29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

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Moe Dickstein
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2012 11:19 pm

Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#51 Post by Moe Dickstein » Sun Apr 28, 2013 2:17 am

Or just get the old disc you got rid of lol. That's what you have to do for Tin Drum - keep both versions.

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MichaelB
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#52 Post by MichaelB » Sun Apr 28, 2013 3:19 am

Moe Dickstein wrote:That's what you have to do for Tin Drum - keep both versions.
Or, in the case of The Tin Drum, just get the Arrow Blu-ray - which has both versions in HD.

greenjay
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#53 Post by greenjay » Sun Apr 28, 2013 9:41 pm

Moe Dickstein wrote:Or just get the old disc you got rid of lol. That's what you have to do for Tin Drum - keep both versions.
It's not that easy to find. The only theatrical versions are UK DVDs, which don't play in the USA.

And, I actually found an English DVD from Second Sight, but the seller says it has the director's cut with deleted scenes included, just like the Criterion version, so I am very confused as to who, if anyone, really has produced the original uncut version on DVD.

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tojoed
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#54 Post by tojoed » Mon Apr 29, 2013 9:05 am

As Manic has already said, the 3-disc Second Sight has the
original cut, so get that.

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manicsounds
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#55 Post by manicsounds » Mon Apr 29, 2013 10:51 am

This is the Second Sight 3 Disc set, at a very reasonable price. Get it.

(And I STILL have to get around to watching this movie... It's been sitting on my shelf forever.)

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swo17
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#56 Post by swo17 » Mon Mar 17, 2014 5:31 pm

Dual format reissue coming June 17th, adding the film Homesdale.

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The Narrator Returns
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#57 Post by The Narrator Returns » Mon Mar 17, 2014 5:35 pm

Hmm, no mention of what cut is being included.

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Askew
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#58 Post by Askew » Mon Mar 17, 2014 5:37 pm

The Narrator Returns wrote:Hmm, no mention of what cut is being included.
It looks like it's the director's cut judging from the run-time.

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EddieLarkin
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#59 Post by EddieLarkin » Mon Mar 17, 2014 6:58 pm

Nice to see a book included with another release, in as many months.

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Jeff
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#60 Post by Jeff » Mon Mar 17, 2014 10:36 pm

Even with the other great editions available, Criterion has managed to make this essential by including the book and Homesdale. It looks like I'll have to keep my Second Sight set for A Dream Within a Dream, as Criterion oddly didn't include it or most of the other extras found in other regions.
EddieLarkin wrote:Nice to see a book included with another release, in as many months.
I suspect that Criterion went bookless for so long because it would be cost prohibitive to print them in two sizes for Blu-ray and DVD releases. Now that they're dual format, they'll probably be a more regular occurance.

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Askew
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#61 Post by Askew » Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:22 am

Jeff wrote:I suspect that Criterion went bookless for so long because it would be cost prohibitive to print them in two sizes for Blu-ray and DVD releases. Now that they're dual format, they'll probably be a more regular occurance.
And this is probably why Red River and Picnic at Hanging Rock took so long to come out.

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Feego
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#62 Post by Feego » Tue Mar 18, 2014 11:36 am

I wonder if the Criterion edition of the book will contain the "lost final chapter" that sort of explains what happened to the girls but actually opens up even more questions.

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HistoryProf
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#63 Post by HistoryProf » Tue Mar 25, 2014 12:36 am

So very very very happy to finally see this released. And to get the book is a nice little bonus. Looks like it will have been worth the wait!

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Gregory
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#64 Post by Gregory » Tue Mar 25, 2014 1:06 am

It's only been 8 1/2 years since I sold my Picnic at Hanging Rock DVD in anticipation of an (anamorphic) upgrade.

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GaryC
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#65 Post by GaryC » Tue Mar 25, 2014 1:14 pm

Jeff wrote:Even with the other great editions available, Criterion has managed to make this essential by including the book and Homesdale.
For the record, Homesdale was released on DVD in Australia as part of Madman's Peter Weir Short Film Collection DVD from 2005. That DVD appears to be out of print now though. Does it say anywahere if Criterion will have Homesdale in HD or SD? (It was shot in 16mm as far as I'm aware.)

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zedz
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#66 Post by zedz » Tue Mar 25, 2014 4:06 pm

And pssst! Homedale isn't very good.

jonosborne
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#67 Post by jonosborne » Sun Mar 30, 2014 6:59 pm

Anyone have any information on how much footage is being added for the director's cut of this film?

