View source for Picnic at Hanging Rock (film)


{{Use Australian English|date=September 2016}}

{{Infobox film
| name           = Picnic at Hanging Rock
| image          = Picnicathangingrock1.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Peter Weir]]
| screenplay     = [[Cliff Green]]
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Picnic at Hanging Rock (novel)|Picnic at Hanging Rock]]''|[[Joan Lindsay]]}}
| producer       = [[Hal and Jim McElroy|Hal McElroy<br/>Jim McElroy]]
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Rachel Roberts (actress)|Rachel Roberts]]
* [[Dominic Guard]]
* [[Helen Morse]]
* [[Jacki Weaver]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Russell Boyd]]
| editing        = Max Lemon
| music          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Gheorghe Zamfir]]
* [[Bruce Smeaton]]
}}
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* [[British Empire Films|B.E.F. Film Distributors]]
* [[South Australian Film Corporation]]
* [[Australian Film Commission]]
* [[Hal and Jim McElroy|McElroy & McElroy]]
* Picnic Productions
}}
| distributor    = B.E.F. Film Distributors
| released       = {{Film date|df=yes|1975|8|8}}
| runtime        = 115 minutes
| country        = Australia
| language       = English
| budget         = A$443,000–480,000<ref name="stratton"/><ref name="gavin">{{cite news|newspaper=4 December 1976|page=8|first=Gavin|last=Souter|title = Australian film, makers take on all comers}}</ref>
| gross          = A$5.12 million (Australia)
}}

'''''Picnic at Hanging Rock''''' is a 1975 Australian [[mystery film]] directed by [[Peter Weir]] from a screenplay by [[Cliff Green]], based on [[Picnic at Hanging Rock (novel)|the 1967 novel]] by [[Joan Lindsay]]. The film stars [[Rachel Roberts (actress)|Rachel Roberts]], [[Dominic Guard]], [[Helen Morse]], [[Vivean Gray]] and [[Jacki Weaver]]. The plot involves the disappearance of several schoolgirls and their teacher during a picnic at [[Hanging Rock, Victoria]] on [[Valentine's Day]] in 1900, and the subsequent effect on the local community.  

''Picnic at Hanging Rock'' was a commercial and critical success, and helped draw international attention to the then-emerging [[Australian New Wave]] of cinema. It is widely regarded as one of the most iconic and defining films of the New Wave. In 1996 it was voted the best Australian movie of all time in a poll by the Victorian Centenary of Cinema Committee and the [[NFSA]].

In 2025 the film was restored in 4K resolution for re-release into cinemas. 

==Plot==
On [[Valentine's Day]] 1900, students from Appleyard College, a girls' private school in Victoria, Australia, embark on a picnic to [[Hanging Rock, Victoria|Hanging Rock]] led by teachers Miss Greta McCraw and Mlle de Poitiers. Sara, a quiet child who arrived at the school from an orphanage and continues to suffer from the separation from her brother Bertie, is forced to stay behind. She remains at the school with teacher Miss Lumley and stern headmistress Mrs Appleyard.

At Hanging Rock, the students settle down to their picnic; the teachers worry about the time, as the only two available watches have both stopped at exactly 12 noon. Miranda, Marion, Irma, and Edith ask permission to explore the area. As they head to the Rock they are observed by a young Englishman, Michael Fitzhubert, and his Australian friend, Albert Crundall. The girls begin climbing, and under a strange influence fall asleep. When they awaken, Miranda, Marion and Irma proceed in a trance into a crevice. Edith, distressed, watches them go before screaming and fleeing back down alone.

Mlle de Poitiers and the remaining students return to Appleyard College hours later than expected, having not found Miranda, Marion or Irma, and reporting that Miss McCraw has also gone missing. The police are called and undertake their own search next day, but without success. Edith provides a disjointed account in which she recalls seeing a strange red cloud, and Miss McCraw running towards the Rock without her skirt.

