As we said in class, this 1975 film was the world cinema's introduction to Peter Weir. And as Gabe noted on his earlier post to Last Wave, Picnic at Hanging Rock was firmly in the mode of cinema of its time. Remember, this was before superhero films and big budget remakes of television shows and sequels to superhero films and big budget television remakes. There was such a thing as the art house cinema in 1975 that played films like this and Last Wave. Kinda like Midtown Art Cinemas but without the chi-chi: craft beer, hamburgers, ten dollar bags of popcorn. But I digress...
1. My first question, as always: reaction to the film? Like? Dislike? Why?
2. Clark's question: Will Aubrey find and overtake the Acheron? Will David discover and comprehend Dream Time? Will Michael find the girls (especially Miranda!) at Hanging Rock? These might be the questions posed by the commercial trailers for the three films we've watched, but we know Weir is pursuing other ideas. So, what do you think he's chasing behind the superficial action of Picnic at Hanging Rock? This can't just be about a field trip gone wrong, can it? What's going on at Appleyard College for Girls? What do we know about the students' lives? And why in the world does Albert Crundall have a tatoo of Botticelli's Venus on his forearm?! Those darn Aussies are just full of surprises and mystery.
Have fun. See y'all tomorrow.
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ReplyDelete1. I like this film more than Master and Commander and more than The Last Wave. While Master and Commander relied too much on plot and The Last Wave had a tendency to focus too much on thematic elements, Picnic at Hanging Rock found a good balance between the two.
ReplyDelete2.The plot of Picnic at Hanging Rock is just another manifestation of one of Weir's common themes: the relationship between the rational, traditional urbanized world and the spiritual, natural one. At Appleyard College for Girls, the students have to fight to suppress themselves in all their spiritual and teenager-y ways. They must cage themselves in long skirts and unbreathable corsets. Even on Valentine's Day, they are kept completely away from boys. Everywhere they go, they are accompanied by a soulless automaton of a teacher who's idea of fun is reading a math textbook. The girls' disappearance at Hanging Rock represents their escape from the stuffy, misogynist, traditional society into the natural and spiritual one. They climb farther and farther up the rock away from the urbanized world and into liberation, shedding stockings and dresses as they go. They no longer want to be confined.
Oh, and I don't get what the Botticelli Venus thing is about at all. Unless, it's that society likes to romanticize their young women and put them on pedestals.
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ReplyDelete1. I would not say that I really like the film. It is better that the last wave in some areas, but worse in others. It is worse because it does not really have any extremely interesting themes that I have noticed. Yes, there could be some themes that are similar to those of master and commander and the last wave, but said possible themes seem to play a much smaller active role in the plot of the film than they did in the other movies we have watched. It is better than the last wave for an obvious reason. It is easy to follow. On a slightly unrelated note, I like the movie’s music more than that of the last wave. I know that that does not really have anything to do with anything, but that is an important part of movies for me and oldish movies usually have terrible/really weird music. One thing that I think that the movie is really lacking is good characters. Yes, some characters appear to be interesting, but they are actually either predictable or kind of random in their actions. An example of this randomness is the way the servant guy acts. At the beginning he struck me as someone who didn’t really care about other people. Later he seemed rather nice and heroic. Most of the other characters are just boring because they always do what you would expect. That may be a symbol for something like the preset roles of people in society, but if it is it is not a very good one. We have only watched part of the movie, so I am still hoping that it will get better, but I am not really expecting it to.
ReplyDelete2. As I said in my first answer, the themes of this movie seem less prominent in the actual plot then they did in the last wave and master and commander. In master and commander many of the important themes were personified by various people or groups (chiefly Aubrey and Maturin). In the last wave the whole movie focused on the theme of humanity vs. nature. In picnic at hanging rock, there are themes including the differences between the rich and the poor and (like master and commander and the last wave) the interaction between man and nature, but said themes seem to be less important than they are in the other movies. I am not saying that some themes are not kind of important to the plot. I am just saying that the plot would not suffer that much if they were not present because (in my opinion) they are not very important. It is like the movie is saying “PEOPLE ARE LOST IN THE ROCKS!!!!, and also nature is stronger than man and what not.”
