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Product Description
On Saturday 14th February 1900 a party of schoolgirls from the Appleyard College took a trip to Hanging Rock near Mt. Macedon in the state of Victoria. Some of the girls were never seen again. The film that established Peter Weir as a major filmmaker is a critically acclaimed classic of Australian cinema. With BAFTA-winning photography and a memorably haunting score, Picnic At Hanging Rock remains one of the most chillingly atmospheric and beautifully enigmatic films ever made. New HD Transfer supervised by Peter Weir for this blu-ray release. Bonus features: A Dream Within A Dream (120 min making of), A Recollection - Hanging Rock 1900, Joan Lindsay interview, Hanging Rock and Martindale Hall - then and now, The Day of St Valentine (1st Screen Adaptation), Audio interviews, Stills and Poster Gallery, Deleted Scenes for Director's Cut, Subtitles for Hard of Hearing.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, Blu-Ray/Region B DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Dolby Digital Stereo ), English ( Dolby DTS-HD Master Audio ), English ( Dolby Linear PCM ), English ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Cast/Crew Interview(s), Deleted Scenes, Documentary, Interactive Menu, Making Of, Photo Gallery, Remastered, Scene Access, Uncut, SYNOPSIS: Peter Weir's haunting and evocative mystery is set in the Australia of 1900, a mystical place where the British have attempted to impose their Christian culture with such tweedy refinements as a girls' boarding school. After gauzily-photographed, nicely underplayed scenes of the girls' budding sexuality being restrained in Victorian corsets, the uptight headmistress (Rachel Roberts) takes them on a Valentine's Day picnic into the countryside, and several of the girls, led by the lovely Miranda (Anne Lambert) decide to explore a nearby volcanic rock formation. It's a desolate, primitive, vaguely menacing place, where one can almost feel the presence of ancient pagan spirits. Something -- and there is an unspoken but palpable emphasis on the inherent carnality of the place -- draws four of the girls to explore the rock. Three never return. No one ever finds out why. The repercussions for the school are tragic, and of course Roberts reacts with near-crazed anger, but what really happened? Weir gives enough clues to suggest any number of explanations, both physical and supernatural. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, ...Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) (Blu-Ray)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
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I've always loved this film, and even had it on video many years ago. I bought the 3 disc dvd set of this the other year and was delighted with what was a huge step up in terms of quality of course, plus it also had the director's cut and also a disc of fascinating extras. The packaging for that release was very good as well so I was perfectly happy with what I had, and was in no rush to get this new Blu-ray version, especially so soon. After all, some Blu-ray transfers offer no great improvement and leave people rightly disappointed and feeling ripped-off. But I took the plunge anyway, after reading some glowing reviews in the press.
So when it arrived my initial thoughts for this new release were those of disappointment - the packaging was as simple as a Blu-ray can be, it had no booklet and just the one disc, and not even a cellophane wrapper for the dvd case - and that's not a great start. The reason for the solitary disc is that the original-length version of the film, which runs about six or seven minutes longer, is not included here so that's why there's only one. Normally that would annoy me but in this case I don't mind at all because the newer director's version does work as a better film, I think. It flows more, and keeps the theme more at the front.
But above all that, this is a must-have Blu-ray because of the work that's been done on the print. This hi-def version holds colours and warmth which, when compared directly to last year's dvd (by playing them both at the same time) are just magnificent and make the dvd's imagery look so dull and plain! It's only now I realise how much a Blu-ray can improve on a dvd, especially a dvd which I felt looked superb and didn't need improving - but how wrong I was! You expect things to improve on Blu-ray, but I was stunned by the contrast here. The film is now glorious, lush and even more dreamy, the clarity has risen to the surface and suddenly vague background details are pin-sharp, ones which I never even knew were there before! You can almost feel the soft morning sunshine in Miranda's room, then the stifling midday heat at the rock and the heady, close breezes drifting around the cramped stone passages. It really is THAT good.
There's also an extra bit of width to the film, so I'm not sure if we're yet at the correct ratio compared to the original cinema release. Should this be 16:9 or is there a 2.35:1 yet to come? The cinematography and landscape are both used superbly throughout so I'd say the wider it can be, the better.
So if you already have this on dvd, I'd strongly recommend that you retire that copy and step up to the stunning beauty of this film on Blu-ray. It's worth every penny. And if you've never seen the film, please don't hesitate, just go ahead and order it. Aussie films rarely see the light of day anywhere else in the world, and this one has been flying their flag with justifiable pride for decades.