After having nightmares about the girls' disappearances, Michael returns to search for them, with Albert’s assistance. He stays overnight at the Rock, and next day discovers Irma unconscious in a crevice, barefoot and without corset or stockings. Michael staggers out and collapses. Alarmed by his overnight absence, Albert returns with the police and finds Michael unconscious. As he is carried to the carriage, Michael passes Albert a torn scrap of Irma’s dress. Albert goes back to the rock and locates Irma. She has no memory of what happened.

Miranda, Marion, and Miss McCraw remain unfound, and their unexplained disappearances cause a scandal, leading to girls being withdrawn from the school. News attention begins to intrude, and locals speculate about sexual motives, rape and murder. As the school's reputation and financial stability suffer, Mrs Appleyard informs Sara that her guardian has not contacted the College in months and that her tuition fees have not been paid. She tells Sara that she is no longer able to participate in extracurricular lessons. Sara spends much of her time in bed, mourning Miranda. Michael's dreams continue, with Miranda symbolized by the presence of a [[Mute swan|white swan]].

Irma, physically recovered but still having no memory of the events on the day of the picnic, is to be sent back to Europe to join her parents. She visits the College during a dance lesson to bid the rest of the students farewell, and is screamed at by classmates who believe her to be culpable. After Irma departs in tears, Mlle de Poitiers discovers that Miss Lumley has restrained Sara against a wall under the guise of improving her posture.

The night before the Easter vacation, Mrs Appleyard informs Sara that as her fees still remain unpaid she must return to the orphanage. Mrs Appleyard falsely tells Mlle de Poitiers that Sara's guardian came to collect her, and she evades her attempts to ask whether Sara will be returning next term.

Albert recounts to Michael a vivid dream in which his sister Sara visited him: "'Goodbye, Bertie,' she says. 'l’ve come a long way to see ya, and now I must go.' And she went." Sara's body is discovered; she has fallen from a height from the school building and crashed through into an adjoining greenhouse. The gardener rushes to Mrs Appleyard's office to report the tragedy and finds her sitting calmly at her desk wearing funeral attire. A voiceover reports that Mrs Appleyard, facing the collapse of her school and haunted by the disappearances and ensuing events, was found dead at the base of Hanging Rock, having apparently fallen while climbing it.

Accompanied by a flashback to the day of the picnic, the voiceover states that the disappearance of Miranda, Marion, and Miss McCraw remains an unsolved mystery that continues to haunt the local community.

==Cast==
{{Div col}}
* [[Rachel Roberts (actress)|Rachel Roberts]] as Mrs Appleyard
* [[Dominic Guard]] as Michael Fitzhubert
* [[Helen Morse]] as Mlle. de Poitiers
* [[Jacki Weaver]] as Minnie
* [[Anne-Louise Lambert]] as Miranda St. Clare
* [[Margaret Nelson]] as Sara Waybourne
* [[John Jarratt]] as Albert Crundall 
* [[Wynn Roberts (actor)|Wyn Roberts]] as Sergeant Bumpher
* [[Karen Robson]] as Irma Leopold
* Christine Schuler as Edith Horton
* Jane Vallis as Marion Quade
* [[Vivean Gray]] as Miss Greta McCraw
* [[Martin Vaughan]] as Ben Hussey
* [[Kirsty Child]] as Miss Lumley
* Frank Gunnell as Mr Whitehead 
* [[Tony Llewellyn-Jones]] as Tom
* [[John Fegan (actor)|John Fegan]] as Doctor McKenzie
* Kay Taylor as Mrs Bumpher 
* [[Peter Collingwood]] as Colonel Fitzhubert
* [[Garry McDonald]] as Constable Jones
* [[Olga Dickie]] as Mrs Fitzhubert
* [[Jenny Lovell]] as Blanche
{{Div col end}}