I don't like it as much as the last two movies because I don't find it as compelling. I am interested to see if they find the girls, but I'm not as invested in the story. I think it's because the characters seem more like types than Aubrey or David. They don't seem to have any kind of internal struggle; the conflict is almost entirely external. An exception might be Michael's friend Albert, who comes off as a rugged, working-class guy and doesn't seem to care but ends up looking for the girls anyway. Even his character, however, is a predictable and a little boring. The movie echoes both Master and Commander and The Last Wave because it has the same documentary style, but the situation is surreal. I agree with Katherine that the movie is about a conflict between the rational world of the school and the irrational world of the supernatural, but I don't think the disappearance is the result of a spiritual awakening for the girls; I think the ones who disappeared succumbed to the supernatural forces of the rock (whatever those are) and the main conflict in the movie is the struggle of the teachers and the police to deal with this irrational event in the midst of their rational world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you too, Carolyn! I think there is, too, something magical in that rock that pulled the girls towards it. But I also think there was a part of the girls that was complicit in their escape.
Delete1. I liked what I’ve seen of this movie quite a lot. It was very reminiscent of the Sofia Coppola movies I’ve seen like Virgin Suicides in particular (which I actually watched this weekend). It felt like a horror movie take on a Sofia Coppola movie for me. I remarked at the end of class how the movie would be completely different if the soundtrack was more fluffy and flighty. The film itself (without the sound/music/dialogue that comes along with it) is indeed very romantic. It’s filmed in soft light, with lots of close-ups and very detailed shots of the girls. I personally think this is my favorite movie we’ve watched thus far visually.
ReplyDelete2. I think Weir does a brilliant job of subtly commentating (is that a word? I sure hope so..) on the futility of human lives, especially with the opening lines from Miranda: "What we see and what we seem are but a dream, a dream within a dream", which actually turns out to be a paraphrase from “A Dream within a Dream”, by Edgar Allan Poe. I thought it was an interesting quote to bring into the movie, as well as many other quotes/recitations from Miranda, who just seems to spew these brilliant little anecdotes or quotes at just the right time like: “Everything begins and ends at the exactly right time and place”. It’s kind of unreal how in-tune with the world around her she is and how astute she is to how truly sheltered her and her college is. I think that Miranda doesn’t make blatantly clear how brilliant she is in the way that she acts but more in what she says. Her aura is very breathy and romantic and seemingly willy-nilly to someone who isn’t paying close attention, but what she says is incredibly insightful. But anyways, back to Weir. I think that Weir comments on futility of human life, with both of those quotes from Miranda, as well as the fact that neither these girls, nor their college can control their disappearance. They went missing without a trace, because humans cannot control nature (even if we think we can) and what happens when we go into the wild. Maybe these girls couldn’t find their way back, maybe they chose to not come back, but either way, there is an aspect of lack of control. These girls can’t control the fact that they are missing (and in my opinion, probably dead). As Katherine said, these girls are already in a lack of control at Appleyard and in the misogynist society of the turn of the century. The fact that they go missing continues on this theme.
1. So far, I like Picnic at Hanging Rock well enough. It has an interesting plot, and it makes you want to keep watching (you have to know what happened to the girls). However, it feels like there's nothing pushing the movie along aside from the plot. If there hadn't been a major disturbance, nothing would have happened through the course of the movie. The only thing that's happening is people are searching for the girls, which makes the times between the physical search rather boring. It's realistic, yes, people do sit and talk about where they might have gone, or what they'll do if they're dead, but it's not what the typical viewer wants to see, they want to see the search.
