2036: ORIGIN UNKNOWN

ORIGIN UNKNOWN

Fifty years after the release of 2001: A Space Odyssey comes 2036: Origin Unknown. Past the obvious nod in the film’s title, there is nothing – officially – to connect the two.

The former is rightly regarded as a classic, an exercise in the art of making film by Stanley Kubrick, from an original story by Arthur C. Clarke, the meat of which concerns a monolith of mysterious provenance, with elongated scenes of a scientist in conversation with a computer, HAL, and has been pored over for half a century for the deeper meaning behind its sometimes abstract scenes.

2036, on the other hand, directed by sophomore filmmaker Hasraf Dulull from his own story idea, is an interesting – if overreaching – tale, the meat of which concerns a monolith from an uncertain source, with elongated scenes of a scientist in conversation with a computer, ARTi. Whether future generations will seek the deeper meaning behind this latter-day outing remains to be seen.

Katee Sackhoff’s mission controller, Mac, is the affable protagonist, and her performance is assured, confident, and consistent, even during the final scenes which must have been a struggle to perform. Six years after the last manned mission to Mars crashed on arrival, resulting in the death of her father, Mac is brought back to guide an investigative mission down to the surface, although it seems for all the world that they didn’t need her to be there, save to be present when the cryptic object makes its presence felt.

Once you get around that, though, the performances draw you in – both those of Sackhoff and Steven Cree, who voices ARTi – as the relationship between the two entwines and grows before an abrupt tonal shift throws you right back out again as the film nears its confusing, over-ambitious conclusion. Along the way, a future where corporations control space exploration, some perilous international relations, and theoretical quantum existence are very lightly touched upon, and there’s more than an aftertaste of the hard science-fiction the director must have read before embarking upon making this film.

Aside from a slightly jarring clash between the almost-too-clinical space-bound model work and the interior shots of Sackhoff at work, there is little to dislike here, and a fair amount to enjoy. After its establishing scenes and before its slightly zen end, a tight and engaging thriller emerges, but it fizzles out under the weight of its own aspiration, leaving you slightly frustrated that you’ve spent ninety minutes with likeable characters that, in the end, were not the authors of their own destiny.

2036: ORIGIN UNKNOWN / CERT 12 / DIRECTOR: HASRAF DULULL / SCREENPLAY: GARY HALL / STARRING KATEE SACKHOFF, STEVEN CREE, JULIE COX, RAY FEARON / RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 27TH

THE X-FILES: SEASON 11

The X-Files

The return of the X-Files to television in 2016 following a 14-year absence was a mixed bag. There was one classic (Mulder and Scully meet the Were-Monster), a few mixed monster of the week episodes, and a couple of creator Chris Carter’s overly-convoluted mythology episodes that everyone got bored with in about 1997. And while Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny fell seamlessly back in to the shoes of Scully and Mulder, the show felt like a pale imitation of the one that caught the zeitgeist back in the early ‘90s.

Fortunately, the follow-up season is a vast improvement. Expanded from six to ten episodes, the show and characters have space to breathe. Both leads get a chance to shine, with Anderson in particular a delight, and the supporting cast all get their moment in the spotlight. Hell, there’s even space for a Skinner-centric episode (making it approximately two in 25 years).

The secret to the X-Files’ success has always been its ability to refuse to be pigeon holed. During its original run it alternated between sci-fi, horror, technophobia, comedy, romance and outright weirdness. The new run is the classic series in a microcosm, revisiting and updating many of the show’s favourite themes and, surprisingly, generally to a standard matching the original.

Highlights include Ghouli; a monster of the week episode with an unexpected connection to Mulder and Scully, This; featuring the return of Lone Gunman Richard Langley, and Rm9sbG93ZXJz; an experimental, almost silent episode featuring the pair being pursued by a pissed-off A.I.

Best of all though is Darin Morgan’s The Lost Art Of Forehead Sweat. His episodes, which include past classics such as Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose and Jose Chung’s “From Outer Space” have often taken the show in unforeseen, absurdist directions, simultaneously poking fun at the format while providing many of the series’ finest hours. Forehead Sweat, which examines the Mandela Effect, is no exception.

