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A drowsy numbness envelops Peter Weir's gorgeous Picnic at Hanging Rock, an atmospheric mystery unlike any other film ever made. Set in Australia in 1900, the story is about the strange disappearance of three schoolgirls (Anne-Louise Lambert, Karen Robson, and Jane Vallis) and a teacher (Vivean Gray) during an afternoon outing in the country after exchanging valentines. While the school's stern headmistress (Rachel Roberts) tries to cope with the bad publicity, the search for the girls' whereabouts only makes their absence more enigmatic, part of an almost archetypal confrontation between civilization and the impenetrable secrets of nature. Against a backdrop of Victorian repression, Weir creates a remarkable aura with a nonstop volley of alluring femininity: the girls wear lacy dresses, white gloves, and straw hats; they sing, read poetry, and press flowers; one is even compared to a Botticelli angel. And the soundtrack is lush throughout, mixing Bach and Beethoven with the exotic sounds of pan-flute master Gheorghe Zamfir. The result is a film of hypnotic beauty and frightening mystery, capped off by a scene where the fateful picnic appears as if through a dreamy haze, an idyllic slow-motion tableau that is simply unforgettable. Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide

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. Robert Firsching

Product Details

• UPC: 037429126325
• Source: CRITERION
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Vistavision (1.66:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital, stereo
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 1:47:00
• Sales Rank: 657

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