Picnic
at Hanging Rock is one of those movies I take an almost sadistic
pleasure in. Any time you see one of these period movies,
you expect everything to be upright and proper, so it is a
cool experience when a "period movie" becomes something entirely
different. A good example is The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,
in which a seemingly charming story about an eccentric teacher
and her charges becomes an allegory of fascism. Picnic at
Hanging Rock, however, is much more sinister, as it involves
a mysterious disappearance at an all-girls school in Australia
which implies many disturbing possibilities.
I'm
bringing up an odd comparison here, but the legend surrounding
the story in which this movie is based is almost like that
which accompanied The Blair Witch Project a few years ago.
The author of the original novel hinted that the story may
(what a tease!!) be factual, and noble citizens searched for
facts. Nothing was found, of course, just as many poor suckers
discovered that nothing happened in Burkittsville. The movie,
as well, suggests fact, although careful consideration of
the end credits will reveal the usual legalese: No similarity
to real people, places, etc, may be inferred, yadda, yadda,
yadda. Of course, to me, it matters little if the movie is
based on fact (and I never give credit to such a statement
anymore, in any case), only if it is worthy as a piece of
art.
At
an all-girls school, tucked away in the pristine nature of
Australia, the classmates are about to go on an outing to
the Hanging Rock. Nothing educational, really; just a little
picnic and other activities 'enjoyed' by the upper-crust.
The headmistress gives the usual warnings to her charges;
that nobody shall go near this dangerous area. As with any
movie about teenagers and dangerous situations, we all know
that somebody will wander off! In fact, what actually happens
is that four of the girls wander off in around the caves and
crevices of the rock, and only one girl comes screaming back.
And, incredulously, one of the teachers goes missing too,
apparently to search for the girls. The rest of the movie
details the search for the girls, and, primarily, both the
creepy hints and innuendo and the odd behaviours of many of
the characters.
You
may think that, on the basis of that last sentence, this is
a whodunit kind of movie, but it is not like that. In fact,
this movie is a really nasty puzzle which (be careful about
what you read here!) is never solved. The last few shots are
among the most baffling I`ve seen for a "conclusion", and
you will feel less informed and more chilled by the film's
end. This is not a whodunit; it's an examination of repression.
Many
nasty little things materialize, almost all concerning sex.
Much is made of the doctor's examination of the girl saying
"She is very much intact", and we all know perfectly well
what he's talking about. And there is also that same girl's
giggling account of the teacher passing by in only her undergarments.
All things seem to point to a sex crime, especially when we
have already witnessed a proper, repressed teenager in romantic
awe of the most prettiest girl of the group before deciding
to "wander off". The first thing I think of is that this is
the repressed boy with a dirty secret. No arrests are made,
however, but the idea of repression - inside virtually everybody
- lingers. The only sort of passion that exists on-screen
is between a maid and a stableboy - both of the lower-class,
significantly -, while all of the upper crust are uptight
in one way or another, and have to compensate. Nothing is
spoken directly (these are proper ladies and gentleman, of
course), but only a fool would not be able to guess at some
of the activity.
The
most clear of all the issues simmering inside this seemingly
innocent girls' school is that of the love that dares not
speak its name. There is some ambigious, and suspicious, conversation
between Miranda (the 'prettiest' of the girls) and Sara, an
orphan sent to the school. Miranda tells her that Sara has
to learn to love somebody else, for she will be gone soon.
And Sara keeps an overtly melodramatic vigil in Miranda's
absence. There are also some other suggestions of lesbianism
in a number of other female characters, including the headmistress
(listen to her drunken abomination of the missing teacher
near the end).
There
is, in fact, an implication that the girls may have planned
this disappearance, or that somehow the rock took these girls
away from a world which represses them. A supernatural feeling
is evoked as the picture progresses (well-enchanced by the
soundtrack), and a number of shots will throw you off for
sure, although you will never quite put your finger on them.
All
in all, Picnic At Hanging Rock is a very good film, even as
it is utterly, utterly confusing and mysterious. The film
is beautiful to look at, it is deceptively comforting in its
pace, and will keep you in suspense, and will leave you thinking
at the end. This movie is a near-classic of its kind, and
is deserving of multiple viewings.
David
Macdonald
David
Macdonald's Movie Reviews
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