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Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
2 February 1979 (USA) moreTagline:
Australia's First International Hit! [Video Australia] morePlot:
A story about the disappearance of several Appleyard College students, and a teacher, from Hanging Rock. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 4 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(10 articles)
"Cracks" reveals a disturbing tale of boarding school obsession (From AfterEllen.com. 29 October 2009, 10:00 AM, PDT)
Trailer and Poster for Cracks Starring Eva Green
(From Collider.com. 27 October 2009, 11:56 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Eerie, beautiful "romance porn". more (153 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Rachel Roberts | ... | Mrs. Appleyard | |
| Vivean Gray | ... | Miss McCraw | |
| Helen Morse | ... | Mlle. de Poitiers | |
| Kirsty Child | ... | Miss Lumley | |
| Tony Llewellyn-Jones | ... | Tom (as Anthony Llewellyn-Jones) | |
| Jacki Weaver | ... | Minnie | |
| Frank Gunnell | ... | Mr. Whitehead | |
| Anne-Louise Lambert | ... | Miranda (as Anne Lambert) | |
| Karen Robson | ... | Irma | |
| Jane Vallis | ... | Marion | |
| Christine Schuler | ... | Edith | |
| Margaret Nelson | ... | Sara | |
| Ingrid Mason | ... | Rosamund | |
| Jenny Lovell | ... | Blanche | |
| Janet Murray | ... | Juliana |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
115 min | Australia:107 min (1998 director's cut)Country:
AustraliaColor:
Color (Eastmancolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Brazil:12 | Iceland:L | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:11 | USA:TV-PG (cable rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Norway:11 | UK:PG (video rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | UK:A | Australia:G | Spain:T | Spain:X | Singapore:PGFun Stuff
Trivia:
The role of Mrs. Appleyard was originally taken by Vivien Merchant. While traveling to Australia, Merchant became ill in Hong Kong, and Rachel Roberts took over the role at a few days notice. moreGoofs:
Anachronisms: As the drag pulls out of Woodend, power poles are seen to the left of the screen, also, a television antenna is also seen on the roof of a house in the same scene. moreQuotes:
Sara: Miranda knows lots of things other people don't know. Secrets. She knew she wouldn't come back. moreMovie Connections:
Featured in Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008) moreSoundtrack:
5th piano concerto moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (153 total)
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I first saw PAHR while in high school, and it was the beginning of a long and drawn-out love affair with the film. The look, feel and sound of it drew me in at once, and the open-endedness of it appealed to my romantic teenage notions, striking me as being terribly, terribly profound. I searched out the book, and the sequel (both out of print in the US) and had a good long obsession over the film.
Years later, I still appreciate it deeply, but I realize now that if I were to see it for the first time today, I might not be quite so entranced. Yes, it is moody and beautiful, full of deliciously gossamar images, beautiful actresses, a haunting soundtrack, and a hypnotically slow and deliberate pace... but I can now see that it is a very youthful effort on Wier's part. It is decidedly a young director's film, firmly mired in the style of its era (the 70s). The heavy-handedness of the direction is evident in many ways, mostly in the repeated metaphors of Miranda as a swan, an angel, etc.... It has anachronistic costumes, makeup and hair, although the sets design is attractive and accurate enough.
However, let it be noted that the film is far more about symbolism and atmosphere than anything else, and on that front, it succeeds admirably. Among the highlights:
The repressed Victorian schoolgirls, whose burgeoning sexual longings are channeled into torrid, purple verse and close romantic friendships
The famous corset-lacing scenelet
The implied relationship between Mrs. Appleyard and the "masculine" Miss McCraw
The disappearance of only the "pure": Miranda (love), Marion (science), Miss McCraw (math), and the rock's rejecting Edith (gluttony), Irma (worldliness), and all men.
One might go on about the sexual imagery of the rock itself, with its monoliths and chasms, but I will refrain. Because after you've seen the movie, you realize how many times these things have been hammered into your head.
I still love this film dearly, despite the obviousness of it all. I wish that a soundtrack were available, as the original music is lovely. If you know a teenager, or are one, this is the movie for you. May your love affair with it go on as long as mine.