Picnic at Hanging Rock

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Picnic at Hanging Rock

PG

1979

1h 50m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In the early 1900s, Miranda (Anne Lambert) attends a girls boarding school in Australia. One Valentine's Day, the school's typically strict headmistress (Rachel Roberts) treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It's not until the end of the day that the faculty realizes the girls and one of the teachers (Vivean Gray) have disappeared mysteriously.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Feb 21

5/5

The film’s mystery still shimmers.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

04/27/2023

5/5

The “readings” are endless, the mood impossibly eerie and the legacy untouchable.

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Joe Clay

The Times (UK)

10/26/2022

Extraordinary, haunting classic...

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Soham Gadre

Film Inquiry

Aug 28

The various layers of feeling from ethereal coming-of-age fantasy, to domestic drama, to supernatural mystery to surreal nightmare turn Weir’s film into a beguiling experience that defies genre.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Aug 18

3.5/5

The ethereal and dreamlike vibes that Weir is able to capture are nothing short of magnificent.

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Clotilde Chinnici

FILMHOUNDS Magazine

Jul 19

4/5

Such an ending is part of what makes it such an iconic and unforgettable movie that has certainly earned its place in film history as one of the best films in Weir's career and in the tradition of Australian cinema at large.

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Jacob Y

Oct 31

I watched this recently as part of October-themed/atmospheric screenings at my local cinema. It's so beautiful and the acting is great!! I think it's one of the most beautifully shot films I have ever seen - the colors, the angles, the visual storytelling. Big shout out to the fashion in this production, the costume storytelling was splendid. And the music was perfect, i was really surprised to hear Gheorghe Zamfir. I read it's a cult classic in folk horror before seeing it, and I get it, I feel like it's a good example of atmospheric horror, although i would also characterise it more as "daytime" gothic, rather than horror. It's unsettling and it leaves you thinking without actually instilling fear, or at least that was my take on it. Recommend!!!

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Mike M.

@MikePerhaps Oct 16

A nonviolent thriller that’s mystery and layers linger long after viewing. The obtrusive contrast between the violent and dangerous Australian landscape and the prim proper pressured pomp of the female college couldn’t be more pertinent or prescient. Kudos to author and filmmakers for setting such a well constructed framework for our alluring and original haunt of a film. Weir creates an unsettling mood and atmosphere that left me leaning in and prying. Only to have that same intrigue turned inward at the end, leaving me to ask what is the author of this tale trying to make me see and feel, and maybe even… know. If you leave your own expectations at the door and take it for what it is, i.e what is given and not what you want it to be, only then can you see its power and impact. It’s no coincidence that there are probably more females than males that better “get” this film. But maybe I’ve said too much…

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jacob c

Apr 23

A phenomenal entry in Australian cinema, Picnic at Hanging Rock is a haunting mystery, expertly filmed, that exudes elegance and grace.

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Xoxo J

Mar 1

best filming not bad lah

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Sandi W

Mar 1

filmnya recommended untuk kalian tonton

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Fitri D

Feb 28

Ini ide yang sangat bagus ya, terus menambah karya perfilm an Indonesia. Yang didalamnya terdapat beragam film, Terus berkembang ya dunia perfilm an, The best pokoknya

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Peter Weir

Director

Rachel Roberts

Mrs. Appleyard

Dominic Guard

Michael Fitzhubert

Helen Morse

Mlle. de Poitiers

Jacki Weaver

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Vivean Gray

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Synopsis

In the early 1900s, Miranda (Anne Lambert) attends a girls boarding school in Australia. One Valentine's Day, the school's typically strict headmistress (Rachel Roberts) treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It's not until the end of the day that the faculty realizes the girls and one of the teachers (Vivean Gray) have disappeared mysteriously.

Director: Peter Weir
Producer: Jim McElroy
Distributor: Atlantic Releasing Corporation
Production Co: Australian Film Commission
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: Australian English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 2, 1979, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jan 31, 2025
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 21, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $31.2K
Runtime: 1h 50m

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