'Picnic at Hanging Rock' starts with the line "What we see and what we seem is but a dream. A dream within a dream". That line says and expresses everything about the tone, feel and general vibe that Peter Weir sets for the film. Weir leaves no stone unturned to make sure that the film plays out on an elevated dreamlike realm. We get a lot of cross cutting, super-imposed visuals, slowed down movements, etc. complemented by beautiful moody scores involving pan pipes.
Personally I found three ways to attempt to make some sort of a thematic reading for this film:
1. The film can be interpreted as a work that explores the abstract concept of fantasy/curiosity itself. The girls of the college are shown to be fascinated by the mysterious Hanging Rock. It gives them a chance to experience something beyond the boundaries of their normal, routine and mundane life in the college. The Hanging Rock represents an otherworldly aura of wonder to these young curious girls. The film(like the novel it is based on) then reverses this when the three girls along with Miss McCraw go missing. Now what happened to these girls at the rock becomes the center of fascination, fantasy and curiosity that overwhelms the other characters which lends a meta-quality to the film's narrative because it is that same sense of curiosity and fascination that grabs the viewer during the entire second half of the film. After Irma is rescued, there is a scene in the film where she bids farewell to her friends(she is crucially dressed in striking red unlike the other girls who are dressed in their normal whites). Instead of the scene progressing into a sweet farewell get-together, we get an explosive encounter where the other girls start screaming and hounding Irma for the answer to their questions about what happened that day at the Rock. This scene is a clear and deliberate representation of the frustration of the viewers for not getting an answer to these questions.
2. The film can be seen as an exploration of sexual awakening as well as repression. There is a shot at the very beginning of the film where 4 girls of the Appleyard College are standing in a line diagonally to the frame as they each tighten the corset of the one standing in front. This particular shot beautifully and subtly juggles two elements at the same time - on one hand it presents a picture of tender feminine beauty and sisterhood, but on the other hand with the tightening corsets it shows the severe restrictions that they are subjected to. Their fascination for the Hanging Rock can be easily thematic equated with a burgeoning sexual curiosity with the Rock itself representing a male aura and the eventual disappearance of the girls being somewhat of a sexual awakening. In the initial scenes of the film, there is a bit of an attachment that gets hinted at between two of the girls of the college namely Miranda and Sara. Miranda open asks Sara to learn to love someone else as she is going away. The 'going away' can be interpreted literally, it can be interpreted as a foreshadow of what's to come, or it can easily interpreted as Miranda claiming that she won't remain the same girl after encountering the Rock. She will become someone more aware, more conscious and more mature. There are recurring shots of a swan that come after the disappearance of the girls and the swan is made to look like it represents Miranda or at least her spirit. Thematically this could be interpreted as Weir telling us that Miranda is still present in the midst of all the others, it's just that she is unrecognisable in her new state. There's also a lot of possible euphemisms in Miss McCraw's description of the Rock. Weir deliberately juxtaposes the tenderness, the sweetness of the girls with the rough, abrasive, intimidating presence of the Hanging Rock. What's even more telling is that the 3 girls before venturing into the infamous crevice, take off their stocks, their stockings and later when Irma gets rescued, we learn that the corset was missing too alongwith the knowledge that Edith imparts about Miss McCraw's state when she made her way up to the rock. It certainly feels like an act signifying sexual liberation.
3. The third way to interpret the story will be to read it on a much broader scale and see it as a narrative that shows the conflict between imperialist order and indigenous Australian roots. Mrs.Appleyard is a very strict and overbearing headmaster who does her best to make sure that every little thing of her school remains orderly and every student remains obedient to an almost slavish extent. There are subtle shots of the photos of Queen Victoria in her office underlining the imperialist roots of this institution. But the 3 girls and Miss McCraw escape Appleyard's brutish order and become one with nature. In terms of music too the film uses European Classical tunes and juxtaposes them with the very exotic sounding central score of the pan pipes.
Having written all that, the magic of the film which I am smitten by isn't down to the themes and the possible allegories, it is actually down to Peter Weir's hypnotic, storytelling style. He makes sure that the entire film feels like a dream that plays out on a plane of elevated reality. The acting is great from everyone, especially Anne Lambert and Rachel Roberts. Russell Boyd's cinematography is exceptional. The outdoor scenes are vibrant and aesthetically appealing .
