Picnic at Hanging Rock

Cinema magic. Finally, with Blu-ray, I was able to fully enjoy this immersive experience. At a time when Australian cinema was still in its infancy in terms of international recognition, the talented Peter Weir came up with a film that captivates with its visual beauty, hand in hand with gorgeous music (Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Bach and George Zamfir's incredibly haunting flute motif), and especially with its incredible atmosphere, which at times reaches horror elements without any boogeymen or similar trappings. All it needs is with one big mystery and atmospheric wizardry with image and music. In Australia, this film is seen in a similar way as Vláčil's Marketa Lazarová here: it also comes on top of all critics’ polls as the best Australian film ever, and rightfully so, methinks. (10/05/2011)

I quite like Peter Weir, but not his early period (based only on The Last Wave and Picnic at Hanging Rock). This tedious and empty story from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries set in Australia really didn’t work on me. From the noisy chicken coop feeling to the persistent effort to generate a mysterious atmosphere (successfully some times, not to be just critical), this is far from my idea of an interesting or stimulating film. (22/08/2010)

Visually magical and musically captivating. Although the plot is absolutely empty, thanks to Weir's skill, and his confident grip on several themes (the detective story, horror, love between women), it is an atmospherically unbelievably gripping and emotionally charged work, which proves the director's genius, which is unrivaled on the other side of the planet (for now). (26/11/2006)

An Australian old school wacky thing that tries to be fairly tactful through the Victorian era but at the same time is inconspicuously and discreetly naughty. (24/02/2018)

While the first part is beautifully and mysteriously disturbing, melancholic with wonderfully dreamy camerawork, the second part turns it into a completely different mood; still quality work, but not quite as much as before. Despite this Peter Weir already back then in his very beginnings Peter Weir was brimming with talent like only a few did and here it’s clearly visible. (13/05/2005)

An intriguingly conceived film that, at first glance, appears to be an Austen-esque drama, but in reality, it's a period mystery drama that, however, doesn't deliver what you might crave - answers. I'm a person who wants answers, and when I don't get them - at least some - I'm disappointed. In this case, I was disappointed. (15/10/2015)

My first Peter Weir film. What caught my attention right from the start was the distinctive soundtrack, which later works as a great vehicle to achieve just the right mystery atmosphere. And it's the atmosphere and the fact that the viewer doesn't really "suspect" throughout the film that are probably the most important draws of the whole thing. Quite inventively made for its time, so now I'm just waiting to see what Peter Weir will surprise me with in his later work. 90% (15/03/2010)