==Production==
[[File:Frederick McCubbin - Lost - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Works of [[Australian Impressionism]], such as [[Frederick McCubbin]]'s ''Lost'' (1886), inspired the film's themes and visual style.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jonathan|last=Rayner|title=The Films of Peter Weir|publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group]]|location=London, England|date=2003|isbn=0826419089|pages=70–71}}</ref>]]
The novel was published in 1967.  Reading it four years later, [[Patricia Lovell]] thought it would make a great film. She did not originally think of producing it herself until [[Phillip Adams (writer)|Phillip Adams]] suggested she try it; she optioned the film rights in 1973, paying $100 for three months.<ref name="papers">{{cite magazine|first1=Scotty|last1=Murray|first2=Antony I.|last2=Ginanne|title=Producing 'Picnic': Pat Lovell|magazine=Cinema Papers|date=March–April 1976|pages=298–301}}</ref> She hired Peter Weir to direct on the basis of his film ''[[Homesdale]]'', and Weir brought in [[Hal and Jim McElroy]] to help produce.<ref name="stratton">{{cite book|first=David|last1=Stratton|title=The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival|publisher=[[Angus & Robertson]]|location=Sydney, Australia|date=1980|isbn= 9780207141461 |pages=68–69}}</ref>

Screenwriter [[David Williamson]] originally was chosen to adapt the film, but was unavailable and recommended noted TV writer [[Cliff Green]].<ref name="A Dream Within a Dream">''"A Dream Within a Dream"'': Documentary (120 minutes, Umbrella Entertainment, 2004)</ref> Joan Lindsay had approval over who did the adaptation and she gave it to Green, whose first draft Lovell says was "excellent".<ref name="papers"/>

The finalised budget was A$440,000, coming from the [[Australian Film Development Corporation]], [[British Empire Films]] and the [[South Australian Film Corporation]]. $3,000 came from private investors.<ref name="papers"/>

===Filming===
[[File:Martindale Hall.JPG|thumb|[[Martindale Hall]] (located near [[Mintaro, South Australia|Mintaro]] in South Australia), was the location for ''Appleyard Hall'', the school featured in the film.]]
Filming began in February 1975 with principal photography taking six weeks.<ref name="The Vault">"The Vault", ''Storyline'', Australian Writers Guild, 2011, p. 68</ref><ref name=smh>{{cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/the-extraordinary-story-behind-picnic-at-hanging-rock-20170328-gv7upc.html|title=The extraordinary story behind Picnic at Hanging Rock|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|first=Janelle |last=McCulloch|date=30 March 2017|access-date=4 July 2019}}</ref> Locations included [[Hanging Rock, Victoria|Hanging Rock]] in Victoria, [[Martindale Hall]] near Mintaro in rural South Australia, and at the studio of the South Australian Film Corporation in Adelaide.

The film's ''[[mise-en-scène]]'' and cinematography was strongly influenced by the work of the [[Heidelberg School]] of Australian impressionists, active in Victoria in the 1880s and 1890s. Leading Heidelberg School member [[Frederick McCubbin]] also lived in and often painted the Macedon Ranges, the setting and filming location of ''Picnic at Hanging Rock''.<ref>Rogers, Anna Backman (2002). ''Picnic at Hanging Rock''. Bloomsbury Publishing, ISBN 9781839023361. pp. 22–23.</ref> To achieve the look of an [[impressionism|impressionist]] painting for the film, director Weir and director of cinematography [[Russell Boyd]] were inspired by the work of British photographer and film director [[David Hamilton (photographer)|David Hamilton]], who had draped different types of veils over his camera lens to produce diffused and soft-focus images.<ref name=smh/> Boyd created the ethereal, dreamy look of many scenes by placing simple bridal veil fabric of various thicknesses over his camera lens.<ref name="A Dream Within a Dream"/><ref name=smh/> The film was edited by Max Lemon.

