Written Essay Flashcards
Introduction
Valentine’s Day is a time for love, serenity, and joy, and it was that fateful day when a Victorian girl’s college decides to go on a picnic at an ancient place called Hanging Rock right in the middle of the hostile Australian environment. There, the audience witnesses the disappearance of Miranda, Irma, Marion, and Miss McCraw. Inevitably, as the story continues it becomes clear this event was the action of the supernatural, the inexplicable mystery of Australian nature. As characters desperately tear the outback apart to search for their beloved students and teacher, false hope, doubt, and suspense bloom for the audience as the true understanding of what happened is never found. Critic Emma Doolan commented in an article on how “Picnic At Hanging Rock”. (1975), directed by Peter Weir, is a perfect example of the genre, Australian Gothic. This can be confidently supported as this genre revolves around the perceived hostility of Australia’s natural environment and the darker experience it holds, precisely describing the themes, techniques and settings seen within “Picnic At Hanging Rock”. The unfamiliarity and strangely ominous setting, the striking difference in power between humans and nature, and the clash resulting from ancient and Victorian times are gothic elements which evoke both terror and doubt in the audience.
Topic sentence BP1
To capture the ominous and unfamiliar context into which the girls descend, Weir employs hidden meaning in the imagery of the Australian landscape and an eerie soundscape to unsettle the audience.
Topic Sentence BP2
Difference in power, a common gothic element which builds terror, is achieved through camera shots and editing to reveal the stark contrast in power between humans and nature.
Topic Sentence BP3
Australia’s natural environment is perceived as hostile territory, with its ominous aura and dangerous wildlife. This persona was exemplified when colonisers brought over the style and traditions of the Victorian era, clashing against the ancient, wilderness of Australia’s nature.
Conclusion
While the mystery of the film, Picnic At Hanging Rock, is never truly solved the audience now sees how Peter Weir professionally utilised techniques like camera shots, editing, imagery and soundtracks to captivate and create an atmosphere of doubt, suspense and intensity. This illustration of the perceived hostility and darkness of Australia’s outback, where time is relevant directs the audience to realise the difference in power between humans and nature, especially in an unfamiliar environment. Therefore, fully supporting Emma Doolans claim that “Picnic At Hanging Rock” can be considered an example of Australian Gothic.
Thesis
Critic Emma Doolan commented in an article on how “Picnic At Hanging Rock”. (1975), directed by Peter Weir, is a perfect example of the genre, Australian Gothic. This can be confidently supported as this genre revolves around the perceived hostility of Australians’ natural environment and the darker experience it holds, precisely describing the themes, techniques and settings seen within “Picnic At Hanging Rock”.
Essay Structure
The unfamiliarity and strangely ominous setting, the striking difference in power between humans and nature, and the clash resulting from ancient and Victorian times are gothic elements which evoke both terror and doubt in the audience.
BP1
To capture the ominous and unfamiliar context into which the girls descend, Weir employs hidden meaning in the imagery of the Australian landscape and an eerie soundscape to unsettle the audience. The opening captures the unfamiliar deserted-bush land in a wide, straight-angle shot, which slowly reveals the menacing hanging rock almost leering over the audience. The diegetic sound of trees rustling and tweets of birds from the land fades out as a thrumming, gale-force wind builds as the rock comes into clear view alerting the viewer that there is something sinister. As Miranda, Marion, Irma and Edith ascend this strange, ancient rock later, the audience can hear a beautiful major tune, music aimed at making the audience doubt the sinister. The girl’s curiosity and sense of adventure are what at first encourage them to incline but as they continue, less of their senses are in play and more of the Rocks pull tugs them onwards. This is when the music switches up into a minor intense tune, matching the rocks’ menacing energy. Weir’s usage of themes from gothic literature, like strange places, accompanied by frightening sounds and imagery of the rock towering over the girls perfectly guides the audience into seeing how intimidating the Rock would feel in person.
BP2
Difference in power, is a common gothic element which builds terror, it’s achieved through camera shots and editing to reveal the stark contrast in power between humans and nature. The audience is positioned to see the rock as looming over them by angling the camera to face upwards from a low position towards the rock. This is a recurring motif and represents how little power humans have. A certain character hinted at this contrast in abilities was Miss McCraw as she commented, “This we do for pleasure, so that we may shortly be at the mercy of venomous snakes and poisonous ants. How foolish can human creatures be.” One line of the script was enough for the audience to see the perceived hostility towards nature while at the same time, Weir plants a seed of doubt in the viewer’s mind in their own power. Through editing, Weir switches shots to ants taking apart the picnic cake which may symbolise how the natural world can always reclaim its land back from invaders. Enabling the seed of doubt to bloom as it leads the audience to wonder if humans or specifically the characters in the film have any sort of power against Australia’s nature, referencing the perceived hostility of this terrain.
BP3
Australia’s natural environment is perceived as hostile territory, with its ominous aura and dangerous wildlife. This persona was exemplified when colonisers brought over the style and traditions of the Victorian era, clashing against the ancient, wilderness of Australia’s nature. In England, their ancestors achieved everything that was to be done, whereas, in the early days of Australia, anything could happen increasing its perceived hostility. It was as if the Rock was just waiting for the right people to come along and be sucked into its magic. Irma even foreshadows this possibility as she stares in awe at the rock, “Waiting a million years… just for us.” Nature represents freedom and independence, a striking difference from a group of innocent, naïve schoolgirls in their pristine restricted Victorian garbs. The characters are constantly trying to contain nature, demonstrated through costumes or settings. In the Victorian era, everything is in place and kept clean whereas Australia’s nature has a sense of the sublime, it’s wild and not controlled by anything which is why they perceive it as hostile. The sublime feeling the Rock exudes is made more obvious to the audience due to how Weir uses omens and concepts of time to form this uneasy atmosphere. When Miranda opens the gate, the audience is shown shots of birds flying up in a frenzy with the horses becoming startled. Animals are known for being aware of the supernatural, it’s a sign to viewers of something sinister as the girls cross the threshold into mystery.
