7.6/10
27,745
206 user 142 critic

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

During a rural summer picnic, a few students and a teacher from an Australian girls' school vanish without a trace. Their absence frustrates and haunts the people left behind.

Director:

Writers:

(novel), (screenplay)
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Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 11 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Vivean Gray ...
...
Kirsty Child ...
Tony Llewellyn-Jones ...
Tom (as Anthony Llewellyn-Jones)
...
Frank Gunnell ...
...
Miranda (as Anne Lambert)
...
...
...
Margaret Nelson ...
Ingrid Mason ...
...
Blanche
Janet Murray ...
Juliana
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Storyline

Three students and a school teacher disappear on an excursion to Hanging Rock, in Victoria, on Valentine's Day, 1900. Widely (and incorrectly) regarded as being based on a true story, the movie follows those that disappeared, and those that stayed behind, but it delights in the asking of questions, not the answering of them. Written by David Carroll <davidc@atom.ansto.gov.au>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

rock | student | school | girl | teacher | See All (276) »

Taglines:

On St. Valentine's Day in 1900 a party of schoolgirls set out to picnic at Hanging Rock. ...Some were never to return. See more »

Genres:

Drama | Mystery

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

2 February 1979 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Picnic at Hanging Rock  »

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Box Office

Budget:

AUD 440,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$27,492, 28 June 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$232,201

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,953,633
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (1998 director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Ingrid Mason was originally cast in the role of Miranda. However director Peter Weir decided that she didn't have the worldly quality that the part required. That is why he re-approached Anne-Louise Lambert, who accepted. The film's producer, Patricia Lovell managed to convince Mason to take the lesser role of Rosamund. See more »

Goofs

14 February 1900 was a Wednesday, not a Saturday. While this seems to be a factual error, it could be a subtle hints that this is a fictional story. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Miranda: What we see and what we seem are but a dream, a dream within a dream.
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Connections

Referenced in The Virgin Suicides (1999) See more »

Soundtracks

Prelude No 1 in C Major
from The Well-Tempered Clavier
by Johann Sebastian Bach
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Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

Not a detective story
2 June 2004 | by See all my reviews

I have experienced it several times that people tend to expect "Picnic at Hanging Rock" to unfold like a detective story, while it is not one, in any respect. This movie belongs to another type, to the mystery genre, and possibly stands as the finest example of a film of this kind. The main purpose of such films is to contemplate The Unknown and Peter Weir copes with that excellently. What counts most here is the atmosphere, and the focus is more on hidden emotions than on the pacing (some say that the problem with "Picnic" is that it's boring - i don't think so but I guess it depends much on your sensitivity and approach). Most fascinating thing here is possibly the way the Rock is depicted - it appears as self-conscious entity, alive in a sense which is beyond Western logic. This, I think, is the key aspect of the story, because what it really is about is the conflict between the Culture and the Nature. And don't let this put you off as 'too philosophical'. Picnic at Hanging Rock, while not being a crime story, can be involving as one - if you help this to happen, of course. If you do, you might have a lot to think about when the credits start to roll. It can happen, though, that you will be dying to see them roll - there are no movies that appeal to all of us. Then, at least, you could enjoy the set design, photography and ancient beauty of wild Australia.

Give it a try. It's worth it. 8/10


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