7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
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: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (1 BD, 2 DVDs)
DVD copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Winner of Saturn Award for Best Cinematography, Peter Weir's "Picnic at Hanging Rock" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video introduction by film scholar David Thomson; Patricia Lovell's documentary "A Recollection... Hanging Rock 1900"; archival interview with director Peter Weir; the Australian director's early film "Homesdale" (1971); and more. Also included with this release is a booklet featuring an essay by author Megan Abbott and an excerpt from film critic Marek Haltof’s 1996 book Peter Weir: When Cultures Collide, and a new paperback edition of Joan Lindsay's beautiful novel, previously out of print in the U.S. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
"What we see and what we seem are but a dream. A dream within a dream."
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"Supervised by director Peter Weir, this new digitally remastered high-definition transfer was created on a Spirit DataCine from a 35mm interpositive at Deluxe Melbourne, where the film was also restored. Additional restoration work was done by Criterion to address jitter, flicker, and chroma breathing. The 5.1 surround mix was created from the original 35mm magnetic tracks by Phil Heywood at Atlab in Sydney, under the supervision of Weir. Additional restoration work was done by Criterion using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX 3.
Transfer supervisors: Chris Dea, Sarah Robinson, Peter Weir.
Colorist: Deidre McLelland/Deluxe Melbourne."
The screencaptures included with our review appear in the following order:
1. Screencaptures #1-19: Picnic at Hanging Rock
2. Screencaptures #21-25: Homesdale.
The high-definition transfer appears to have been sourced from the same master British distributors Second Sight Films accessed when they prepared their Blu-ray release of this magnificent film in 2010. (I assume that this is the master that was approved by the Australian director). Rather predictably, the basic characteristics of the high-definition transfers the two releases use are virtually identical.
Detail and clarity are very good. The daylight footage also boasts pleasing depth. There is a wide range of soft and very warm blues, browns, greens, reds, yellows, and grays. All of these colors are stable and always looking natural (there are no traces of color boosting). Some extremely light and careful noise corrections have been applied, but grain is retained. Unsurprisingly, the film has a stable organic look. Edge-enhancement is not an issue of concern. On the Region-B release a few tiny flecks pop up here and there, but they are not visible here. Lastly, there are absolutely no serious transition or stability issues to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
The lossless 5.1 track is beautiful. There is an excellent range of nuanced dynamics that transform key areas and allow Gheorghe Zamfir's legendary score to enhance the unique atmosphere even more in all the right places. (For example, listen to the pan-flute solo in the very beginning of the film). The dialog is crisp, stable, clean, and easy to follow. Also, there are no pops, cracks, distracting background hiss, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.
Undoubtedly the most influential Australian film ever made, director Peter Weir's hauntingly beautiful Picnic at Hanging Rock arrives on Blu-ray in the U.S. rather late, but I think that those who have been patiently waiting for it will be very pleased with Criterion's technical presentation. The release features the Director's Cut of the film, which is slightly shorter than the original theatrical version, and a strong selection of supplemental features. Criterion have also included with their upcoming release a new paperback edition of Joan Lindsay's beautiful novel, previously out of print in the U.S. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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