Picnic at Hanging Rock: 40 Years of Mystery is a new online exhibition from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), featuring 360o views of the original costumes, never-before-seen footage, international posters and more. The exhibition coincides with the 40th anniversary of the film’s world premiere in Adelaide on 7 August 1975.
“Picnic is one of those films that are so rich and layered in meaning; people respond very warmly to it and to the character of Miranda. It is part of our cultural and social history, and for people to actually be able to see these costumes and objects is incredibly important. The work of the NFSA is extremely valuable, and I’m happy that these items are well looked after and that others will get to enjoy them.” Anne-Louise Lambert, who played the role of Miranda in the film, commented.
“Audiences have been fascinated by Picnic at Hanging Rock for 40 years, wondering whatever happened to Miranda, Marion, and Miss McCraw on that fateful St Valentine’s Day. We’re proud to celebrate this classic, and share the treasures we preserve in our national audiovisual collection.” NFSA CEO Michael Loebenstein commented.
NFSA’s Curator of Documents and Artefacts Belinda Hunt selected the content included in Picnic at Hanging Rock: 40 Years a Mystery, such as:
• 360o photography of Miranda’s (Anne-Louise Lambert) picnic dress and school uniform, plus other original costumes.
• Props such as the original ‘missing’ poster notice board.
• Outtakes, trims of scenes and additional unused material.
• Cliff Green’s original script proposal with initial thoughts on how to adapt the novel and unused opening scenes.
• Oral history interviews with cast and crew: actors Helen Morse and John Jarratt, producer Patricia Lovell, writer Cliff Green, cinematographer Russell Boyd, and composer Bruce Smeaton.
• International posters from Poland, Japan, Germany, France.
• Art design sketches
“If most people were asked to name five Australian films, Picnic at Hanging Rock would be one of them. Its impact over the last four decades has never diminished. It has been extensively studied but I hope the NFSA’s rich collection of Picnic items showcased through this online exhibition will provide new insights into the production of the film.” Hunt explained.