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Feego
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#68 Post by Feego » Sun Mar 30, 2014 10:34 pm

No footage is being added. The director's cut, which was released in 1998, is seven minutes shorter than the original theatrical release. This is the same version of the movie that has always been available from Criterion, as it is Weir's preferred version. If you want to see the original theatrical cut, it is available in its entirety on Second Sight's 3-disc DVD edition (must be able to play region 2 discs).

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Bando
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#69 Post by Bando » Mon Mar 31, 2014 9:37 am

This may be a dumb question, but what's in those seven minutes? You don't see many cases where the director's preferred cut is shorter than what the studio released.

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domino harvey
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#70 Post by domino harvey » Mon Mar 31, 2014 9:48 am

Erik the Viking, Bad Santa, Alien, and Just Before Dawn are some others that come to mind

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Feego
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#71 Post by Feego » Mon Mar 31, 2014 10:09 am

Bando wrote:This may be a dumb question, but what's in those seven minutes? You don't see many cases where the director's preferred cut is shorter than what the studio released.
This info from the IMDb gives a good rundown. I presume you've seen the movie, but for those who haven't I'll spoiler tag this (MAJOR spoilers ahead):
SpoilerShow
Most of the cut footage involves Irma, the girl who is found. A slight romance develops between her and Michael, the young boy who finds her, but he grows increasingly obsessed with Miranda, which effectively ends their relationship. There is also a scene of Mrs. Appleyard removing items from Sara's bedroom the night Sara dies, which suggests that she is fully aware of Sara's death before it is reported and might even have been responsible. Apparently Weir removed this footage both to tighten the film and to add to the mystery. On the "Dream Within a Dream" documentary included on most of the European editions of the film, actress Anne Lambert (Miranda) firmly states her disapproval of Weir cutting these scenes.
EDIT: Oh, and your question was not dumb at all. As with other films that have been released in multiple versions (Blade Runner, et al), fans have argued over which is superior. I myself am a bit torn. The director's cut is the version I first saw and fell in love with, and it basically is my preferred version as well. But some of the cut footage is really interesting and in my opinion truly added to the story. It's a shame these deleted scenes weren't included as extras on the Criterion edition, but I presume that might have been at Weir's insistence.

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colinr0380
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#72 Post by colinr0380 » Mon Mar 31, 2014 12:17 pm

domino harvey wrote:Erik the Viking, Bad Santa, Alien, and Just Before Dawn are some others that come to mind
Blood Simple too, and Sokurov's The Second Circle.

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Roger Ryan
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#73 Post by Roger Ryan » Mon Mar 31, 2014 12:24 pm

domino harvey wrote:Erik the Viking, Bad Santa, Alien, and Just Before Dawn are some others that come to mind
Technically, Ridley Scott does not consider the "special edition" of ALIEN to be a "Director's Cut", only an alternate edit that he feels is not superior to the original. To this end, he wanted to keep the pacing more or less the same so he removed some original edit footage to accommodate the new stuff; the difference in running time is only a minute.

As noted by "colinr0380, another example of the "Director's Cut" being shorter than the original theatrical release is the Coen Brothers' BLOOD SIMPLE which was trimmed by three minutes for its DVD and Blu-ray release. In this case, the shorter edit is the preferred cut and the only one currently available.

Robin Davies
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#74 Post by Robin Davies » Mon Mar 31, 2014 1:57 pm

Surely there's a mistake in that IMDb entry.
The "brief sequence of a photographer getting a picture of the school before being shooed off" was added to the director's cut but is not in the original version.
There's a more detailed comparison here:
http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=835082" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Feego
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Re: 29 Picnic at Hanging Rock

#75 Post by Feego » Mon Mar 31, 2014 3:41 pm

Right, I had forgotten about that added scene with the photographer (as well as the shot of Albert watching Michael as he follows the girls toward the rock). However, what was added in the director's cut basically amounts to a few seconds and is hardly as memorable as what was removed. I had also forgotten about the footage removed at the beginning of the film, mostly just longer scenes of the girls coming downstairs for breakfast and our introductions to Michael and Albert at the picnic grounds. I do question the removal of these shots, as they help further set up the cloistered atmosphere of the school before the girls make their way to Hanging Rock.

It will be interesting to see what new insights Criterion's new interviews will add, as the feature-length "Dream Within a Dream" documentary seemed about as thorough as you could get, featuring interviews with most of the surviving principles both behind and in front of the camera, giving us a glimpse at an unused ending, and discussing the film's important position in the Australian film industry. My advice for die-hard fans is to pick up the Criterion Blu as well as the 3-disc Second Sight DVD for the theatrical cut (not included on the Second Sight Blu-ray) and the doc.

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