Weir recalled that while many in the cast and crew took the film in a humorous and jocular manner when filming began, the mood changed once location work began on Hanging Rock:

<blockquote>There is just something about the area that is oppressive and depressing. Absolutely nothing unusual happened while we were there, but everyone was nervous while we were there, and we were all glad to get away at last.<ref>{{cite news|title='Picnic at Hanging Rock' provides feast for emotions, mind and heart|first=Ted|last=Mahar|work=[[The Oregonian]]|page=66|date=June 22, 1979}}</ref></blockquote>

===Casting===
Weir originally cast [[Ingrid Mason]] as Miranda, but realised after several weeks of rehearsals that it was "not working" and cast Anne-Louise Lambert. Mason was persuaded to remain in the role as a minor character, Rosamund, by producer Patricia Lovell.<ref name="A Dream Within a Dream"/> The role of Mrs Appleyard was originally to have been taken by [[Vivien Merchant]]; Merchant fell ill and [[Rachel Roberts (actress)|Rachel Roberts]] was cast at short notice.<ref name="stratton"/> Several of the schoolgirls' voices were dubbed in secret by professional voice actors, as Weir had cast the young actresses for their innocent appearance rather than their acting ability.<ref name=bright/> The voice actors were not credited, although more than three decades later, actress [[Barbara Llewellyn]] revealed that she had provided the voice for all the dialogue of Edith (Christine Schuler, now Christine Lawrance).<ref name=bright>{{cite web |url=http://www.brightlightmultimedia.com/blcafe/Articles-PicnicAtHangingRockTheUnseenVoices.htm |title=Picnic at Hanging Rock - The Unseen Voices|year=2012|publisher=The Bright Light Cafe}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/australia-culture-blog/2014/jan/23/picnic-hanging-rock-rewatching-australian-films|title=Picnic at Hanging Rock: Rewatching classic Australian films|first=Luke|last=Buckmaster|date=23 January 2014|access-date=2 July 2019|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

===Music===
The main title music was derived from two traditional Romanian [[panpipe]] pieces: "[[Doina]]: Sus Pe Culmea Dealului" and "Doina Lui Petru Unc" with Romanian [[Gheorghe Zamfir]] playing the panpipe (or panflute) and Swiss-born [[Marcel Cellier]] the organ. Australian composer [[Bruce Smeaton]] also provided several original compositions ("The Ascent Music" and "The Rock") written for the film.<ref name="A Dream Within a Dream"/>

Other classical additions included [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach's]] Prelude No. 1 in C from ''[[The Well-Tempered Clavier]]'' performed by [[Jenő Jandó]], the Romance movement from [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s ''[[Eine kleine Nachtmusik]],'' the Andante Cantabile movement from [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]]'s [[String Quartet No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)|String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11]], and the ''Adagio un poco mosso'' from [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven's]] [[Piano Concerto No. 5 (Beethoven)|Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"]] performed by István Antal with the [[Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra]]. Traditional British songs ''[[God Save the Queen]]'' and ''[[Men of Harlech]]'' also appear.

There is currently no official soundtrack commercially available. In 1976, CBS released a vinyl LP titled "A Theme from Picnic at Hanging Rock", a track of the same name and "Miranda's Theme". A 7" single was released in 1976 of the Picnic at Hanging Rock theme by the Nolan-Buddle Quartet. The song peaked at number 15 on the Australian singles chart.<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=219}}</ref>

An album ''Flute de Pan et Orgue (Music from Picnic at Hanging Rock)'' was released by Festival Records France.

==Theatrical release==
The film premiered on 8 August 1975, at the Hindley Cinema Complex in Adelaide. It was well received by audiences and critics alike.<ref name=smh/> By 1978 it had made more than $3 million in Australian cinemas.<ref name="gavin"/> It eventually grossed $5,120,000 in box office sales in Australia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://film.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/967/AA4_Aust_Box_office_report.pdf |title=Australian Films at the Australian Box Office |website=[[Film Victoria]] |page=2 |access-date=22 July 2012 |archive-date=9 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209075310/http://film.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/967/AA4_Aust_Box_office_report.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> This is {{Inflation|AU|5120000|1975|fmt=eq}}.

