Picnic at hanging rock What we see and what we seem are but a dream, a dream within a dream. (fig.

1)

Image 1: Film Poster This film is interesting for the shear amount that it doesn't say. This can be explained by moving though the plot. Pretending to be a true story the film is about an all girls educational academy set in Australia. The film is frustrating because everything starts going strange to horribly wrong but instead of the usual layout of plot consisting of a beginning, build up, climax and conclusion. Three students and a school teacher disappear on an excursion to Hanging Rock, in Victoria, on Valentine's Day, 1900 (fig.2). This plot leaves ends with a closed open end. What is meant by this is that when the plot ends it draws no conclusions but leaves you with a hanging sense of dread that tells you that there will never be a final conclusion and you won't find out what ever happened.

Image 2: Film Still The film uses the harsh Australian environment as a point of contrast to the fair young English girls. The contrast is imperative and works to serves as a plot device in itself. The connection is to the civilized and the wild. This is evident when introducing some of the more Freudian concepts. Introducing these elements bring out how the sexuality of the young ladies are brought out when they are introduced to the uncivilised and wild Australian bush-lands. The picnicking party indolent in the heat; the sexual undertow of the finishing school.(fig.3) The film continuously

directs the audiences attention towards the iconic yet phallic rock formation where some of the class members go mysteriously missing. From there it is left to the viewer to decide what happened to them throughout and after the film. The film also indicates a slice of life element by taking us into each role in the film. Even though the story is mainly told from the perspective of one of the students we are also given insight into each of the different characters though more character type that each character individually. This means we can understand the story from the perspective of the students, staff, law enforcement and even the young men that went in search of the missing girls. The film is even more irritating in the fact that one of the girls is found and leaves you with expectations for the rest to be found. But of course they aren't. Image List Image 1 Film Poster, Picnic at Hanging Rock, http://4.bp.blogspot.com/g_y4foVWILw/Tt0_bEMhpOI/AAAAAAAAApY/WUCeBjtRxwI/s1600/50980-b-picnic-athanging-rock.jpg. (Accessed 19/01/2012) Image 2 Film Still, Picnic at Hanging Rock, http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zswvgN3NvdY/TMXhaOaHf9I/AAAAAAAADBM/76ieIu379ro/s1600/ picnic-at-hanging-rock.jpg. (Accessed 19/01/2012) Bibliography Figure 1 Picnic at Hanging Rock, Film Quote, Miranda, Peter Weir, Australia,1975. Figure 2 Picnic at Hanging Rock, Web Quote, Imdb, David Carroll, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073540/ (Accessed 19/01/2012) Figure 3 Picnic at Hanging Rock, Web Quote, The Guardian, Paul Howlett, http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2007/nov/19/paulhowlett.theguardian (Accessed 19/01/2012)