Picnic at Hanging Rock (TV series)

Picnic at Hanging Rock
Amazon Prime Video promotional poster
Genre
Based onPicnic at Hanging Rock
by Joan Lindsay
Written by
Directed by
Starring
ComposersCezary and Jan Skubiszewski[1]
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6[1]
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Brett Popplewell[1]
  • Antonia Barnard[1]
  • Jo Porter[1]
Editors
  • Geoff Hitchins[1]
  • Anne Carter[1]
Running time60 minutes[1]
Production companyFremantle Australia
Original release
NetworkShowcase
Release6 May 2018 (2018-05-06)

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]

Plot

Hester 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

Main

Supporting

Production

Filming 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

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Episode One"Larysa KondrackiBeatrix Christian6 May 2018 (2018-05-06)[5]
2"Episode Two"Larysa KondrackiBeatrix Christian6 May 2018 (2018-05-06)[5]
3"Episode Three"Larysa KondrackiBeatrix Christian6 May 2018 (2018-05-06)[5]
4"Episode Four"Amanda BrotchieAlice Addison6 May 2018 (2018-05-06)[5]
5"Episode Five"Michael RymerAlice Addison6 May 2018 (2018-05-06)[5]
6"Episode Six"Michael RymerBeatrix Christian6 May 2018 (2018-05-06)[5]

Broadcast

British actress Natalie Dormer attends the Picnic at Hanging Rock Interview during the 14th Zurich Film Festival on October 5, 2018, in Switzerland.

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

On 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

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Picnic at Hanging Rock". screenaustralia.gov.au. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  2. ^ Knox, David (15 February 2018). "Airdate: Picnic at Hanging Rock". TV Tonight. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  3. ^ AMCOS, APRA. "2018 Screen Music Awards Winners Announced". apraamcos.com.au. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  4. ^ Gilbert, Sophie (29 May 2018). "The Enduring Mystery of 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'". The Atlantic. Atlantic Media.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Picnic at Hanging Rock". Foxtel. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  6. ^ "Picnic at Hanging Rock". Showcase. 7 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  7. ^ Clarke, Stewart (7 December 2017). "Picnic at Hanging Rock for 2018 TV debut". The West Australian. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Picnic at Hanging Rock". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 6 April 2023.