Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) on Netflix
On Valentine's Day 1900, the girls of Appleyard College in Victoria picnic at Hanging Rock. Miranda and several classmates climb the formation; by nightfall the school cannot account for them.
- Netflix4.1/5
- IMDb7.3/1046,592 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes91%
Trailer
Plot summary
Appleyard College, a girls' private school in the Victorian bush, prepares for a Valentine's Day outing in 1900. Its headmistress, Mrs. Appleyard, keeps a strict house; Sara, an orphan pupil, is made to stay behind. Led by Miss Greta McCraw and Mlle de Poitiers, the students ride by wagon to Hanging Rock, a volcanic formation. The watches stop at noon, and after the picnic Miranda, Marion, Irma and Edith are allowed to explore the rock. Michael Fitzhubert, a young Englishman, and his friend Albert watch from a distance. The party reaches school long after dark with three girls and Miss McCraw missing, and no explanation.
Cast
- Christine Schuleras Edith
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Weir and cinematographer Russell Boyd took their cue from British photographer and film director David Hamilton, who draped veils over his camera lens for diffused images; Boyd created the film's dreamy look by placing simple bridal veil fabric of various thicknesses over his lens.
- Several of the schoolgirls' voices were dubbed in secret by uncredited professional voice actors, because Weir had cast the young actresses for their innocent appearance rather than their acting ability; more than three decades later, Barbara Llewellyn revealed she had voiced all of Edith's dialogue.
- Patricia Lovell read Joan Lindsay's novel four years after its publication and thought it would make a good film; she did not think of producing it herself until Phillip Adams suggested she try, and optioned the film rights in 1973 for $100 for three months.
- Weir first cast Ingrid Mason as Miranda but decided after several weeks of rehearsals that it was "not working" and cast Anne-Louise Lambert instead, with Mason persuaded to stay on as the minor character Rosamund; Vivien Merchant fell ill as Mrs Appleyard and Rachel Roberts replaced her at short notice.
- Weir recalled that the cast and crew took the film in a humorous and jocular manner when filming began, but that the mood changed on location at Hanging Rock: "There is just something about the area that is oppressive and depressing." Nothing unusual happened, he said, but everyone was nervous.
- Sofia Coppola's films The Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette were heavily influenced by Picnic at Hanging Rock, sharing its themes of death and femininity and its adolescent perceptions of love and sexuality.
