Picnic At Hanging Rock

Peter Weir's 1975 movie, that appears to have aged very well, that is being revived and popular in recent years. It is not without fault, but is a film of deep themes, well made.
The early shots use costume and non-backlighting to make the girls sink into the walls. This contrasted with the hugely exposed outdoor from the windows, and the red of the skin that burns throughout the whole film. This signals the main theme of the film; the female sexuality that explodes on the order, that can't be contained.
It is almost the image of the mythical ur-woman, the earth female who can't be portrayed on the screen. The English gentleman is the signifier for the filmmaker; who desperately attempts to capture some kind of view, but is left only with enigmatic traces. The scene of the cloth is the finest moment of the film, put perhaps this theme comes a little bit too quickly. The film is slightly too taken up with extreme expressionist angles, which can rather overcook it. We would rather this wasn't combined with the music also, leading to it being rather overdone on occassion.
Reading the signs of the female body are fascinating. The relations to cyclical time, the sexual organ symbols of the settings and props. There are good use of these, also in the character of Mrs Appleyard, who is a well set character, nicely set off against Queen Victoria in a dim nod towards colonialism.
The plot changes are interesting enough, largely quite readable after the initial problems (a late death). Perhaps even more mystery would have helped, but then that would have dpreived us of some fine late scenes of contrasting colours of the girl who can leave, and she who can't.
So, an impressive film, not perfect, but with many interesting compositions and themes.