ReplyDelete2. Weir is showing how women were confined in the 1900s, and how men were not (as much). The girls are overjoyed when they are allowed to take off their gloves on the picnic; they don’t get to be comfortable that often. They are confined to corsets and dresses that are way too hot for the season, but they are required to wear them for the sake of their femininity. They are told that they can’t climb the rock, as it is “tomboyish” and unladylike. Even when the girls are allowed to go measure the face of the rock, they are told not to go too high or be gone too long. Every aspect of their lives is controlled. But when they ride through the town on the way to Hanging Rock, the little boys chase them, and no one notices or tells them to stop. Men are allowed to ogle women and it’s though of as normal. But the girls are completely sheltered from boys; they have to stay innocent. Appleyard is the perfect place to send girls to shelter them and keep them innocent.
1. I’m really enjoying the film. Just like the Last Wave they’re setting up a really intriguing mystery. Some of the dialogue and the girls’ acting are a little strange, but I suppose helps make it creepier. Once again I’m really curious to find out what happens. There’s obviously a supernatural aspect to this film as well. That actually worries me a bit. A lot of times films use the idea that something supernatural is going on to not give a great explanation for everything. I do find it a little funny that one kid on his own found one of the girls when an entire search party with police officers couldn’t.
ReplyDelete2. We’ve definitely come to see that Weir doesn’t play his movies out in a traditional way. Just like The Last Wave was about a spiritual journey more than solving a mystery and tying together the story, I have a feeling that the exact reason behind the girls’ disappearance is not what will be most important in the end. I’m really not sure how I’ll feel about it if that’s the case. We have the theme of tradition in this movie again. There’s a lot of tradition in this girls’ prep school. However I don’t really see the idea of fighting tradition like in the last two films. The girl who had to stay behind and the headmistress are both pretty creepy. Maybe something is to be said for such a strange lifestyle in such a strange environment. It probably has a strange effect on the girls. Maybe this accounts for the weird ways that they act (like I mentioned in the first answer). I really haven’t seen enough to make a complete judgment yet.
I must give credit where it is due. Weir has the uncanny ability to get inside his viewers' minds. His eerie music, bizarre choice of shots, and relatively silent acting create a pretty unique compilation of terrifying entertainment. I can't help but like the film so far. My appreciation derives mostly from Weir's ability to make something out of nothing. He takes a creepy but extremely simple event and makes it into something complex by smothering it with layer after layer of underlying incoherence. It's quite wonderful really.
ReplyDeleteThat brings me quite nicely into the next question. The tie between the three. As in any story— a tale with beginning, middle, and end— there is a challenge that must be overcome. Rather self-evident, it would seem. But, what Clark is getting at here, I do believe, is that Weir, in his peculiar nature, strives to do something more with his films than to entertain.
I like to think everything is a critique on society, for I myself am very critical of it. Yet, there seems to be no other explanation of a common thread. Three very different worlds, each with something vaguely wrong. One could call it "tradition" in all three cases, but it is more diverse and complex than that. Anyhow, each film has he or she who is in opposition. And, that's as far as I have come with my theory. 'Till next time.
1. I have to say, I was really bored by this movie. The plot is meant to be interesting (with the whole mystery thing), but it came across as very repetitive to me. I cant begin to explain how annoying it was to see the two boys go back and forth on their tired horses over and over again. To me, there was no mystery; just supernatural coincidence.
ReplyDelete2. I can see why people around the world might be intrigued by this because there isn't much to think about. The mystery can't be explained in any logical sense and the underlying themes aren't dynamic. Weir flat out told the viewer that everything ends and begins at the right time. He tells the viewer something that he took the whole Last Wave film to explain. People cannot control everything even though we would like to. He has the controlling power of the college and the free spirit of Miranda.
I really like this film so far. It’s very suspenseful, but in a much subtler way than the Last Wave. Part of the reason I really like this movie a lot more than the other films we have watched is because it doesn’t feel as obvious as the other films. While the Last Wave was a mystery and very unpredictable, I felt the director made obvious choices that didn’t have any subtlety, everything was done in a yell whereas in Picnic at Hanging Rock everything is done in a whisper which I really like. Also it’s refreshing to see women in a Peter Weir movie.
