A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

What the hell was this, I didn't like it then, and don't like it now... The best part was seeing those girl shred off their stockings, but after that, the film evaporated into a most unsatisfying second half that is totally forgettable... Didn't like it then, don't like it now, and I won't like it tomorrow.

1990. Several students from an all-female college inexplicably vanish into thin air while spending a St. Valentine's Day outing in the Australian wilderness.Director Peter Weir ably crafts a hypnotically dreamy atmosphere that's in equal degrees ethereal, enigmatic, and sinister, vividly captures the suffocating repressiveness of the early 20th century Victorian era, lets the compelling story unfold at a leisurely pace, and makes excellent and evocative use of the titular ugly and uninviting main location. Cliff Green's oblique, yet still intriguing script offers plenty of pungent criticism of the stifling zeitgeist of the Victorian period and the deep-seated need to escape from sexual and social repression into a better more permissive world.Moreover, it's superbly acted by a top-rate cast, with especially stand-out contributions from Rachel Roberts as stern headmistress Mrs. Appleseed, Anne-Louise Lambert as the sensual and entrancing Miranda, Karen Robson as the perky and fetching Irma, Jane Vallis as the nerdy Marion, Dominic Guard as the smitten Michael Fitzhubert, Christine Schuler as annoying whiny frump Edith, Kirsty Child as compassionate teacher Miss Lumley, and Margaret Nelson as rebellious troublemaker Sara. Russell Boyd's sumptuous cinematography delivers a wealth of stunning and beautiful visuals. Best of all, Weir's admirable refusal to provide some kind of explanation for the disappearances gives this film its own singularly arresting cinematic allure.

The schoolgirls of Appleyard College are led by the angelic Anne- Louise Lambert, and seem to be at a blossoming age where in the absence of boys furtive glances are cast all around, giggles and valentines litter their conversations, and their beauty already drawing the notice of older men. And if you did not spot these signs, what about the tremendous Hanging Rock, jutting out of the ground with a towering phallic presence, every curve and jagged edge suggestive to the teenage mind. But under the iron-fisted rule of headmistress Mrs. Appleyard this trembling sensuality has been repressed - the Victorian-era dress code and manner of speech take this a step further. They are well trained and versed in the arts, uttering Poe and Shakespeare dreamily and somehow, appropriately. The film is at its mesmerising and hallucinogenic best when it discourages reason and logic, and simply lets the girls wander wherever their young minds and bodies take them. Weir superimposes the erratic flight of the beasts of the air on the girl's faces, and dissolves barren landscape on barren landscape. Static closeups of leftover food teem with insect and scavenger life - in the soundtrack, their buzzes become an unshakable presence in the background, serenading the untamed wilderness. And when the girls arrange themselves on the top of Hanging Rock in a formation that suggests an otherworldly, supernatural influence, the screen shimmers visibly in the heat, sweaty and hazy with perspiration and mystery. But it loses its power after that initial encounter with Hanging Rock, where it switches back to the students and teachers remaining, all of whom are desperate to solve the puzzle. The soundtrack, consisting mostly of a piercing, ethereal pan flute and a section where it turns demonic and foreboding as they make their way up the cliffs, loses it potency with each subsequent visit. What Weir wants to achieve is an atmosphere that displaces all rational explanation, as if the Australian outback was beyond the reach or understanding of humans and is reclaiming those children for itself. But he cannot resist dangling clues that inevitably spur investigation and theory; Miranda's strangely prophetic "I won't be here much longer", the single corset found at the scene of the crime, the doctor outlining all the physical injuries on Irma's body in meticulous detail as if to say 'pay attention', and the strange, additional disappearance of Miss McCraw which does not amount to much. These details, which are spoken of plainly in that English dialect, and discussed not in the outback, but in the boring grey interiors of the school, are of course not given any closure. The audience is supposed to be hypnotised and transfixed by the Hanging Rock and its grasp, but every time we switch back to the edges of civilisation their power is suppressed once more. And then in the vague, unrewarding ending that has many viewers frustrated, Weir quite deliberately conceals. He places the camera within that uncanny crevasse, peering out at a hesitant Michael inching towards it. It tilts down agonisingly to reveal Irma's body, and zooms in to show the horror on his face - and she of course conveniently cannot remember a thing about what has transpired. It never even thinks of revealing the other side, and the film becomes bewildering rather than enigmatic.

This is a soft, dreamy showcase of life in rural Australia at the turn of the last century, centred around a group of girls and teachers at a prim boarding school, while it is also an excellent mystery and also a meditation. FYI: It is available on youtube, as are many classic Australian films :)I've always loved movies and books that take place at all-girls schools. I'm kind of a junkie for that kind of thing, so as soon as I learned the premise, I was in. However, this movie goes far beyond just being that. If you are interested in Aboriginal spirituality and have certain ideas and theories about the sacred land of Australia, this movie definitely gives you something to think about. There is a lot of talk on these boards and around the internet about the "secret" behind the mystery, but for me it isn't unresolved at all. It was very obvious to me, being interested in what different spiritual traditions have to say about the nature of time, what happened in this movie. I think it will affect people on different levels depending on how you choose to experience movies in general as well as your capacity for abstract thought. For the record, I don't like movies that deliberately offer no resolve to the mysteries they weave, I really am one for solutions, but it was natural and enjoyable for me to reach my own personal conclusions about what exactly was going on in this movie. It was wonderfully subtle but rich in meaning. The movie is extremely atmospheric and I almost felt myself go into a bit of a trance while watching! I especially love the scene that occurs right before the girls go off for their exploration, while they are sitting in the grass. At this point in the movie, do listen to the wondrous sounds of nature! Crickets and birdsong, the wind in the trees, sounds like that. We need to get out in the natural areas of our own corners of this earth and feel that. It is necessary for our health and wellbeing. This is also a film for nature enthusiasts! In addition, I adored the recitation of poetry and a glimpse of the life of a schoolgirl before the technology age, and outside the hustle bustle of the city. It really makes you realize that it is seriously a shame how addicted young people are to their gadgets, and how wonderfully simple life was at that time. It truly facilitated a love of poetry in the young student that I believe has been lost to modern society. Scary. Finally, I must say that I (like countless others) fell under the spell of the lead girl, Miranda, who is likened just before her disappearance to a Bodicelli Angel. She really is a lovely and special girl.