As with season ten, the show is bookended by two of Chris Carter’s mythology episodes. Early in the X-Files’ run, the show’s alien mythology storyline was its MVP, providing many of its most vital hours. Somewhere along the way though, they went off track, becoming overly-confusing and often just plain dull. Unfortunately this is very much the case here. Following an unsatisfactory resolution to season ten’s cliff-hanger, the focus switches to the search for the couple’s lost son William and his possible key role in the future. There’s an unpleasant, misjudged twist involving the Cigarette Smoking Man, Monica Reyes is still inexplicably acting totally out of character, and frankly, does anyone care about these episodes any more?

Unfortunately the final episode – which may well serve as a series finale after Anderson announced she wouldn’t be returning – is probably the revived series’ weakest instalment, neither satisfactorily tying up storylines nor providing any kind of emotional resolution for any of the key characters. That aside, it’s a vast improvement on the mixed season ten. If this should be the X-Files’ last hurrah, for the most part, it’s going out in style.

THE X-FILES: SEASON 11 / WRITER: VARIOUS / DIRECTOR: VARIOUS / SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: DAVID DUCHOVNY, GILLIAN ANDERSON, MITCH PILEGGI / CERT: 15 / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

DAGON

Life is good for stock market tycoon Paul Marsh, apart from his recurring nightmare about a seductive mermaid with razor sharp teeth. At the moment he is holidaying on a yacht off the coast of Spain with his girlfriend Barbara and their two friends Vicki and Howard and there isn’t a cloud in the sky – until a mysterious storm suddenly whips up and slams the yacht into rocks, trapping Vicki and forcing Paul and Barbara to take a dinghy to the mainland and look for help. But the fishing village of Imboca is a forbidding place, and the sinister-looking residents are strangely uncommunicative, apart from the local priest who offers to take Barbara to the authorities while Paul returns to help his companions. The only problem is, Vicki and Howard are no longer in the yacht (although they left behind plenty of blood in the water) and when Paul goes back to Imboca to find Barbara, she too has disappeared.

Now the villagers are pursuing Paul through the dark rainswept streets, determined that he will share the same grisly fate as the other strangers who have been unfortunate enough to come here. But is that truly Paul’s destiny? When he meets the seductive Uxia, who bears a disturbing resemblance to the scythe-mouthed mermaid of his nightmares, Paul begins to realise that a terrifying appointment with Imboca’s vengeful undersea God Dagon has been lined up for him – but not before Dagon receives an unexpected sacrifice.

H.P. Lovecraft’s stories have inspired a plethora of filmmakers, very few of whom have been able to translate HP’s grotesque imaginings to the big screen. Of the handful who have managed it, Stuart Gordon is probably the most successful and reverential, and even he usually had to resort to black humour to undercut the quirky strangeness of some of Lovecraft’s ideas (Exhibits A & B: Re-Animator and From Beyond), while Castle Freak was just a bizarre train wreck. But Dagon is different in that it takes its source stories Dagon and The Shadow Over Innsmouth very seriously indeed, and the movie is all the better for it. Yes, the tension flags a little in the hide-and-seek middle-section, and some of the CGI effects haven’t worn well (especially in HD) but, for our money, Dagon is very possibly the best Lovecraft movie produced so far (we’re overlooking Carpenter’s underrated In The Mouth of Madness because that was only tentatively inspired by Lovecraft’s mythos).

Umbrella’s new Blu-ray is a revelation compared to the grainy home video versions we’ve seen before. The print is bright, the skin tones are natural (even the fishy ones) and the colours pop off the screen. There’s also a small but perfectly formed selection of special features, although it’s disappointing that Umbrella haven’t licensed the commentaries and features that are on Vestron’s new stateside release (note: the Vestron print, though a shade darker, is mostly identical). If you haven’t seen Dagon yet, you’re in for a treat. If you’ve seen it before, you’re in for a visual feast. And if you’ve got a thing about tentacled femme fatales, the gorgeous Macarena Gomez is about to make all your bad dreams come true…

DAGON / DIRECTOR: STUART GORDON / SCREENPLAY: DENNIS PAOLI, HP LOVECRAFT / STARRING: EZRA GODDEN, FRANCISCO RABAL, RAQUEL MERONO, MACARENA GOMEZ / CERT: 18 / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

ONE PIECE (UNCUT) COLLECTION 18

One Piece (Uncut) Collection 18 brings together episodes 422-445 of the anime about the pirate crew searching for the ultimate treasure. Apart from a few episodes devoted to an extended flashback filler sequence, the majority of the episodes present focus on Luffy’s attempts to rescue his brother, Ace, from a hell-like prison.

