7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
On Valentine's Day 1900, three school girls and a school teacher go missing under mysterious circumstances during a trip to Hanging Rock in Victoria, Australia.
Starring: Rachel Roberts (I), Vivean Gray, Anne-Louise Lambert, Jacki Weaver, John JarrattDrama | 100% |
Mystery | 10% |
Period | 3% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Peter Weir's "Picnic at Hanging Rock" (1975) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include video introduction by film scholar David Thomson; Patricia Lovell's documentary "A Recollection... Hanging Rock 1900"; archival interview with director Peter Weir; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Criterion's release of Picnic at Hanging Rock is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".
The 4K Blu-ray introduces a new 4K restoration of Picnic at Hanging Rock, which is graded with HDR. The final product was approved by director Peter Weir and cinematographer Russell Boyd.
Please note that all screencaptures that are included with this release are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the content on the 4K Blu-ray, including the actual color values of this content.
Picnic at Hanging Rock entered the Criterion Collection with this Blu-ray release in 2014. However, I also have in my library this Region-B release from British label Second Sight, which was produced in 2010. After I viewed the new 4K makeover, I did some comparisons with Criterion's original Blu-ray release.
I found the new 4K makeover quite frustrating. It is immediately obvious that it brings a fresher presentation of the film that boasts all-around superior density levels. However, it is also immediately obvious that someone has done plenty of degraining corrections on it that create various anomalies. For example, it is often easy to see unnaturally softer visuals, some of which reveal an odd dynamic range as well. (You can see an example in screencapture #5). Also, in select areas, when the camera moves, it is rather easy to see mild smearing as well. The good news is that grain is not completely removed, and in select close-ups it is rather easy to spot. (See screencapture #3). However, the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to conclude that with the grain untouched all visuals would have had a vastly superior organic appearance. Color balance is very good. It rebalances all primaries and supporting nuances without altering the native appearance of the film. It expands some of the supporting nuances as well, which is to be expected given that 4K has a wider color gamut. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks immaculate as well. All in all, I think that because of the degraining corrections, the 4K makeover offers a downgrade in quality. However, keep in mind that the Blu-ray that is included with this release offers the older, superior presentation of the film. My score is 3.25/5.00.
There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
If there is anything on this 5.1 track that makes it different from the one that was included on Criterion's original Blu-ray release of Picnic at Hanging Rock, I missed it. I thought that it sounded as good as the previous track, boasting the same outstanding clarity, sharpness, and dynamic nuances. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.
4K BLU-RAY DISC
Criterion's upcoming 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack introduces a new 4K restoration of Picnic at Hanging Rock that was approved by director Peter Weir and cinematographer Russell Boyd. Unfortunately, I do not think that the makeover is as good as it could have been. Fortunately, the previous presentation of the film is very, very good, and is included on the Blu-ray, so if you are yet to discover the film, you can still pick up the combo pack. I personally am very happy with the original Blu-ray release that Criterion produced a decade ago, which also included a paperback edition of Joan Lindsay's beautiful novel. RECOMMENDED, but only to folks that do not own a copy of this terrific film.
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