29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

[denti alligator]

Criterion still looks better than the Blu, to my eyes.

[perkizitore]

Why, because of the correct ratio?

[Napoleon]

The Criterion has always looked to have severe edge-enhancement to me.

[HistoryProf]

has anyone used that retailer beaver links to (Chaos)? it's only $27 shipped to the U.S., which is more than reasonable - I love that they charge less for shipping than most American retailers. But i'd like to hear from anyone who has it in hand first...anyone buy it yet? I'm getting tired of waiting for a Criterion blu of this!

[triodelover]

has anyone used that retailer beaver links to (Chaos)? it's only $27 shipped to the U.S., which is more than reasonable - I love that they charge less for shipping than most American retailers. But i'd like to hear from anyone who has it in hand first...anyone buy it yet? I'm getting tired of waiting for a Criterion blu of this!

I recently ordered the Madman release of Mizoguchi's The Loyal 47 Ronin from Chaos. Order confirmed on 27 April. I got the dispatch notice on 3 May and received it in the mail last Tuesday in perfect condition. A few US retailers could take a lesson.

[Matt]

Second Sight (UK) has announced their Blu-ray release for July 26. No word on region coding yet. Second Sight's BDs of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Microcosmos are apparently region free (or region A+B), but their BD of Baraka was region B only. I'm not optimistic that this release will be region free or that Criterion will get their BD out in the next 6 months.

[tojoed]

The Australian Blu-Ray of this is region-free.

[Finch]

Early review of the Second Sight Blu: http://atemporarydistraction.com/2010/0 ... e-edition/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Second Sight’s Blu-ray marks the first time the film has been released in high definition in the UK, but the wait was clearly worth it: The transfer is stunning, capturing the soft-focus, sun-bathed visuals in beautiful detail. The audio is fantastic too, with the dialogue crystal clear, all the subtle nuances of Weir’s intended score and the eerie panpipe theme sounding wonderful. Audiophiles have a choice between LPCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Master Audio tracks (all English), while there’s a lone English subtitle track.

PS.: It's been confirmed that this release is Region B locked.

[zitherstrings]

Can't believe people picked the already-released-competently-on-DVD Howards End over this! Hurry up Criterion.

[Finch]

http://homecinema.thedigitalfix.co.uk/c ... -rock.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One thing to mention is that Second Sight have NOT included the theatrical cut in this package so you may want to hold on to their DVD, or see if Criterion's reissue ports it over.

I'm not sure what the LCD brigade who demand scrubbed up ultra-sharp presentations from their BD discs will think of this release as Picnic at Hanging Rock was never going to look like that, given Weir and cinematographer Russell Boyd went to pains to achieve a very diffuse, soft focus look. Thankfully Second Sight have not attempted to remaster out any of that inherent diffuseness and have delivered a 1080p AVC transfer that is suitably sun-kissed and as delicate as the girls from Appleyard College themselves. Colours are extremely rich throughout and brightness and contrast levels seem perfectly weighted - which means in some shots black levels may seem a little hazy due to the amount of exposure no doubt, there is also some brightness flickering and/or a fading of the print on the right hand side in some shots,. Shadow detail is also quite strong. In particular the scenes during the picnic at the start of the film look absolutely gorgeous, with lush golden hues contrasting evocatively against the grey outcrops of Hanging Rock.

There are no surprises with regard to grain and detail, opticals look quite soft and grainy and certain scenes also exhibit heavy grain depending on shooting conditions, otherwise the transfer has a moderate layer of grain and is reasonably detailed but obviously fine detail falls shy of what HD fans are used to - which again I have to stress is most likely inherent to the print. DVNR doesn't seem to be an issue judging by the amount of flecks and pops that appear throughout the film, it's nothing too heavy but they can sort of appear in waves at times.

Only 2 niggles let the transfer down a touch, one is that there is some slight Edge Enhancement in some shots, perhaps most noticeably in the up-shots of the rocks around Hanging Rock when Miranda and co. go off exploring, but also the encoding seems to struggle in some scenes. It has a pleasantly high average bitrate of 32.20Mbps but you can spot some minor compression noise in grainier shots like the opening titles (which is understandable I guess), but also there's noise and banding in some night time scenes.

There are three audio options offering the film's English presentation in lossless LPCM 2.0, DTS-HD MA 5.1, and lossy DD5.1. Obviously the LPCM stereo track should be the way to go given the age of the piece, and it offers a fairly impressive presentation that belies its age with little damage or tearing and hiss being kept to a rather unobtrusive level. In general the audio is nicely separated and suitably refined; bass is lacking a little but I doubt anyone with have a problem with the quality of this presentation. If you absolutely must have a surround-sound presentation then popping the LPCM track into pro-logic mode on your amp will offer pretty much the exact same presentation as the DTS-HD 5.1 track, so the latter is rather redundant. Finally the DD5.1 track is noticeably quieter and seems to have slightly flatter bass levels and a slightly less dynamic sound than its lossless counterpart, but perhaps cranking up the volume a few notches may address those issues a little.