So when it arrived my initial thoughts for this new release were those of disappointment - the packaging was as simple as a Blu-ray can be, it had no booklet and just the one disc, and not even a cellophane wrapper for the dvd case - and that's not a great start. The reason for the solitary disc is that the original-length version of the film, which runs about six or seven minutes longer, is not included here so that's why there's only one. Normally that would annoy me but in this case I don't mind at all because the newer director's version does work as a better film, I think. It flows more, and keeps the theme more at the front.
But above all that, this is a must-have Blu-ray because of the work that's been done on the print. This hi-def version holds colours and warmth which, when compared directly to last year's dvd (by playing them both at the same time) are just magnificent and make the dvd's imagery look so dull and plain! It's only now I realise how much a Blu-ray can improve on a dvd, especially a dvd which I felt looked superb and didn't need improving - but how wrong I was! You expect things to improve on Blu-ray, but I was stunned by the contrast here. The film is now glorious, lush and even more dreamy, the clarity has risen to the surface and suddenly vague background details are pin-sharp, ones which I never even knew were there before! You can almost feel the soft morning sunshine in Miranda's room, then the stifling midday heat at the rock and the heady, close breezes drifting around the cramped stone passages. It really is THAT good.
There's also an extra bit of width to the film, so I'm not sure if we're yet at the correct ratio compared to the original cinema release. Should this be 16:9 or is there a 2.35:1 yet to come? The cinematography and landscape are both used superbly throughout so I'd say the wider it can be, the better.
So if you already have this on dvd, I'd strongly recommend that you retire that copy and step up to the stunning beauty of this film on Blu-ray. It's worth every penny. And if you've never seen the film, please don't hesitate, just go ahead and order it. Aussie films rarely see the light of day anywhere else in the world, and this one has been flying their flag with justifiable pride for decades.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
This beautiful and haunting film leaves you genuinely stirred by its mystery. It was the film that introduced me to Weir who is now one of my favourite directors. It had such an impact on me when I first saw it many years ago and even to this day it still has the power to move and fascinate me. Based on the novel by Joan Lindsay Weir imbues the film with a surreal almost dream-like quality, with a haunting music score and spectacular cinematography, it features several spine-tingling moments. Hanging Rock itself has a malevolent presence in the film, particularly the opening credit sequence where it is slowly revealed through mist like an evil ancient force of nature. The film is more ambiguous than Lindsay's novel about what really happened to the girls on the rock and it's better for it, refusing to provide the audience with an explanation, leaving it completely open to interpretation.
Weir's Director's Cut of the film has caused some controversy with fans due to the removal of several scenes but I personally think it is far superior to the original release. The removed scenes, although very well acted and beautifully shot like the rest of the film, are unecessary despite what others say, removing sub-plots and scenes that detract from the focus of the film. The Director's Cut is far more instense.
One of my favourite movies by one of my favourite directors now gets a superb Blu-Ray release, taking the excellent 3-Disc Deluxe Edition DVD to the next level. The picture and sound quality of this classic film has never been better!
Weir's Director's Cut of the film has caused some controversy with fans due to the removal of several scenes but I personally think it is far superior to the original release. The removed scenes, although very well acted and beautifully shot like the rest of the film, are unecessary despite what others say, removing sub-plots and scenes that detract from the focus of the film. The Director's Cut is far more instense.
One of my favourite movies by one of my favourite directors now gets a superb Blu-Ray release, taking the excellent 3-Disc Deluxe Edition DVD to the next level. The picture and sound quality of this classic film has never been better!
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
When Peter Weir restored this title for dvd, he actually made it shorter, by roughly 7 minutes(that's gotta be a first, a restored cut that's SHORTER!)If you are expecting a longer version, sadly this is not the case here, even though you would expect the Blu-ray to be complete, that aside, what's left is dazzlling to the eye,no doubt, a beautiful transfer throughout.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A haunting experience
About the movie, all I will say is the Picnic...is a haunting ethereal experience, meant to be returned to and savored again and again. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Sursubbu
Australian history?
Although not the masterpiece that I remember it to be, this movie is one of the great mystery movies to come out of Oz. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Nathan Ward
Visually extraordinary
Picnic at hanging Rock opens on the serenity and excitement of Appleyard College, an all-girls school on St Valentine's day in 1900. Read more
Published 12 months ago by TGillespie
disappointing deletes
This director's cut version deletes several minutes of scenes. This edit undercuts the slow buildup and atmosphere of the film. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mark Thomas
Pic nic smick nic
Bought this because of the hype - but I thought it a very average TV movie
Published 20 months ago by Mr. P. Gay
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