In the year 1900, on Valentine’s Day an all-girl school heads to one of Australia’s most well-known rock formations in order to have a Picnic at Hanging Rock. As the girls leave school and head to the location they are warned by their governess, Mrs. Appleyard (Rachel Roberts), to take care and be aware of the terrors that might befall them--venomous snakes, poisonous ants, etc. No one expected that the absolute worst would happen. When the group of girls return to Appleyard College nearly three hours late, it becomes clear that three girls and a teacher have vanished; and with no evidence of their whereabouts, it seems unlikely that anyone will ever find them.
Director Peter Weir, best known for his film Dead Poet Society, has a profound way of telling stories and bringing to life characters that have a deep, meaningful presence. Furthermore, his ability to develop young, teenage characters and create connections between them and his viewers is quite powerful, as he manages to create a dynamic that allows them to be viewed both individually and as a unit. Led by the young, adventurous Miranda (Anne-Louise Lambert), this group of young women are brazen and more spontaneous than would have been expected from ladies of this degree. Their unique nature, given the time period, presents them in a sort of eerie and odd light that provides viewers a sense of unease that transcends the length of the film.
That intense and abnormal feeling that lasts from beginning to end is what allows Picnic at Hanging Rock to find success. The process of creating this unusual feeling begins with the dialogue. Each of the girls, at one point or another through the opening act, recites poetry that, out of context, makes little to no sense. There is obvious existential meaning behind each line spoken, however, prior to the girls being lost at Hanging Rock, much of what is said serves only to confuse the audience. The genuine misunderstanding of what is being said early on adds to the immediate suspense of Picnic at Hanging Rock and acts as a way to entice viewers in the early going of the film.
There comes a point in Picnic at Hanging Rock when the entertaining and intriguing aspect of the mystery of the missing girls has run its course. While viewers have bought into uncovering the truth behind the conundrum, the pacing of the film is that of a snail’s, and at a certain point the allure of what has been building up begins to fade. As this appeal begins to fall by the wayside it becomes more and more difficult to remain focused on what is transpiring and the interconnecting stories of the schoolgirls and teachers. Once that appeal is gone, Weir fails to shift Picnic at Hanging Rock in any way in order to reinvigorate his viewers, and ultimately the third act of the film fails.
The sad pacing and the subpar acting (even though there are moments when the below average acting adds to the nuances of Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock) make it difficult for viewers to appreciate the majority of the film. The mystery behind the disappearance of the girls is riveting, but loses its vigor around the halfway point, and at that juncture it becomes difficult for viewers to remain focused. The concept (the one brought to life in the novel by Joan Lindsay) is truly splendid, and while the film adaptation has its moments in the sun, it ultimately fails to entertain as viewers had hoped.
Directed by Peter Weir.
Written by Joan Lindsay & Cliff Green.
Starring Rachel Roberts, Anee-Louise Lambert, Vivean Gray, Helen Morse, Tony Llewellyn-Jones, Karen Robson, Christine Schuler, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
Opmerkingen