Optional English audio descriptive subtitles are provided, with no spelling or grammatical errors that I can recall

[perkizitore]

I've already sold my DVD, i don't think someone will watch the theatrical cut more than once (its shape doesn't enhance the chances of multiple viewings)

[Matt]

I don't think someone will watch the theatrical cut more than once (its shape doesn't enhance the chances of multiple viewings)

You say that, but I guarantee there is someone on this forum who will make a case for why the theatrical cut is their favorite.

[perkizitore]

Can i assume that Terrence Malick is their favourite director?

[Finch]

It'll be interesting to see how Criterion deal with the theatrical cut for this and Fanny & Alexander. I reckon it's safe to assume they'll include it on the latter since it, being truncated and all, still won the Academy Award for a foreign film. The only question mark is over whether it gets a proper 1080p presentation or if they just release it in 1080i as with the US cut of The Leopard. Re Picnic: I agree both cuts ought to be included, irrespective of whether one is preferred by the majority over the other.

[Matt]

Can i assume that Terrence Malick is their favourite director?

I was speaking rhetorically, but I had in mind that guy who "prefers" the theatrical cut of Fanny and Alexander but hasn't seen the original/television cut. Maybe it's the same guy. I dunno, as a visually oriented person, anyone without an avatar is all the same guy.

[swo17]

TCM is airing this right now, in a "recently re-edited director's cut" with the old Criterion logo and Janus logo preceding it. Transfer looks kind of meh though admittedly I haven't watched too many newer films on TCM HD to know how one should compare to Blu-ray. Does any of this mean anything?

[mfunk9786]

If it does, the amazing UK Blu that came out like 6 months ago should make the Criterion niiiiice and irrelevant

[Roger Ryan]

Transfer looks kind of meh though admittedly I haven't watched too many newer films on TCM HD to know how one should compare to Blu-ray. Does any of this mean anything?

There's no comparison. As far as I can tell, TCM HD still upcoverts all of it's programming from standard definition. Academy ratio films tend to fare quite well, but most widescreen showings on TCM HD look worse than DVD resolution.

[atcolomb]

MGM HD was showing It's A Mad, MAd, Mad, Mad World and it looked very sharp but when it was shown on TCM HD it looked fuzzy and not all that good.....but they did show Annie Hall and Ishtar and both looked very nice....

[Robin Davies]

In The Story Of Film: An Odyssey Mark Cousins said "Weir's plan was to explain this disappearance at the end of the film. They were to be discovered and brought home on stretchers. But his editor Max Lemon... repeated earlier picnic scenes in stop motion, the camera roaming, no sync sound, as if the girls are ghosts."
Has this been confirmed elsewhere? It seems odd that Weir should plan such a radical change from the novel.

[Saimo]

Very odd. Weir in fact shot an alternative ending, but it was

SpoilerShow

Mrs. Appleyard meeting Sarah's ghost at Hanging Rock.

You can see some footage in A Dream Within a Dream documentary.

[greenjay]

ATTN: CRITERION: RELEASE THE ORIGINAL VERSION AS A BOXED SET with this "light", butchered version OR AS A SEPARATE RELEASE!

The director's cut is a disaster, and I could kick myself for throwing away an old video of the original version a few years ago before I realized that the new DVD I ordered was a director's cut with so many deleted scenes.

Directors should not be allowed to edit their own films 20 years later. They lose perspective, and, like writers, get tired of scenes they carry around in their heads - without regard to audiences who have never seen the film before and need those very scenes they so recklessly destroy.

This is why editors should have control of editing in the first place, and not directors. If one person controls everything, no one can be the voice of reason.

And for heaven's sake, in a director's cut - ADD scenes, do not delete scenes!

Weir impatient, reckless smothering of this film cut away not just scenes that in his words 'detracted from the storyline', but he cut out moments that greatly added depth to the story:

Like the one that shows the girls crying a church service (important as it reveals the varying reactions from the students, and after all, this story is about what the disappearance does to everyone it touches), revisits Michael's obsession over Miranda (asking Irma what happened at the rock), enhanced the classism of the Victorian era (Albert awkwardly, nervously greeting heiress Irma) and greatly intensified the suspense (Appleyard cleaning out Sara's room after the crashing noise).

The last scene deletion was one of his worst mistakes, as the shot of Appleyard in the mirror is fabulously spooky and it deepens the mystery as to whether Sara jumped or was pushed and at the very least adds depth to Appleyard's character as a woman losing all sense of morals.

Weir cuts away all this and more, and yet adds a pointless scene of a reporter filming the school?? This is almost laughable.

If anyone knows of a release of the original uncut version, please post. Thanks.

[manicsounds]

The UK Second Sight 3-disc DVD has both the original cut and the director's cut. I believe the Blu-ray only has the director's cut

[Saimo]

Weir impatient, reckless smothering of this film cut away not just scenes that in his words 'detracted from the storyline', but he cut out moments that greatly added depth to the story

My two cents: I like the director's cut the best.

[Jeff]

My two cents: I like the director's cut the best.

Me too.