Criterion’s first release of Picnic at Hanging Rock, Peter Weir’s seminal Australian New Wave masterpiece, included the full text of Joan Lindsay’s novel as well as the Blu-ray disc. It was a pretty sweet package and not really the sort of pack-in we see anymore with these types of boutique releases. This release of Picnic at Hanging Rock has always stood out on our personal bookshelf of releases given the size of the slipcover that contains the disc and the book.

The label’s new 4K release of the film unfortunately leaves the book behind but more than makes up for it with a superior presentation of the film, approved by Weir and director of photography Russell Boyd. The addition of a 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is also welcome, in a film set apart in history by the sound design that amps up the tension of the story to an almost uncomfortable degree.

Although not a horror film per se, Weir’s creative choices on Hanging Rock make for one of the more horrifying films ever made, and it has maintained that status for nearly 50 years. The story follows four females — young women named Miranda (Anne-Louise Lambert), Marion (Jane Vallis) and Irma (Karen Robson), and their teacher, Miss McCraw (Vivean Gray) — who go missing while exploring nature around Hanging Rock during a Valentine’s picnic away from their all-girls school. Their unexplained disappearance breaks the delicate balance of the institution as everyone struggles to understand their sudden absence. Were they murdered? Assaulted? Abducted? Simply lost? There’s no answer given, and the lack of finality is what gives the film its power.

The new 4K scan of the film is an improvement over the Blu-ray, but not significantly; there’s an additional level of richness, particularly in the sequences where the women explore the rock. The additional audio track, for those able to utilize it, is perhaps the bigger improvement here. Special features include all the same content as the prior release — again, save the extra paperback book. Fans and newcomers alike will find much to love about the new 4K edition, but it’s not a senses-shattering improvement over what was available.

Special Features

  • New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by Weir and Boyd, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
  • Interview with Weir
  • Program on the making of the film, featuring interviews with executive producer Patricia Lovell, producers Hal McElroy and Jim McElroy, and cast members
  • Introduction by film scholar David Thomson, author of The New Biographical Dictionary of Film
  • On-set documentary hosted by Lovell and featuring interviews with Weir, Lindsay and actor Rachel Roberts
  • Homesdale (1971), a black comedy by Weir
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by author Megan Abbott and an excerpt from film scholar Marek Haltof’s 1996 book Peter Weir: When Cultures Collide