Because almost all of this collection features Luffy in the aforementioned prison, the rest of Luffy’s crew are virtually absent, only appearing in the flashback sequence. This will somewhat lessen the appeal to fans who tune to watch all of One Piece’s cast rather than just Luffy.

The episodes featured here do manage to have an ensemble feel to them despite the lack of a crew. The gap left by the usual characters is filled by the return of some faces who travel through the prison with Luffy and should be familiar to long-running viewers of the show. They have good chemistry, and the interplay between them results in not only good banter but some strong character moments as well. The villains in this arc are also a welcome addition to the show. The warden in particular aptly walks the line between comical and threatening. The prison itself is multi-faceted, and it challenges the characters in a variety of ways – it is inhabited by monsters which threaten them, but the very environment itself it also designed to kill them.

Most of the special features on offer with this release are standard fare, but there are a couple which stand out. Chopper Plays Doctor is essentially Brina Palenica playing “Operation” while her co-workers pretend to suffer from various afflictions. Cooking with Sanji is exactly what it says on the tin. It is a cooking lesson with Erica Vale, and it is a genuine cooking lesson with some helpful tips. These features aren’t great, but they are pretty decent and they offer something a little different. As with previous releases, a handful of episode commentaries have been included. They perfectly combine the information of a question and answer panel with the laid-back feeling of friends hanging out together on a sofa.

One Piece (Uncut) Collection 18 showcases One Piece’s perfect blend of wacky humour and dramatic tension. The episodes are missing a large part of the cast that viewers have come to love, but the characters that are focused on instead make worthy substitutes. Some of the special features offer viewers something a little different and help to make this a more tempting proposition in the age of mass streaming. A fine addition to any One Piece collection.

Special Features: Episode commentary for episodes 425, 432, 434, and 442 / Chopper Plays Doctor / Cooking with Sanji / Trailers / Textless Opening Songs, Textless Opening and Closing Songs

ONE PIECE (UNCUT) COLLECTION 18 / CERT: 12 / DIRECTORS: VARIOUS / WRITERS: VARIOUS / STARRING: COLLEEN CLINKENBEARD, MIKE MCFARLAND, DUNCAN BRANNAN, JEREMY INMAN, BRADFORD JACKSON, BARRY YANDELL / RELEASE DATE: 20TH AUGUST 2018

L’AMANT DOUBLE

Having consolidated his reputation with the ambiguously resolved Anglo-French erotic thriller Swimming Pool in 2003, it’s little surprise to see François Ozon returning to such fertile territory nearly fifteen years later. If you’ve the stomach to get past the gynaecologist’s view opening (the French don’t seem to mind this stuff; Swimming Pool was universally rated over there while needing to be cut to avoid an NC-17 in the US over its sex and nudity), L’Amant Double is essentially Ozon’s homage to Hitchcock, and Vertigo in particular.

It stars Marine Vacth as Chloé, and as anyone who knows their Paris fashion houses will be aware, Vacth has been modelling for a company called Chloé these last several years, a perfect indication of the kind of meta- and intra-textuality that Ozon has created his loose adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ American novel Lives of the Twins around. The film begins with Chloé being referred to a psychologist, having been told the stomach pains she’s been suffering have no medical origin, and pretty soon the unemployed 26-year-old is feeling better enough to get herself a job as a watchwoman at a museum – largely because she’s fallen for Daniel Craig lookalike Jérémie Renier’s Paul. So she leaves his practice and moves into his apartment, but before she’s been there 24 hours she spots Paul in a part of town he denies visiting, and upon returning the following day discovers the office of another psychologist Louis, a dead ringer for the man she’s just set up home with.

That’s just the first act, and there’s little subtlety in the way Ozon assembles his elements; here’s a sexually driven psychological thriller involving psychologists and (pussy) cats, with a vast amount of camera close-ups and shot dissolves involving characters replicating across the screen and a heavy focus on the eyes (and other body parts). There’s an overwhelming sheen of cleverness to the script and production, which belies the notion that the viewer would be well recommended to hand in their thinking faculties at the opening credits; despite Ozon’s reverence for his sources and obsession with creating a visually stimulating puzzle-box of a film, in the end this is a story about imagined truth and the resolution to it will, rather than making you re-think everything you’ve seen, instead put you in mind of Alice’s trip down the rabbit hole. The one piece of unambiguous exposition given in the resolve robs almost everything else you’ve seen of any credibility, such that if you try to add any single part of the narrative up, you’ll find the numbers wanting.

