Blu-Review: Picnic at Hanging Rock: Deluxe Edition

Posted by Simon Rowson in Blu-Ray on July 6, 2010 | one response

Directed By Peter Weir
Starring Anne-Louise Lambert, Helen Morse, John Jarratt and Rachel Roberts

On a brisk St. Valentine’s Day in the summer of 1900, a group of boarding school girls and their accompanying teachers venture out for a picnic at the titular landmark. Four of the girls, Miranda (Ann-Louise Lambert), Marion (Jane Vallis), Irma (Karen Robson) and Edith (Christine Schuler), wander off to explore further up the labyrinthine outcrop, stopping to rest and quickly drifting to sleep at an enclosed, rocky clearing. As they awaken, Edith watches with fearful confusion as the other girls silently remove their shoes, walking off through a passage in the rock with eerie, trance-like synchronicity, disappearing without trace or explanation.

Equal parts elusory mystery, dreamy period piece, dread-filled abstract horror and haunting, ethereal visual poem, it’s a film that defies genre categorisation as elusively as its narrative events eschew definitive interpretation. A lingering question without resolution, Picnic at Hanging Rock is a film sure to leave viewers who crave gift-wrapped solutions to narrative puzzles feeling unfulfilled, but its lack of answers merely magnifies the melancholy sense of loss throughout the film while provoking and inviting further investigation. Were the girls abducted, raped and murdered by sinister assailants, or spirited away by primal, supernatural forces? The sparse, poetic narrative is infused with cryptic clues and crafted symbolism, lending credence to all manner of explanation for the girls’ disappearance while favouring and confirming none. The result is an intensely captivating mystery made infinitely more powerful and unsettling for its denial of answers.

While the unresolved nature of the story may frustrate some, the overwhelming cinematic beauty and talent on display is undeniable. The stunning visuals, defined by soft-focus, sun-drenched shots of gorgeous Australian scenery, punctuated by almost imperceivable slowing of the camera as characters move, coupled with Gheorghe Zamfir’s haunting panpipe theme gives the film an atmosphere that’s incredibly beautiful, wistful and dreamlike. Weir and cinematographer Russell Boyd skilfully imbue the setting of Hanging Rock with an imposing character of its own. It looms over the frame like a hulking geological monolith, its volcanic rock form craggy with pareidolic imagery, eerie faces perceptible in every crevice, accompanied by a low-key, pulsing, otherworldly groan on the soundtrack as the girls wander further inward. There’s an unsettling personality to the location that only compounds the palpable sense of dread that permeates every frame.

The vanished girls themselves are bestowed with intentionally fleeting personality, lending them an ephemeral, intangible quality, with Miranda especially benefiting from the sparse nature of the character, helping convey her as an elusive, angelic enigma of her own. As focus shifts to life after the disappearance, the characters left behind become more defined, with impressive work from a young John Jarratt, who lends a grounded, likeable humanity to the stable-boy who would otherwise be the most likely culprit, while Rachel Roberts is fantastic as the dragon-like headmistress Mrs. Appleyard.

A sublime marriage of breathtakingly gorgeous visuals and an atmosphere that’s by turns unsettlingly portentous and beautifully melancholy, Peter Weir’s film is a stunning display of talent on all fronts. The very nature of the abstract, evasive narrative may pose an insurmountable issue for those who need resolution, but the enigma at the heart of Picnic at Hanging Rock is one of cinema’s most enduring, fascinating and unsettling mysteries, made all the more compelling for its lack of definitive answers.

On the Blu-ray:

Second Sight’s Blu-ray marks the first time the film has been released in high definition in the UK, but the wait was clearly worth it: The transfer is stunning, capturing the soft-focus, sun-bathed visuals in beautiful detail. The audio is fantastic too, with the dialogue crystal clear, all the subtle nuances of Weir’s intended score and the eerie panpipe theme sounding wonderful. Audiophiles have a choice between LPCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Master Audio tracks (all English), while there’s a lone English subtitle track.

In terms of special features, Second Sight have crammed in a wealth of extras (in standard definition), amassing everything from their 3-Disc DVD set (but unfortunately excluding the theatrical cut). The prized extra is the feature length documentary (it’s even longer than the film itself!) ‘A Dream Within a Dream’ – a fascinating retrospective feature charting the film from adaptation to critical reception and beyond. Free from extraneous fluff, there’s a mountain of info offered up, along with emotionally-charged responses, from recollections of Rachel Roberts’ method acting causing tension between her and the younger cast, to Anne-Louise Lambert and Weir’s dissenting opinions on the changes made in The Director’s Cut. It’s an incredibly interesting documentary, and a must for any fan of the film.

Also worthy inclusions are a second documentary, this time a 1975 on-set piece titled ‘A Recollection – Hanging Rock 1900′. It’s not as interested or substantial as the retrospective piece, but worthwhile nonetheless. There’s an interview with original author Joan Lindsay, along with an audio interview with Karen Robson, who played Irma. ‘The Day of St. Valentine’ is an interesting curiosity and a fun inclusion – it’s the first adaptation of the book, a 1969 amateur film made by then 13 year old Tony Ingram, including commentary from the now adult director. Also included are the handful of deleted scenes removed from the theatrical cut of the film to create Weir’s preferred cut. They’re mostly scenes from the third act, focusing on Michael’s burgeoning relationship with Irma and his obsession with finding Miranda. Less interesting are a short piece comparing the films sets during filming with the locations now, and a stills gallery with an excerpt from the novel read by Helen Morse.

The film alone is worth owning, but with a fantastic A/V transfer and a wealth of wonderful extras, Second Sight’s Blu-ray is an amazing set for fans of the film.

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