Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Picnic at Hanging Rock Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 26, 2014

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."

On February 14th, 1900, a group of schoolgirls from Appleyard College, in the state of Victoria, Australia, head to Hanging Rock, near Mt. Macedon, for their annual picnic. After eating and resting, a few of them decide to climb the rock. They are accompanied by one of their teachers. Later on, one of the girls comes back screaming -- the teacher and her friends have disappeared without trace.

Based on Joan Lindsay’s famous novel, Peter Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock is a fascinating film that is rightfully regarded by many as one of the finest made in the land Down Under. It is beautiful to look at and terrifically acted, but also somewhat frustrating because the story it tells does not offer a satisfying resolution.

The film is structured in a manner that allows for multiple, notably intriguing interpretations of the event it chronicles. In one such interpretation, Hanging Rock becomes a supernatural entity related to the dark side of Aboriginal culture. When the girls come in contact with it, Hanging Rock simply consumes them.

Another, more traditional interpretation points to an unsolved crime -- perhaps a rape case. Indeed, there are traces of guilt throughout the entire film, suggesting that the girls that disappeared at Hanging Rock might have been repeatedly abused prior to their trip.

There is also the possibility of a group suicide which could have been inspired by an unspeakable event, a tragedy that has been covered, or ignored, by the leaders of Appleyard College. There are numerous sequences in Picnic at Hanging Rock which seem to confirm that at least some of the girls were aware of an event which they were not allowed to discuss.

This strange atmosphere of uncertainty together with the mesmerizing visuals from the Australian Outback, however, is what makes Picnic at Hanging Rock so fascinating to behold. Indeed, the entire film feels like a giant dream -- a beautiful, sad, and impossible to fully comprehend dream.

The acting in Picnic at Hanging Rock is outstanding, but oddly enough, none of the actors stand out -- or so it seems. To be perfectly clear, Picnic at Hanging Rock is shot like a mosaic whose individual pieces must be properly aligned before one can fully appreciate the brilliant performances, and yet one is never given a chance to do so because the end credits roll before everything in the film begins to make perfect sense.

The use of light and color is very effective, reflecting emotions and feelings that words could not possibly describe. The sequence where the girls disappear, for instance, is both subdued and remarkably intense -- like a pure dream which Weir somehow captured with his camera.

The film's fantastic soundtrack is legendary. The main theme is performed by the great Romanian pan-flute master Gheorghe Zamfir -- Zamfir also performed the famous pan-flute theme in award-winning director Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America -- who truly pours his soul into it.

Picnic at Hanging Rock Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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).

Picnic at Hanging Rock Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Picnic at Hanging Rock Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Picnic at Hanging Rock. In English, not subtitled. (5 min, 1080i).

• David Thomson Introduction - in this new video piece, film scholar David Thomson introduces Picnic at Hanging Rock and discusses the film's unique themes and construction. The introduction was filmed exclusively for Criterion in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (10 min, 1080p).

• Everything Begins and Ends - in this new documentary, coproducer Hal McElroy, director of photography Russell Boyd, actress Helen Morse (Mademoiselle de Poitiers), coproducer Jim McElroy, actress Anne Lambert (Miranda), and executive producer Patricia Lovell discuss the production history of Picnic at Hanging Rock and the unique story it tells. The interviews included in the documentary were conducted in 2003. In English, not subtitled. (31 min, 1080i).

• A Recollection... Hanging Rock 1900 - a documentary exploring the fascinating subject of the film, its production history and success. The documentary, which was produced by Patricia Lovell, features interviews with different cast and crew members. It also appears on the Region-B release of Picnic at Hanging Rock. In English, not subtitled. (27 min, 1080i).

• Peter Weir - in this archival video interview, director Peter Weir recalls his initial impression of Joan Lindsay's beautiful novel and how Picnic at Hanging Rock came to exist, and discusses the Australian film industry during the early '70s, the film's production history, the casting process, the shooting of specific sequences, etc. The interview was conducted in 2003. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, 1080i).

• Homesdale - Peter Weir's 1971 film Homesdale inspired executive producer Patricia Lovell to approach him about directing Picnic at Hanging Rock. The film, which was shot at the director's home in Sydney, won the Grand Prix at the 1971 Australian Film Industry Awards. In black and white. In English, not subtitled. (50 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - 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.

• Book - a new paperback edition of Joan Lindsay's beautiful novel, previously out of print in the U.S.

Picnic at Hanging Rock Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.