I will gladly admit that my favourite film of all time is Picnic at Hanging Rock, and I’m certainly not alone, with it being quite the all-time favourite for many.
The reasons for why people love this 1975 classic, directed by Aussie Peter Weir, are numerous and extend from the somewhat esoteric craft of the film and its spellbinding story from Joan Lindsay, to the atmosphere of Hanging Rock itself – located in Mount Macedon Victoria.
Firstly the story is one of those Victorian (as in ‘Queen’ Victorian) era mysteries that is unique to rural Australia, and there is no better mystery than one unsolved.
I won’t ruin the plot’s fact or fiction debate for those new to the Picnic at Hanging Rock story, but as a young kid growing up in Victoria, visiting the actual rock was quite (and still is) an eerie experience. The concept of three private schoolgirls and their governess disappearing during an innocent picnic, puts a hair-raising chill in the air.
Many people, including the cast of the film, have told of strange happenings at Hanging Rock, from odd weather patterns to lapses in time. I’ve even been there at midnight and the experience is, well, you just have to be there!
As for the film, its script, music, cinematography, editing, directing and acting talent were rewarded through the many world-wide accolades, including Australian box office takings of $5,120,000 (amazing for the time!).
The music alone, which featured the Gheorghe Zamfir pan flute, reflects that story’s haunting feel and, apart from the catch-phrase cry of “Miranda!”, it somewhat trademarks the film.
Back in 1995 I wrote a twenty year-on retrospective on the film and was lucky enough to interview John Jarrett, Helen Morse and Miranda herself, Anne-Louise Lambert. They all felt a common pride in being a part of cinematic history. More recently I also reviewed the 2016 theatrical production, directed by Matthew Lutton.
The news that Foxtel, Fremantle Media and Screen Australia are remaking Picnic At Hanging Rock into a six part mini-series is music (actually pan pipe music) to my ears! Given their track record, I feel these producers will do justice to the legacy of both book and film. As Shakespeare once said “The time is ripe.”
I still often visit Hanging Rock, sometimes taking friends to discover the unique ambiance for themselves. The location has also become a concert venue for the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart and Leonard Cohern. The Rolling Stones were booked to play, only to cancel at the last minute. But somehow I sense the rock will draw them back.
I even once watched an outdoor screening of the movie at the rock itself, and in keeping with the storyline, it was on St Valentines Day!
There’s no doubt that Picnic at Hanging Rock has become a legendary and iconic part of the Australian psyche. In the opening lines of the movie Miranda quotes Edgar Allan Poe’s classic poem A Dream Within a Dream, which questions the distinction between fantasy and reality.
“What we see and what we seem are but a dream. A dream within a dream.”
A trip to Hanging Rock may help put this in perspective!
Read my article Horror On A Sunny Afternoon in the Theatre Reviews section..
Watch the Picnic At Hanging Rock movie trailer here
