50 years ago, a 20-something Peter Weir decided to hypnotise us away from the possibility of solutions when he adapted Joan Lindsay's novel into the Australian gothic horror classic, Picnic at Hanging Rock.

On Valentine's day in 1900, the students from Miss Appleyard's depart their fortress-like school in rural Victoria for a lazy afternoon at the base of Hanging Rock. The hot wind blows in, the clocks stop, the girls peel off their stockings and, as the ants descend on the remains of the picnic, four girls ascend the rock, along with one of their teachers. Only one of them returns. As people hear of the mysterious disappearances, search parties break out, but only one girl is recovered, missing her corset and her memory of what happened at Hanging Rock. As are we all. Because if you need an ending you're a bit weak in the head.

See Also

• The Secret of Hanging Rock available on eBay or via this PDF
• Joan Linsday's memoir 'Time Without Clocks' published in 1962
• Mulberry Hill, Joan's house which is now owned by the National Trust
• Interview with producer Pat Lovell in Cinema Papers from 1976
• Scan of the script
• Deleted scene of Mrs Appleyard at the rock
• NFSA page that includes info about the costumes and deleted scenes and stills, interviews with cast and crew
• Judith Dorsman's dolls
• Martin Sharp's Tiny Tim concert film is on Plex and his unfinished doc Street of Dreams is on YouTube
• The Beguiled
• The Fits
• Umbrella's Making of Picnic at Hanging Rock – part 1 and part 2
• Magic Dirt's She-Riff video
• The Fast Forward sketch
• Anne Lambert on ABC's just Between Us
• New adaptation from Sydney Theatre Company playing 17 February – 5 April 2025

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