ReplyDeleteBecause the film is centered on women, particularly young girls, I feel like the girls going missing represents what it is like to be female in a culture that expects you to behave and act a certain way. Girls at any time, in any country, can feel lost in the face of the pressure that comes with being a girl. The opening scene with all the girls going through the routines of getting ready and tying themselves in those painful corsets and being told how to act as proper women should are all products of an environment where women are expected to be something different from what they naturally are. There’s not much else in the film telling us about how these girls are expected to act or the pressure they may feel or whether or not these girls are unhappy, but you can’t tell a story about teenage girls without dealing with this issue, you just can’t, and I think this is Weir doing it in a very quiet and discrete way.
This movie is not my favorite so far. It's very dreamy, and boring to me personally. I liked the first movie a lot because there was a lot of action, and there was always something unknown. That also happened in the last wave because there was something unknown that kept the movie interesting. In this movie there is an unknown but it doesn't interest me that much.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie it shows a lot of love. Wt the start of the movie it is valentines day and Sara says she loves Miranda. The Appleyard College for girls is very restrained. When Mademoiselle de Poitiers asked Sara to read the poem she wanted to read her poem, and that's not acceptable, so it's very ordered. They also have to wear gloves, and seems to be a very wealthy place. When they were leaving Appleyard College in their carriage a lot of people in the town that doesn't go to the college kind of stared at them, and there was clearly a difference in class. It's interesting that Albert has a tattoo of Botticelli's Venus because Mademoiselle de Poitiers mentions that Miranda is like Botticelli's Venus.
1. It took me a while to get used to this film. At first, I thought it was a little corny when characters would just ramble off some inspiring phrase and then look pensively in to the air. However, as the film progressed my interests grew. I thought it was really cool how they made the main character (or what seemed to be the main character), Miranda, disappear within the first thirty minutes. So much seemed to be revolving around her, and I think the outcome of her disappearance is going to make things very interesting.
ReplyDelete2. I think Weir is opposing the same question of following tradition, or not following it. These girls are shown as being very constricted in their college. They needed permission to take their gloves off, even! The girls are obviously at a time in their lives where they are going to want to have their freedom. We see them break tradition, but we are yet to know the outcome. Was breaking tradition worth it this time? It is a definite possibility that in this instance of straying from the norm, the girls could have lost their lives. Also, I am excited to see what all this alluding to Miranda is about. The Botticelli angel has to be up to something.
1. Unlike Master and Commander but similar to The Last Wave, I feel no emotional connection with the characters. As far as the characters go, I don’t feel involved in the movie, rather an observer. I am intrigued and excited so far and I’m waiting for a big reveal to why people seem to be going crazy on the rock.
ReplyDelete2. Nature abounds in Picnic at Hanging Rock. You can definitely feel humidity in the air, itchiness from the buzz of insects and poison ivy creeping up your stockings. The sheltered girls are getting a taste of wilderness in a way they didn’t expect. There is an interaction between cultures, classes and the natural world in each of Peter Weir’s films that we have viewed thus far. In Master and Commander, Capt. Aubrey’s character change is partly becoming more level with his crew. He goes from feeling very aloof towards them to feeling slightly less aloof, an improvement. David Burton changes from only associating with white, middle class city dwellers to only spending time with the aborigines. He connects with nature through the aborigine spirituality, as he believes he is an important part of the world, as he knows it. The girls in Picnic at Hanging Rock are sheltered. They go from a populated school building to a wilderness area. (Didn’t we see Albert find one of the girls already?)
So far, this has been my favorite movie; something with the eerie music mixed with the beautiful shots. It's mysterious, but not so mysterious I have no idea what is going on. Suspenseful might be a better word for this movie. It also wasn't about a bunch of men on a ship--not a movie I typically watch. Though I want to know what happened to the girls, I have no strong feeling for them. I know very little about them other than they are pretty college girls that want adventure.
