On Valentines Day, 1900, a group of schoolgirls take a trip to Hanging Rock in Victoria, Australia. Three girls and a teacher are separated from the rest, and after having a nap, awake as if still in a dream, and are never heard from again. As news about the mysterious disappearances spread, a quiet hysteria begins to take over the school.
Its perhaps not surprising that many believed Peter Weirs (The Truman Show) 1975 movie, Picnic At Hanging Rock, was based on a true story. Its lack of definition seems to ask for that interpretation (as does the opening text, which does suggest its real, without actually saying it), as by favouring questions over answers, you can understand why a lot of people thought the lack of resolution meant that nobody really knew the answers. However its the narrative trick of a very good director. Peter Weir has never bettered his 1975 foray into the enigmatic dream world of sexual repression seen in Picnic At Hanging Rock, with the journey of the girls and their teacher treated in an almost surreal and yet incredibly entrancing manner. This is a film thats often described as haunting, and if you watch it, youll know exactly why.
Compounding the somewhat back to front nature of the movie, this Blu-ray includes the Directors Cut, which is actually eight minutes shorter than the original theatrical release. The three-disc DVD Deluxe edition included both the original and Directors Cut, but you only get one of them here, probably because the HD transfer was personally supervised by Peter Weir, and he was only interested in his preferred version.
As youd expect from a Blu-ray transfer supervised by the director, for a 35 year old Australian movie, Picnic At Hanging Rock looks great in HD, with wonderful clarity and minimal grain. The films colour palette is immensely important to the themes of the movie, and thats really brought out here, with the white of the costumes and scenery contrasted with the flashes of colour, that act almost like signifiers of the girls burgeoning sexuality.
If youre interested in whats been cut out of the film for the Directors Cut, those scenes are included separately on the disc, so you can get a feel for the alterations. Its also perhaps rather surprising that the excellent making of documentary, the 113-minute long A Dream Within A Dream, is actually longer than the movie theyre talking about. Its a great dissection of a film that begs for interpretation and examination. With several other featurettes and interviews, this is a truly magnificent package for an unusual but truly haunting movie.
Admittedly all the features were included in the Deluxe Edition DVD package, but it was an glorious selection there, and is just as good here. Plus you get the superb film with a wonderful HD transfer, and three audio options, which really show off the haunting score There are few films out there like Picnic At Hanging Rock, and neither are there many DVD packages this luxurious.
Overall Verdict: A wonderful film given a great HD transfer, which despite Gallipoli, Witnees, Dead Poets Society and The Truman Show, is still the best thing Peter Weir has ever directed.
Special Features:
A Dream Within A Dream Documentary
A Recollection Hanging Rock 1900 Featurette
Hanging Rock And Martindale Hall Then And Now Featurette
The Day Of St. Valentine Original Novel Adaptation (Short Film)
Joan Lindsay Interview
Karen Robson Audio Only Interview
Stills Gallery
Scenes Deleted From The Directors Cut
Reviewer: Tim Isaac