared mysteriously.

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Reviews

GamerTab That was an excellent one.
Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!
Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
jfgfny The scenes of the Australian outback were stunning, The acting was overly theatrical and punctuated with bizarre hand gestures. The characters never develop any depth so your reaction is purely based on visuals - Headmistress; Callous, French teacher; Fake, Dance teacher; Simpering, Miranda; Queen Bee Flake with the usual followers. The older couple having a picnic sitting like wooden dummies? The boy driven to attempt to find the girls - driven by what? The glimpse of a black clad ankle? The token LUG? Kept waiting for something - anything to happen. Yawn.
ketutar Whose story is this supposed to be? The only interesting people were miss McCraw who being treated like crap, and then she wanders off and we'll never hear of her again. The orphans Albert and Sara. Nothing is told about them much either. Millie and Tom. And they too are just bystanders. To someone's story. Mlle de Poitiers? She has an engagement ring, so - Nah. We will never know who she was engaged to, or what ever happened with her. Why is she in charge at the picnic? Why isn't she punished in any way for losing the girls? I suppose it's because she's SO BEAUTIFUL. That's the only reason for womenfolks to exist. At least in this movie. Except the headmistress. She is there just to be mean. Because power does that to women. And then she becomes a drunk and kills herself. Possibly. Too many people with not much to say. Is this Michael's story? Or Sgt. Bumpher's story? I don't know. I don't think Peter Weir knows.Nothing is ever solved. There's too much ESP in this movie. "I just know I won't be coming back." "I just know I have to go there". People seem to have no other reason to do what they do except that they "know".I hate the "knowing"... the girls are meaninglessly wandering about being airy fairy, talking about love and stuff and things that sound meaningful with a breathy airy light voice. The music is horrible. It's like watching these "you'll never believe these mystical unsolved bla bla bla" videos on YouTube. This one is just 100 minutes in stead of 10 minutes. The clothes... Why is everyone wearing white except the only two women with anything in their head? And then the church clothes... *sigh* Why?Make-up - what's with all these bruises and scratches? Where did he get that cut on his head?The set... was obviously a set. It didn't look like it was an actual room.What's with the butt scene? How was that in any way necessary?And the girls hopping over the brook? There was no need for the fat girl to put her foot into water, but, sure, she did, and the other three, slim, "beautiful" girls, just hopped over like gaselles. Except that Saint Miranda the Angel had to lift her skirt to show off her legs, even though she never needed to lift her skirt. *sigh*And the practically only fat girl wasn't only fat, she was lazy, whiny, stupid and ridiculous and gets slapped. That slap scene also... All the girls are on Iris, and this amazing, wonderful Mademoiselle goes find the fat girl to slap her. Cinematography... er... I don't even care. The story is so fragmented, nonsensical, stupid and boring, I really don't care if it even has any technical value. I give it 2 only because I've seen worse movies, but I don't recommend this to anyone for any reason. I'm sure there are hundreds of movies that are better use of time for any reason anyone could have for seeing this movie. Well, except if one has decided to see all Peter Weir movies. Poor you.
adrijdin This is a soft, dreamy showcase of life in rural Australia at the turn of the last century, centred around a group of girls and teachers at a prim boarding school, while it is also an excellent mystery and also a meditation. FYI: It is available on youtube, as are many classic Australian films :)I've always loved movies and books that take place at all-girls schools. I'm kind of a junkie for that kind of thing, so as soon as I learned the premise, I was in. However, this movie goes far beyond just being that. If you are interested in Aboriginal spirituality and have certain ideas and theories about the sacred land of Australia, this movie definitely gives you something to think about. There is a lot of talk on these boards and around the internet about the "secret" behind the mystery, but for me it isn't unresolved at all. It was very obvious to me, being interested in what different spiritual traditions have to say about the nature of time, what happened in this movie. I think it will affect people on different levels depending on how you choose to experience movies in general as well as your capacity for abstract thought. For the record, I don't like movies that deliberately offer no resolve to the mysteries they weave, I really am one for solutions, but it was natural and enjoyable for me to reach my own personal conclusions about what exactly was going on in this movie. It was wonderfully subtle but rich in meaning. The movie is extremely atmospheric and I almost felt myself go into a bit of a trance while watching! I especially love the scene that occurs right before the girls go off for their exploration, while they are sitting in the grass. At this point in the movie, do listen to the wondrous sounds of nature! Crickets and birdsong, the wind in the trees, sounds like that. We need to get out in the natural areas of our own corners of this earth and feel that. It is necessary for our health and wellbeing. This is also a film for nature enthusiasts! In addition, I adored the recitation of poetry and a glimpse of the life of a schoolgirl before the technology age, and outside the hustle bustle of the city. It really makes you realize that it is seriously a shame how addicted young people are to their gadgets, and how wonderfully simple life was at that time. It truly facilitated a love of poetry in the young student that I believe has been lost to modern society. Scary. Finally, I must say that I (like countless others) fell under the spell of the lead girl, Miranda, who is likened just before her disappearance to a Bodicelli Angel. She really is a lovely and special girl.
d-JCB as with Peter Weir's other masterpiece The Last Wave, it requires multiple viewings and lots of digestion time to fully grasp & appreciate... I've been wanting to watch Picnic at Hanging Rock for years... bought the blu ray recently & thought it was time... after finally watching it, I'm quite shell shocked at what I've just witnessed... the mood throughout this film is on a spiritual level, hypnotic at times, tension building below... the soundtrack & sound design compliment the film & create this mysticism surrounding the missing characters... the narrative is quite minimal, focusing on the mood of the film rather than what's being said... but quite often what is being said is cryptic & only leaves you with more questions... after doing further reading, it is stated that even the novelist Joan Lindsay never confirmed if the story was based on fact or not... but many people including the producer of the film have gone to Hanging Rock & felt this unease... like they are being watched... this aspect to me is fascinating and makes this film such an achievement from the young director at the time... also worth mentioning that gorgeous the actress who played Sara, Margaret Nelson has been missing for sometime... plus the lead bitch of the school Mrs. Appleyard played by Rachel Roberts committed suicide in 1980... the more you dig with this film / novel and Hanging Rock the location, more is left unanswered... it's most definitely one of the greatest Australian films & cant wait to see it again & give it 10/10, along with 2nd viewing of The Last Wave... until then ill be hunting down Mark Hartley's 2004 doco "A Dream Within a Dream: The making of 'Picnic at Hanging Rock" & continue my research on the film, the location, it's characters & the novelist...