In 1998, Weir removed seven minutes from the film for a theatrical re-release, creating a shorter 107-minute [[director's cut]].<ref name="A Dream Within a Dream"/>

==Reception==
{{quote box|width=30%|quote=Horror need not always be a long-fanged gentleman in evening clothes or a dismembered corpse or a doctor who keeps a brain in his gold fish bowl. It may be a warm sunny day, the innocence of girlhood and hints of unexplored sexuality that combine to produce a euphoria so intense it becomes transporting, a state beyond life or death. Such horror is unspeakable not because it is gruesome but because it remains outside the realm of things that can be easily defined or explained in conventional ways."|source=[[Vincent Canby]], writing about the film for ''The New York Times''<ref name="Canby">{{cite web|title=Picnic at Hanging Rock by Vincent Canby|url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/40-picnic-at-hanging-rock|work=The [[Criterion Collection]]|date=1979|access-date=31 December 2016}}</ref>}}
Weir recalled that when the film was first screened in the United States, American audiences were disturbed by the fact that the mystery remained unsolved. According to Weir, "One distributor threw his coffee cup at the screen at the end of it, because he'd wasted two hours of his life—a mystery without a goddamn solution!"<ref name="A Dream Within a Dream"/> Critic [[Vincent Canby]] noted this reaction among audiences in a 1979 review of the film, in which he discussed the film's elements of artistic "Australian horror romance", albeit one without the cliches of a conventional horror film.<ref name="Canby" />

Despite this, the film was a critical success, with American film critic [[Roger Ebert]] calling it "a film of haunting mystery and buried sexual hysteria" and remarked that it "employs two of the hallmarks of modern Australian films: beautiful cinematography and stories about the chasm between settlers from Europe and the mysteries of their ancient new home."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-picnic-at-hanging-rock-1975 | first=Roger | last=Ebert | title=Picnic at Hanging Rock | date=2 August 1998 | access-date=27 November 2021 }}</ref>

Richard Freedman of ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'' wrote "it is so drenched in the sensuality of a time and way of life long passed that it is a sheer pleasure for weary 20th Century eyes to behold. Yet it has a unique sensibility of its own. By giving us the materials to fashion our own work of art, it performs a function given only to the highest art: it makes us think as it fills us with awe and wonder."<ref>{{cite news|title='Picnic' vividly plants the seeds of thought|first=Richard|last=Freedman|work=[[The Star-Ledger]]|page=8|date=February 24, 1979}}</ref>

Joseph Bensou of the ''[[Daily Breeze]]'' praised Weir's direction, writing "It's an [[Art film| arty]] film... And like the artist, Weir insists on layering colors and depth to his mystery ever so slowly and deliberately, adding a stroke of character here and a brush of suspense there." He also notes the "convincing" performances of the cast, especially Mrs Appleyard, "played with a touch of evil" by Rachel Roberts, and Sara Waybourne, "played effortlessly" by Margaret Nelson.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fiery roles mark Aussie film|first=Joseph|last=Bensou |work=[[Daily Breeze]]|page=58|date=July 27, 1979}}</ref> 

Cliff Green stated in interview that "Writing the film and later through its production, did I—or anyone else—predict that it would become Australia's most loved movie? We always knew it was going to be good—but that good? How could we?"<ref name="The Vault"/>

''Picnic at Hanging Rock'' currently has an approval rating of 92% on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 48 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Visually mesmerizing, ''Picnic at Hanging Rock'' is moody, unsettling, and enigmatic -- a masterpiece of Australian cinema and a major early triumph for director Peter Weir".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/picnic_at_hanging_rock/ | website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | title=Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)|access-date=1 February 2024}}</ref> Metacritic, another review aggregator, gives the film a score of 81/100 based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/picnic-at-hanging-rock|title=Picnic at Hanging Rock Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=18 January 2020}}</ref>