Having said that, it’s the journey that’s important, and both Vacth and Renier (especially the latter, who very subtly delineates his two characters through the countenance of his face, so that you’re never in any doubt which is which) are as pretty and as elegant as the rest of the picture. Unfortunately, the one thing neither actor can bring is a sense of the two lovers enjoying one another as people, but Ozon quickly skips past the courtship and dives straight into the bedroom, where there are plenty of mind-bending fireworks instead. This is a very cool, very Gallic, and very opaque Basic Instinct, and if it’s ultimately only partly satisfying, it’s still incredibly absorbing and a lot of fun.

Extras: trailer, deleted scenes, lights and costume trials, interview featurette

REVIEW: L’AMANT DOUBLE (aka DOUBLE LOVER) / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: FRANÇOIS OZON / SCREENPLAY: FRANÇOIS OZON / STARRING: MARINE VACTH, JÉRÉMIE RENIER, JACQUELINE BISSET, MYRIAM BOYER, DOMINIQUE REYMOND / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

THE NUN (1966)

The Nun gets its first home release on DVD, Bluray and 4K. But we’re not talking about the spiritual prequel to The Conjuring 2 featuring ghostly brides of God, rather Jacques Rivette’s banned piece of French new wave from 1966, based on the novel The Lumieres by Denis Diderot.

In 18th Century France, many women were forced to take vows as a nun due to the poor finances of their family or because they weren’t deemed marriage material. This is what happens to Suzanne (Anna Karina), forced into a convent by her parents as they have spent all their money on the marriages of their other three children. Though she initially finds comfort in her first mother superior, after her death, Suzanne suddenly finds a lack of compassion in her new home. She finds that the replacement is having “nun” of her complaints, and learns they most certainly are not sisters of mercy.

It’s interesting to see nuns and convents depicted in this way, seen less as organisations structured around the glory of God but as somewhere to rid yourself of family problems. Suzanne is a beautiful and lovely young women looking forward to the rest of her life, but because of poor money-handling by her parents and marital infidelity she is damned to a lifetime of servitude. The sins of the parents are passed on to their children. The nuns in the convents themselves are rarely depicted as true Christians, more going through the motions to get by, while the feeling of a boarding school (bullying and all) is created.

It’s difficult to see why The Nun was banned at the time. Perhaps the depiction of nuns as vindictive and bullying people, and even as women in charge of their sexual agency though with predatory tendencies, was seen as being too much. It does seem to be largely unfair censorship, as what is depicted is extremely tame with little violence shown, only almost school playground-style psychological torture, and the sexual elements are never overt or brash.

At over two hours The Nun does push your patience, and it has quite an obvious three act structure which winds itself up very quickly for an abrupt ending, but it’s more often than not quite compelling, bolstered in no small way by the performance from Karina. You feel the despair she goes through, and the complete and abject unfairness of the situation that’s been thrust upon her which is in no way her own. You want to see her come through and go on to live the life she deserves. The framing of the scenes seem to always keep her behind bars, showing the very real imprisonment she suffers without ever being convicted of a crime.

Don’t be fooled by its reputation. The Nun isn’t here for shock value, but tune in to its drama and you’ll find an interesting film helped by a strong central performance.

THE NUN / DIRECTOR: JACQUES RIVETTE / SCREENPLAY: JEAN GRUAULT, JACQUES RIVETTE / STARRING: ANNA KARINA, LISELOTTE PULVER, MICHELINE PRESLE, FRANCINE BERGE / CERT: 12 / RELEASE DATE: 17TH SEPTEMBER 2018

UFO

First broadcast in the UK in 1970, the classic Gerry and Sylvia Anderson series UFO is available in yet another collection. This latest outing includes all 26 stories over 8 DVDs, and follows the production order, rather than any of the alternatives such as the broadcast order, or the Fanderson recommended order. For those who need the details, the production order is the same as the Fanderson except (as per this release) the episode Survival is fourth and Exposed is fifth. Episodes are in 4:3 format and have (at some point) been digitally remastered. There is also some evidence this is a repackaging of an older Carlton release.

