Picnic at Hanging Rock is an Australian mystery romantic drama television series that premiered on Foxtel's Showcase on 6 May 2018.[2] The series was adapted from Joan Lindsay's 1967 novel of the same name about a group of schoolgirls who, while on an outing to Hanging Rock, mysteriously disappear. The score won the Screen Music Award for Best Music for a Television Series.[3]
| Picnic at Hanging Rock | |
|---|---|
 Amazon Prime Video promotional poster | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay |
| Written by |
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| Directed by | |
| Starring | |
| Composers | Cezary and Jan Skubiszewski[1] |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6[1] |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers | |
| Editors | |
| Running time | 60 minutes[1] |
| Production company | Fremantle Australia |
| Original release | |
| Network | Showcase |
| Release | 6 May 2018 |
Plot
editHester Appleyard purchases an isolated mansion out in the Australian bush to transform into a school for young ladies - a few months later, Appleyard College is a success. On Valentine's Day, 1900, when students and staff go for a picnic to Hanging Rock, three of the school's star students and their governess mysteriously vanish. Their disappearance leaves a devastating impact on students, staff, their enigmatic and formidable headmistress and the township at large. Theories abound, secrets are exposed and hysteria sets in, until eventually, the lives of the characters unravel.
Cast and characters
editMain
edit- Natalie Dormer as Mrs Hester Appleyard, headmistress
- Lily Sullivan as Miranda Reid
- Lola Bessis as Mademoiselle Dianne de Poitiers, mistress of French Conversation
- Harrison Gilbertson as Michael Fitzhubert
- Samara Weaving as Irma Leopold
- Madeleine Madden as Marion Quade
- Inez Currõ as Sara Waybourne
- Ruby Rees as Edith Horton
- Yael Stone as Miss Dora Lumley, mistress of Deportment and Bible Studies
- Philip Quast as Arthur Appleyard, Hester's late husband
- Marcus Graham as Tomasetti
- James Hoare as Albert Crundall
- Mark Coles Smith as Tom
- Don Hany as Dr. Mackenzie
Supporting
edit- Anna McGahan as Miss Greta McCraw, mistress of Geography and Mathematics
- Sibylla Budd as Mrs Valange, mistress of Art and Literature
- Randall Berger
- Kate Bradford as Rose Kenton
- Ines English
- Kaarin Fairfax as Cook
- John Flaus as Mr. Whitehead, the gardener
- Mayah Fredes as Rosamund Swift
- Roslyn Gentle as Mrs. Fitzhubert
- Emily Gruhl as Minnie
- Kym Gyngell as Charlie Seymour-Baker
- Huw Higginson as Jasper Cosgrove
- Rob Jacobson
- Felix Johnson as Trooper Nolan
- Markella Kavenagh as Myrtle
- Julie Nihill as Mrs. Horton
- Jonny Pasvolsky as Sgt. Bumpher
- Alyssa Tuddenham as Lily Kenton
- Bethany Whitmore as Blanche Gifford
Production
editFilming commenced in February 2017 at Labassa, Caulfield, Mandeville Hall, Toorak, Rippon Lea, Elsternwick, Werribee Park, as well as Lysterfield Park and on Fraser St in the Victorian goldfields town of Clunes. Larysa Kondracki served as showrunner and directed the first three episodes.[4]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode One" | Larysa Kondracki | Beatrix Christian | 6 May 2018[5] |
| 2 | "Episode Two" | Larysa Kondracki | Beatrix Christian | 6 May 2018[5] |
| 3 | "Episode Three" | Larysa Kondracki | Beatrix Christian | 6 May 2018[5] |
| 4 | "Episode Four" | Amanda Brotchie | Alice Addison | 6 May 2018[5] |
| 5 | "Episode Five" | Michael Rymer | Alice Addison | 6 May 2018[5] |
| 6 | "Episode Six" | Michael Rymer | Beatrix Christian | 6 May 2018[5] |
Broadcast
edit
The series premiered in Australia on Showcase in 2018.[6] The program was acquired by the BBC in the United Kingdom, Canal+ in France, RTÉ in Ireland and Amazon Prime Video in the United States.[7] The series was also broadcast in Greece by ERT.
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 79% of 53 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Natalie Dormer charms in Picnic at Hanging Rock, a stylish retelling of an Australian classic -- though convoluted sub-plots at times distract from its otherwise tantalizing delights."[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Picnic at Hanging Rock". screenaustralia.gov.au. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
- ^ Knox, David (15 February 2018). "Airdate: Picnic at Hanging Rock". TV Tonight. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ AMCOS, APRA. "2018 Screen Music Awards Winners Announced". apraamcos.com.au. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ Gilbert, Sophie (29 May 2018). "The Enduring Mystery of 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'". The Atlantic. Atlantic Media.
- ^ a b c d e f "Picnic at Hanging Rock". Foxtel. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
- ^ "Picnic at Hanging Rock". Showcase. 7 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ Clarke, Stewart (7 December 2017). "Picnic at Hanging Rock for 2018 TV debut". The West Australian. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ "Picnic at Hanging Rock". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
