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Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) poster

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

Drama, Mystery • 1h 50m

Director: Peter Weir

Best English-friendly & video release

 · updated 1 year ago

Theatrical Cut: Second Sight 4K Blu-ray Director's Cut: Second Sight 4K Blu-ray or old master

Video notes:

(Criterion/Second Sight Blu-ray. Up to preference)

UHD tiers

Solid
Second Sight UK:

better encoding than Criterion

caveat: like the US Criterion, DNR and artificial grain added by restoration team at director's request

Superior Imports
Second Sight UK > Criterion US:

Britain Second Sight edition has the theatrical cut and better encoding, but has the same problem as US Criterion:  DNR and artificial grain added by restoration team at director's request

Disappointing
Criterion US:

DNR and artificial grain added by restoration team at director's request

Overview

In the early 1900s, Miranda attends a girls boarding school in Australia. One Valentine's Day, the school's typically strict headmistress treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It's not until the end of the day that the faculty realizes the girls and one of the teachers have disappeared mysteriously.

Release details

TSPDT
2026: #559
2025: #552
2024: #546
2023: #535
2022: #535
Length
110 mins
Type
Movie

More from Peter Weir

See more →

Director: Peter Weir

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Disney 4K Blu-ray has neutered audio compared to OG home video release

Cinema DTS or DVD DTS 5.1 is better and has more bass.

Additional Info:

The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray lack the bonus features found in the old Collector's Edition DVD release. The France Blu-ray has all extras plus an isolated score.

Director: Peter Weir

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Paramount/Plaion Italy 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

> Paramount US. Overall good, superior compression to the US disc

Director: Peter Weir

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Director: Peter Weir

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

More from Second Sight

See more →

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK Second Sight Trilogy Boxset 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

US Magnolia Pictures 4K Blu-ray uses the same source but with worse encoding

Director: Phil Joanou

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK Second Sight Blu-ray?

Video Notes:

UK Second Sight Blu-ray maybe better than all the other Blu-rays?

Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray is disappointing with DNR and poor compression

Additional Info:

US Twilight Time and Germany NSM Blu-rays have exclusive extras

Director: Andrzej Żuławski

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Second Sight 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

> Le Chat Qui Fume 4K Blu-ray > Umbrella 4K Blu-ray see caps

Second Sight uses the same Le Chat Qui Fume master, but encoded by FiM and applied Dolby Vision. Umbrella's encoding is visibly worse than Le Chat Qui Fume.

Additional Info:

Mondo Vision Blu-ray and Anchor Bay DVD have an alternate audio track with an unauthorized soundtrack.

Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK Second Sight 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

UK Second Sight 4K Blu-ray is FiM encoded and superior to French Severin or German 4K Blu-ray: see comparison

Directors: Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez

Best English-Friendly:

Second Sight UK Blu-ray for restored versions of both theatrical cut and festival cut

Upcoming Release:

Lionsgate Limited US Blu-ray available for pre-order

Best Audio:

Second Sight UK Blu-ray replacement disc

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Second Sight 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Atmos on the Sony 4K Blu-ray maybe better?

Regarding the "original theatrical audio" 5.1 mixes:

The Sony UHD and the BD DTS-HD 5.1 mixes are the same but the UHD has been pushed slightly harder and has a lot of clipping. The UHD is 16 bit vs the BD's 24 bits.

The Second Sight UHD DTS-HD 5.1 is a downmix of its respective Atmos track. Definitely different from the Sony UHD/BD mix plus a little less dynamic. Whether or not that's representative of the theatrical Dolby Digital mix is anyone's guess.

So, if you want the best version of the original 5.1, the 2012 BD is the winner.

Directors: Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray/Second Sight 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Lionsgate retains more detail, but Second Sight might be better in motion. Both are very close. Caps

Director: Martin Scorsese

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2024 Second Sight 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1991 WB LaserDisc

Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Second Sight 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Second Sight 4K Blu-ray is a Criterion SDR master with a HDR grade. Caps & comparison

Director: George A. Romero

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Second Sight 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

2020 Second Sight 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Theatrical: 2017 Midnight Factory Blu-ray or 2013 Japan Happinet Blu-ray

European: 5.1 remix on 2016 Midnight Factory and 2021 ESC 4K Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Theatrical: 2017 Midnight Factory Blu-ray or 2013 Japan Happinet Blu-ray

European: 5.1 remix on 2016 Midnight Factory and 2021 ESC 4K Blu-ray much more detailed than all mono mixes

More Drama on Blu-ray

Director: Guillermo del Toro

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Cineverse 4K Blu-ray announced with a new 4K restoration from the original negatives

Video Notes:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray both have issues, up to preference. UK Optimum/Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better, Criterion is worse

Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better encoded than the Optimum, is in the original 1.85 ratio, and has the original colors

Best Audio:

2011 Optimum Blu-ray has audio in wrong pitch, fixed in 2013 reissue in the Zavvi exclusive Steelbook. Criterion has correct 5.1 and a 7.1 mix.