ReplyDeleteJust like in the beginning of Master and Commander, Weir uses beautiful shots and little dialogue to set up the daily life of these college girls. One shot I loved was the girls lined up getting their corsets tightened. It is easy to see the girls have to act like "ladies" and have strict orders of how they look and act. As in the shot, they encourage the others to act like society wants them to be--tightening each other's corsets. Similar to the two other Weir movies we've watched, there is an importance of tradition being emphasized in this movie, especially pertaining to gender roles. We know very little about the girls personalities except for their desire for adventure. Climbing the rock formation, the girls start undressing, and hiking around, something they were told not to do before leaving the campus. This shows how much they want to derive from society's rules.
1. I don't like being asked this question in the middle of a movie, particularly not one by Peter Weir, because I'm finding the only answer I have is that I'm confused. I have no clue what was causing the girls to continue up the rock, why Edith is unaffected, why everyone fell asleep, why everyone is so obsessed with Miranda (she's pretty, I get it, but if that's the only reason I'm going to be angry). I don't understand anything right now.
ReplyDelete2. Again, no clue. But, if I had to guess, it seems like there's something potentially supernatural or spiritual going on with the rock, and as it is a rock and this is Peter Weir, I could see the potential for a contrast between nature and the uptight and proper civilized world the girls are expected to live in. I'm interested to see more of Sara because I want to know why she wasn't allowed to go on the trip, and why she apparently doesn't talk much because I thought she was incapable of speaking until she spoke to Ms. Appleyard. So far she has been the most interesting part of the movie to me. But like I said, I need to see the whole movie before I can really say anything about it.
1. I think I like the movie but, as usual, as we are still in the middle it's hard to tell. It will definitely depend on what eventually happens in the end. I love all the mystery, and I love the soundtrack, like I did in The Last Wave. I am hoping that I won't be disappointed with the resolution, as I was in The Last Wave, but Weir seems to enjoy leaving things pretty open ended. I think he wants to make his viewers think, and be engaged with his films. It certainly isn't a "picnic" to watch them. (har dee har.)
ReplyDelete2. Honestly, I'm having a lot more trouble figuring out the underlying theme of this movie than that of the others. There is certainly a comparison between what is considered proper, and civilized, and what is viewed as wild and uncultivated. At the moment, both extremes seem dangerous. I think I need to see the rest of the movie to understand more about what he's trying to say about them. There is also a theme of beauty and value. It is fairly clear who, in the film, is valued and who isn't. Many of the characters appreciate, admire, adore, and rely on Miranda. However, very few people seem to be fond of or respect Sara, Edith, Albert, and others. There are definitely large divides between different people in this film. I think to understand what these divides are there to show, we need to finish the film.
1. By the point we had stopped on on Friday, I really liked this film in the way that it’s so much different than anything else I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a LOT of movies). So far, I’ve found it really interesting yet completely different than the other Weir movies we’ve watched.
ReplyDelete2. As we’ve picked up from Weir’s Master and Commander and also The Last Wave, the theme of challenging tradition comes up again. As a time period piece, it’s clear that the women of the 1900s were more confined than the men, as the girls become so excited to take off their gloves and Edith becomes so distraught from seeing that Miranda, Irma, and (is it Mary? Can’t remember the third one’s name, sorry) have taken off their socks. I didn’t quite see how the movie had any defying force against tradition by this point, but I could’ve guessed that maybe it was the “supernatural” forces of the rock. As for the tattoo of Botticelli's Venus on Albert's forearm, I have no idea what the significance of that could be but I do see what Katherine is suggesting when she said that it could represent the romanticizing of women in that time period.
I personally liked the first half, not so much for the characters, but more for the suspense that Weir uses. I feel like the film is a little dramatic at times, but over all, I am enjoying trying to figure out what happened on the rock. Based on the last wave, I feel like we won’t get a whole lot of explanation. But from what we have seen in class, I think that the film has already begun to question the kind of society that exists in the period. For example, I was really irked when Mrs. Appleyard dismissed Sara’s poem, like it was something silly and wouldn’t provide any kind of enrichment. Personally, I don't believe in just remembering and regurgitating as a method of teaching. Also, the fact that the girls can remove their gloves only after they passed the town really shows the separation in society based on gender. It will be interesting to figure out of the disappearance of the girls will be another message.
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