I don't think, 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' is for everyone, but if you like dreamy, languidly paced mood pieces, then this one might be for you.
Personally I found three ways to attempt to make some sort of a thematic reading for this film:
1. The film can be interpreted as a work that explores the abstract concept of fantasy/curiosity itself. The girls of the college are shown to be fascinated by the mysterious Hanging Rock. It gives them a chance to experience something beyond the boundaries of their normal, routine and mundane life in the college. The Hanging Rock represents an otherworldly aura of wonder to these young curious girls. The film(like the novel it is based on) then reverses this when the three girls along with Miss McCraw go missing. Now what happened to these girls at the rock becomes the center of fascination, fantasy and curiosity that overwhelms the other characters which lends a meta-quality to the film's narrative because it is that same sense of curiosity and fascination that grabs the viewer during the entire second half of the film. After Irma is rescued, there is a scene in the film where she bids farewell to her friends(she is crucially dressed in striking red unlike the other girls who are dressed in their normal whites). Instead of the scene progressing into a sweet farewell get-together, we get an explosive encounter where the other girls start screaming and hounding Irma for the answer to their questions about what happened that day at the Rock. This scene is a clear and deliberate representation of the frustration of the viewers for not getting an answer to these questions.
2. The film can be seen as an exploration of sexual awakening as well as repression. There is a shot at the very beginning of the film where 4 girls of the Appleyard College are standing in a line diagonally to the frame as they each tighten the corset of the one standing in front. This particular shot beautifully and subtly juggles two elements at the same time - on one hand it presents a picture of tender feminine beauty and sisterhood, but on the other hand with the tightening corsets it shows the severe restrictions that they are subjected to. Their fascination for the Hanging Rock can be easily thematic equated with a burgeoning sexual curiosity with the Rock itself representing a male aura and the eventual disappearance of the girls being somewhat of a sexual awakening. In the initial scenes of the film, there is a bit of an attachment that gets hinted at between two of the girls of the college namely Miranda and Sara. Miranda open asks Sara to learn to love someone else as she is going away. The 'going away' can be interpreted literally, it can be interpreted as a foreshadow of what's to come, or it can easily interpreted as Miranda claiming that she won't remain the same girl after encountering the Rock. She will become someone more aware, more conscious and more mature. There are recurring shots of a swan that come after the disappearance of the girls and the swan is made to look like it represents Miranda or at least her spirit. Thematically this could be interpreted as Weir telling us that Miranda is still present in the midst of all the others, it's just that she is unrecognisable in her new state. There's also a lot of possible euphemisms in Miss McCraw's description of the Rock. Weir deliberately juxtaposes the tenderness, the sweetness of the girls with the rough, abrasive, intimidating presence of the Hanging Rock. What's even more telling is that the 3 girls before venturing into the infamous crevice, take off their stocks, their stockings and later when Irma gets rescued, we learn that the corset was missing too alongwith the knowledge that Edith imparts about Miss McCraw's state when she made her way up to the rock. It certainly feels like an act signifying sexual liberation.
3. The third way to interpret the story will be to read it on a much broader scale and see it as a narrative that shows the conflict between imperialist order and indigenous Australian roots. Mrs.Appleyard is a very strict and overbearing headmaster who does her best to make sure that every little thing of her school remains orderly and every student remains obedient to an almost slavish extent. There are subtle shots of the photos of Queen Victoria in her office underlining the imperialist roots of this institution. But the 3 girls and Miss McCraw escape Appleyard's brutish order and become one with nature. In terms of music too the film uses European Classical tunes and juxtaposes them with the very exotic sounding central score of the pan pipes.
Having written all that, the magic of the film which I am smitten by isn't down to the themes and the possible allegories, it is actually down to Peter Weir's hypnotic, storytelling style. He makes sure that the entire film feels like a dream that plays out on a plane of elevated reality. The acting is great from everyone, especially Anne Lambert and Rachel Roberts. Russell Boyd's cinematography is exceptional. The outdoor scenes are vibrant and aesthetically appealing .
I don't think, 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' is for everyone, but if you like dreamy, languidly paced mood pieces, then this one might be for you.