Additional Info:

Criterion and Optimum Blu-rays have exclusive extras

Director: Barry Jenkins

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Lionsgate 4k

Upcoming Release:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray announced by director Barry Jenkins

Director: Brian De Palma

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1993 Universal LaserDisc

Additional Info:

Carlito’s Way was released theatrically in both Dolby Stereo and DTS. The 2.0 on the Arrow UHD is the original stereo mix, unknown if the 5.1 mix on the  Arrow disc is the original DTS mix.

Director: Damien Chazelle

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Excellent
Upcoming Release:

US Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray re-release announced with Dolby Vision, a new exclusive bonus, and the previously retailer pre-order bonus-exclusive/Hong Kong-exclusive bonus interviews in HD

Video Notes:

Italy Eagle Pictures has DV, better encode, and no brightness shifts compared to Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray for the original Dolby Atmos mix

Additional Info:

Hong Kong Panorama 4K Blu-ray has two interviews available in HD that are SD everywhere else and only included as retailer-exclusive pre-order bonus DVDs with the US Blu-ray

Director: Toshiharu Ikeda

Best English-Friendly:

UK Third Window Blu-ray and US Error 4444 Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

FRA Carlotta Blu-ray

Video Notes:

caps; UK and US Blu-rays share the encode

Director: Arthur Penn

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K transfer

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the Universal release without the filtering.

Audio Notes:

DTS:X mix on Universal 4K Blu-ray most closely approximates original surround mix

Additional Info:

Criterion DVD and Universal 4K Blu-ray has additional features not found on the Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Japan Blu-ray 2021 reissue

Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Japan Blu-ray has better encode than other BDs.

Additional Info:

US and UK Blu-rays have their framing slightly positioned higher and lower respectively caps. JP BD is closest to center frame.

Directors: Emeric Pressburger & Michael Powell

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Imprint 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · filmalert101.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

FiM encode and none of the low-pass filtering present on the Criterion 4K, resulting in more detail and better handling of highlights on Imprint
Review, comparisons

Best Audio:

ITV UK Blu-ray or Indigo DE Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

All HD and 4K sources use the same 2009 restoration. Criterion's master (also used by Imprint) is a bit more rolled off, though the difference is minor.

Director: Doug Liman

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly & Video:

US Cut: Universal HD-DVD

International Cut: International Universal Blu-ray but slightly filtered and DNR'd

Video Notes:

The Universal Blu-ray is slightly filtered and DNR'd compared to the HD-DVD, and the Universal 4K Blu-ray, on top of being upscaled, adds additional DNR and is softer than both previous HD releases.

Best Audio:

Universal Blu-ray DTS-HD 5.1

Additional Info:

Versions:
- The International version contains a short additional scene (part of the "Farmhouse" extended scene from the special features). See additional detail below.
- The US version does not contain this scene during the film. Director Doug Liman confirms in his audio commentary that the scene was cut from the original US theatrical release "for time".
- "The Explosive Extended Edition" found on some DVD releases is not an alternate cut of the film, simply an access mode that plays "The Bookend Scenes" features via non-seamless branching.

Deck the Halls scene:
The U.S. release is 118:17 while the European/Australian/Japanese releases are 118:36. There is no difference between the two running times from the start, but at 81:21, the U.S. version cuts from a kitchen scene of Marie and Eamon washing dishes, to a scene of Eamon bringing blankets to Jason and Marie. On the European/Australian releases, at the same point, there is a scene of Jason, Marie, Eamon and his children eating dinner while "Deck the Halls" plays in the background. There is no dialogue, the characters just each exchange uncomfortable glances. The scene goes to 81:40, then picks up the same scene of Eamon bringing blankets. This scene is included as an extra ("Farmhouse" extended scene) albeit sans the holiday themed music. Many thanks to Rewind user Mark Bowen for comparing these releases and letting us know the difference.

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· last reviewed 1 year ago

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