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Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

PG  |   |  Drama, Mystery  |  2 February 1979 (USA)
7.6
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Ratings: 7.6/10 from 23,608 users  
Reviews: 194 user | 128 critic

During a rural picnic, a few students and a teacher from an Australian girls' school vanish without a trace. Their absence frustrates and haunts the people left behind.

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(novel), (screenplay)
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Title: Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) on IMDb 7.6/10

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Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 11 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Mrs. Appleyard
Vivean Gray ...
Miss McCraw
Helen Morse ...
Mlle. de Poitiers
Kirsty Child ...
Miss Lumley
Tony Llewellyn-Jones ...
Tom (as Anthony Llewellyn-Jones)
...
Minnie
Frank Gunnell ...
Mr. Whitehead
Anne-Louise Lambert ...
Miranda (as Anne Lambert)
Karen Robson ...
Irma
Jane Vallis ...
Marion
Christine Schuler ...
Margaret Nelson ...
Sara
Ingrid Mason ...
Rosamund
...
Blanche
Janet Murray ...
Juliana
Edit

Storyline

Three students and a school teacher disappear on an excursion to Hanging Rock, in Victoria, on Valentine's Day, 1900. Widely (and incorrectly) regarded as being based on a true story, the movie follows those that disappeared, and those that stayed behind, but it delights in the asking of questions, not the answering of them. Written by David Carroll <davidc@atom.ansto.gov.au>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

rock | student | school | girl | teacher | See All (271) »

Taglines:

Australia's First International Hit! [Video Australia] See more »

Genres:

Drama | Mystery

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

2 February 1979 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

El enigma en las Rocas Colgantes  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

AUD 440,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$27,492 (USA) (26 June 1998)

Gross:

$84,744 (USA) (3 July 1998)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (1998 director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Hamish, the school dog from Marbury School, Stirling, South Australia, Australia, had a bit part in the film See more »

Goofs

Miranda cuts the Valentine's Day cake with a clean kitchen knife. However, the next shot shows the cake cut down the middle, and the same knife lying beside it clean and bare, as if it had never been used. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Miranda: What we see and what we seem are but a dream, a dream within a dream.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Half Past Midnight (2015) See more »

Soundtracks

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, 2nd Movement
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Not a detective story
2 June 2004 | by (Mazury Lakes, Poland) – See all my reviews

I have experienced it several times that people tend to expect "Picnic at Hanging Rock" to unfold like a detective story, while it is not one, in any respect. This movie belongs to another type, to the mystery genre, and possibly stands as the finest example of a film of this kind. The main purpose of such films is to contemplate The Unknown and Peter Weir copes with that excellently. What counts most here is the atmosphere, and the focus is more on hidden emotions than on the pacing (some say that the problem with "Picnic" is that it's boring - i don't think so but I guess it depends much on your sensitivity and approach). Most fascinating thing here is possibly the way the Rock is depicted - it appears as self-conscious entity, alive in a sense which is beyond Western logic. This, I think, is the key aspect of the story, because what it really is about is the conflict between the Culture and the Nature. And don't let this put you off as 'too philosophical'. Picnic at Hanging Rock, while not being a crime story, can be involving as one

  • if you help this to happen, of course. If you do, you might have a


lot to think about when the credits start to roll. It can happen, though, that you will be dying to see them roll - there are no movies that appeal to all of us. Then, at least, you could enjoy the set design, photography and ancient beauty of wild Australia.

Give it a try. It's worth it. 8/10


62 of 75 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Mrs. Appleyard jctennant55-892-30458
Why Irma doesn't remember what happened? FOXCLOSE-2
This really angers people who don't get it, doesn't it? butaneggbert
How do some consider this a horror movie??? Fellini_Fiend87
Could 'The Secret of Hanging Rock' Be Filmed? Should it be? ConDeuce
Other eerie, haunting, patient, atmospheric films like this one? StrawDogBreeder
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