==Accolades==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Subject
! Result
|-
|rowspan=5|[[AACTA Awards]]
|[[AACTA Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
|[[Hal and Jim McElroy]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[AACTA Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]]
|[[Peter Weir]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress]]
|[[Helen Morse]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role|Best Actor in a Supporting Role]]
|[[Tony Llewellyn-Jones]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Australian Film Institute Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]]
|[[Cliff Green]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=3|[[30th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
|[[Russell Boyd]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
|Judith Dorsman
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Sound|Best Soundtrack]]
|Greg Bell and Dan Connelly
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[British Society of Cinematographers]]
|[[British Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film|Best Cinematography]]
|Russell Boyd
|{{nom}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[6th Saturn Awards|Saturn Awards]]
|[[Saturn Award for Best Writing|Best Writing]]
|Cliff Green
|{{nom}}
|-
| Best Cinematography
| Russell Boyd
| {{Honored}}
|}

==Home media==
The director's cut was released on [[DVD]] in the US by the [[Criterion Collection]] on 3 November 1998. This release featured a new transfer of the film, a theatrical trailer and liner notes. The Criterion Collection released the director's cut on [[Blu-ray]] in the US on 17 June 2014. It includes a paperback copy of the novel and a number of featurettes.

In the UK, the film was released in a special 3-disc DVD set on 30 June 2008. This set included both the director's cut and the longer original cut, the feature-length documentary ''A Dream Within a Dream'', deleted scenes, interviews with the filmmakers and the book's author [[Joan Lindsay]], poster and still galleries. UK distributor Second Sight Films released the film on Blu-ray in the UK on 26 July 2010.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Picnic-At-Hanging-Rock-Directors/dp/B003M91TME | publisher=Amazon.co.uk | title=Picnic At Hanging Rock - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray] [1975] | access-date=14 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Picnic-at-Hanging-Rock-Blu-ray/11645/#Review | first=Svet | last=Atanasov | publisher=Blu-ray.com | title=Picnic at Hanging Rock Blu-ray | date=14 August 2010}}</ref>

In Australia it was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in August 2007, and re-released in a 2-disc Collector's Edition in May 2011. This edition includes special features including theatrical trailers, poster and still galleries, documentaries and interviews with cast, crew and Joan Lindsay.<ref name="Umbrella Entertainment - Collector's Edition">{{cite web|title=Umbrella Entertainment - Collector's Edition|url=http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/p-3045-picnic-at-hanging-rock-2-disc-edition.aspx|access-date=29 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427213806/http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/p-3045-picnic-at-hanging-rock-2-disc-edition.aspx|archive-date=27 April 2013}}</ref> It was released on Blu-ray in Australia by Umbrella Entertainment on 12 May 2010, including the feature-length documentary ''A Dream Within a Dream'', a 25-minute on-set documentary titled ''A Recollection: Hanging Rock 1900'' and the theatrical trailer.<ref name="Umbrella Entertainment - Blu-ray">{{cite web|title=Picnic at Hanging Rock Blu-ray|url=http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/p-2418-picnic-at-hanging-rock-blu-ray.aspx|work=Umbrella Entertainment Website|publisher=Umbrella Entertainment|access-date=7 June 2012|archive-date=19 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419040239/http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/p-2418-picnic-at-hanging-rock-blu-ray.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The film has since been released on [[4K resolution|4K]] in various countries, including the United States (by Criterion) and the UK.

==Legacy and influence==
''Picnic at Hanging Rock'' was voted the best Australian film of all time by members of the Australian Film Institute, industry guilds and unions, film critics and reviewers, academics and media teachers, and Kookaburra Card members of the [[National Film and Sound Archive]] (NFSA), in a 1996 poll organised by the Victorian Centenary of Cinema Committee and the NFSA.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://issuu.com/libuow/docs/cinemapaper1996febno108|last1=Berryman |first1=Ken |date=February 1996 |title=100 Key Australian Films |magazine=Cinema Papers |issue=108 |pages=22–23}}</ref>

In 2025 the film was restored for release into cinemas. Under Weir's supervision, a new 4K scan of the original 35mm negative (from the [[National Film and Sound Archive]] in Australia) was undertaken by The Grainery (USA) and Fixafilm (Poland).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Picnic at Hanging Rock 4K |url=https://www.picnicathangingrock.au/journal/picnic-at-hanging-rock-4k-8txgb-dyyeb |access-date=April 27, 2025}}</ref> Coincident with the release, [[Text Publishing]] issued a biography of Joan Lindsay by [[Brenda Niall]], which describes the influence of Lindsay's experiences at school on the book, as well as the continuing cultural legacy of the book and film.

