Directed by Peter Weir
Starring Anne-Louise Lambert, Rachel Roberts, Dominic Guard, Helen Morse and Margaret Nelson
One particular Roger Ebert review that I vividly remember reading is the one for this movie. I was a little older than when I first discovered the 1987 book at the Worthington public library; by this point, I was reading from the 1996 edition, just flipping through it one night for something to do before going to sleep. I saw four stars next to this title and thought, "eh, why not?" Even though the film in question wasn't a horror movie, the premise and Ebert's description of it spooked me the hell out. I was also listening to "The Battle of Evermore" at the same time which only augmented the creepiness. Needless to say, I was intrigued.
To make a long story short, the film was indeed very awesome. It's not exactly a terrifying film, but I didn't expect that. It is, however, an unnerving film, with film-making techniques being employed that seem designed to get under your skin. Also, and very surprisingly for a film that's predominantly about the residents of an all-girls' college in Australia, I found myself really invested and interested in the rather large cast of characters that are presented to us. And what happens to them? Let's find out.The film establishes an early mood of dread with its opening title card, of which I won't spoil quite yet. The setting is Appleyard College in the year 1900, with the opening scenes establishing the feel and stature of this prestigious institute. Most movies that take place in an affluent school establish a feel of authoritarianism in the teachers and administration, but this one really doesn't - everyone involved with running the college seems to be fair-minded if not a little stuffy. One relationship in particular is singled out for observation, with the shy Sara (Margaret Nelson) seeming oddly obsessed with her popular blonde roommate Miranda (Anne-Louise Lambert). It's a connection that we will see through to the bitter end.
The title of the film comes from a field trip that Miranda and a few other students will be taking on Valentine's Day to a local geological formation known as Hanging Rock. The sequence at Hanging Rock is undoubtedly the best stuff in the film. Some people consider the film a mystery, but I believe this to be a mistake, as the events that take place here are not meant to be clues. Instead, everything here is designed to gradually trap you in as Miranda and her friends slowly ascend the Rock toward its strange summit with a huge monolith overlooking them. This segment of the film concludes with a genuinely disturbing scene that shows the students' alleged final moments before disappearing into the nothingness.
From here, the movie becomes an exploration of the impact that the disappearance of Miranda, her two friends and a chaperone have on the school. Obviously, everyone at the college is devastated by the entire party not coming home safely. But it's the WAY that they disappeared, completely without a trace and seemingly with no idea as to how it occurred, that seems to be most devastating. One of the last people to see the girls alive eventually becomes obsessed with finding the students, taking a trip on horseback up to Hanging Rock and shockingly finding one of the missing girls alive. The kicker? She has absolutely no memory of what happened.
The third act is essentially a tragedy, as all of these events come to a head at the college. The narrative begins to increasingly focus on Mrs. Appleyard (Rachel Roberts), the school's headmistress who has done her best to deal with the situation. Cracks begin to appear in her icy facade, however, especially in a stirring scene where she rehearses a speech to a student about her overdue tuition and cries after delivering the news. The events that conclude Picnic at Hanging Rock are not shocks; they're extensions of where the story has taken us thus far carried out the nth degree, like the best stories should do.
This film is all about atmosphere. To that end, Peter Weir (who would later go on to direct classics like Witness, The Truman Show and Master and Commander) does one of the finest directing jobs I've seen in any movie. He is a film-maker with a decisive vision, and he is able to make that vision stick with an audience. Here, he decides to go with a "less is more" approach. The movie has a very slow, deliberate pace that lulls you in to its jagged edges and posh schools. The Hanging Rock scenes in particular are outstanding in their execution, with the streams, trees and animals also welcoming the characters in while the giant rocks at the summit lord over them like Gods.
One line that I vividly remember from the Ebert review actually centered on a criticism from a contemporary, who said that this movie is "too damn impenetrable for its own good." It is true that we never find out what exactly happened to the four women on Hanging Rock. This is appropriate. Sometimes, the unknown is more satisfying than any explanation that can be given. It is not a subversion; rather, it is an emotionally fulfilling decision, because the story ultimately is not about solving the mystery. It's about the effect that the events have on everyone, dealing with loss and the power of grief. And grief has some kind of power by the end of Picnic at Hanging Rock.
Rating time: Here it comes again...**** out of ****. One major takeaway from 30 Flicks with Lick thus far has been that Australia's new wave of cinema (see also the earlier Walkabout) kicks ass. Check this one out.
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