Director [[Sofia Coppola]] has borrowed heavily from ''Picnic at Hanging Rock'' for her productions of ''[[The Virgin Suicides (film)|The Virgin Suicides]]'' and ''[[Marie Antoinette (2006 film)|Marie Antoinette]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Weird|first1=Jake|title=The Virgin Suicides and Picnic at Hanging Rock|url=http://jake-weird.blogspot.fr/2009/10/virgin-suicides-picnic-at-hanging-rock_21.html|website=Weirdland|publisher=BlogSpot|date=9 May 2000|access-date=11 September 2014}}</ref> Both films, like ''Picnic at Hanging Rock'', deal extensively with themes of death and femininity as well as adolescent perceptions of love and sexuality.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Monden|first1=Masafumi|title=Contemplating in a dream-like room and the aesthetic imagination of girlhood|journal=Film, Fashion & Consumption|date=June 2013|volume=2|issue=2|doi=10.1386/ffc.2.2.139_1|url=https://www.academia.edu/5416643|access-date=11 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Rodenstein|first1=Roy|title=The Virgin Suicides|url=http://tech.mit.edu/V120/N26/Virgin_Suicides.26a.html|website=The Tech Online|date=9 May 2000|access-date=11 September 2014}}</ref>

American television writer [[Damon Lindelof]] said that the film was an influence on the second season of the television show ''[[The Leftovers (TV series)|The Leftovers]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/features/leftovers-evie-alive-episode-209-damon-lindelof-1201649433/|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title='The Leftovers' Boss Damon Lindelof Explains That Shocking Twist|date=29 November 2015|access-date=2 December 2015|first=Maureen|last=Ryan}}</ref>

==See also==
* ''[[Picnic at Hanging Rock (TV series)|Picnic at Hanging Rock]]'', a 2018 TV series that also adapted the novel
* [[List of films set around Valentine's Day]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
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* {{IMDb title}}
* {{TCMDb title}}
* [http://www.ozmovies.com.au/movie/picnic-at-hanging-rock ''Picnic at Hanging Rock''] at Oz Movies
* [http://picnicathangingrocklocations.wordpress.com "Picnic at Hanging Rock Locations"] – field guide to the locations used for filming at Hanging Rock, Victoria, Australia
* [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3202-picnic-at-hanging-rock-what-we-see-and-what-we-seem ''Picnic at Hanging Rock: What We See and What We Seem''] – an essay by [[Megan Abbott]] at [[The Criterion Collection]]
* [https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/picnic "Picnic" collection] at [[National Film and Sound Archive]]
* ''[https://australiancinema.info/db/1997/picnic.htm Picnic at Hanging Rock]'' – includes bibliography

{{Peter Weir}}
{{Joan Lindsay}}


[[Category:1975 films]]
[[Category:1975 Australian films]]
[[Category:1975 drama films]]
[[Category:1975 independent films]]
[[Category:1970s coming-of-age drama films]]
[[Category:1975 English-language films]]
[[Category:1970s mystery drama films]]
[[Category:Australian coming-of-age drama films]]
[[Category:Australian independent films]]
[[Category:Australian mystery drama films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]
[[Category:English-language mystery drama films]]
[[Category:Films about missing people]]
[[Category:Films about picnics]]
[[Category:Films about sexual repression]]
[[Category:Films based on Australian novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Peter Weir]]
[[Category:Films scored by Bruce Smeaton]]
[[Category:Films set in 1900]]
[[Category:Films set in boarding schools]]
[[Category:Films set in colonial Australia]]
[[Category:Films set in Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:Films set in the Victorian era]]
[[Category:Films shot in South Australia]]
[[Category:Gothic films]]
[[Category:Valentine's Day in films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Picnic at Hanging Rock (film)|access_date=2026-03-05}}