For those who don’t know, UFO focuses on the alien fighting organisation SHADO run by Ed Straker (Ed Bishop) with a secret HQ below a film studio, a moon base, an underwater vessel (Skydiver) whose front section can launch as a jet interceptor, and a satellite monitoring device SID (Space Intruder Detector). It was a live action series as opposed to previous successes such as Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet. The premise is alien invasion, with SHADO tasked with keeping the aliens secret while defending the Earth and finding out what the invaders are up to. The latter two are somewhat at odds – it’s hard to interrogate an alien after you’ve blown his ship up!

The show was a step-up for the Andersons; the use of live actors meant better effects, full-scale props and striking costume designs all bringing a distinct look to the show. The subject matter was more adult as well, in some cases particularly so. Apart from Ed Bishop, the regular cast appeared in various episodes, with George Sewell and Michael Billington prominent as second-in-command Col Alec Freeman and Col Paul Foster respectively. As an aside, the episode order switch between Survival and Exposed concerns Col Foster joining SHADO in the Exposed episode, just after featuring in the episode Survival!

To a large extent UFO is still very watchable (and looks great thanks to the restoration), even if effects have moved on considerably in the past several decades. The music works, the costumes are memorable and even if some of the future looks rather dated now, the stories themselves are still strong and this boxset is a superb way to remember UFO or become a new fan. At less than £15 at the time of writing, this is a tremendous value for anyone. Highly recommended!

UFO / DIRECTOR: GERRY ANDERSON / SCREENPLAY: GERRY ANDERSON, SYLVIA ANDERSON / STARRING: KEITH ALEXANDER, HARRY BAIRD, MICHAEL BILLINGTON, ED BISHOP / CERT: PG / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

TIDELAND

“Many of you are not going to like this film. Many of you, luckily, are going to love it. And then there are many of you who aren’t going to know what to think when the film finishes, but, hopefully, you’ll be thinking”. That’s what director/co-writer Terry Gilliam proclaims in his intro to this quirky, dark, messed-up drama Tideland, and frankly he couldn’t be more accurate in describing the mixed emotions when watching this very odd film.

Based on the novel by Mitch Cullin, Tideland centres on young Jeliza-Rose who, after her washed-out mother chokes to death, is taken to a remote rundown farmhouse by her heroin-addicted father. The film delves into the complex fantasy world Jeliza-Rose has concocted in her head in order to cope and deal with the tragedies that happen in her life, especially when her father dies from an accidental overdose and she spends the whole of the movie acting as though nothing bad has happened to him while his corpse is rotting away.

Lord knows if both Gilliam and co-writer Tony Grisoni were on an acid trip when they made this bizarre movie, but it is one of the most surreal, insane, tonally-challenging movies there’s ever been. It’s an unpredictable watch, flip-flopping between the lightness of Jeliza-Rose’s innocence and charm as she’s having her own fantastical adventures with her disembodied doll heads and the dark and horrific reality that is happening around her. Tideland blurs the line between whimsical and grotesque, yet there is something about the way children keep themselves sane through the most extreme of circumstances. Whether it’s through playtime and imagination or projecting your fears onto made-up characters, the film does offer a fascinating portrait of how a child’s mind works, and credit does go to Gilliam for never losing sight of that.

At the centre of it all is Jodelle Ferland, who simply gives an outstanding performance as the adorably innocent Jeliza-Rose. Her maturity is highly commendable and impressive considering some of the horrific antics that are happening around her. Hell, she even prepares heroin for her father in some scenes! If anyone’s curious to see more of Ferland’s impeccable acting abilities, check her out in the short-lived, under-appreciated sci-fi series Dark Matter and you won’t be disappointed.

The nightmarish mood and atmosphere, coupled with Jeff and Mychael Danna’s score, completes this originally unique journey, although it’s a journey that not everyone will appreciate. The reaction to this film has proved to be divisive even to this day, with some going as far as to actively dislike it, and honestly it isn’t hard to see why considering how dark, twisted and strange it is. It has some pretty uncomfortable sexual content, with the very young Jeliza-Rose flirting with a 20 year old mentally-impaired man with a dark background, and there are some grotesque scenes of taxidermy included as well.

Despite how disturbing and messed-up it can be, as well as the hard fact that it is still a very divisive film that will still alienate and anger a lot of viewers, there is something highly admirable about Tideland and the story behind its production. Apparently, Gilliam made the film while he was on a six-month break from the post-production process on The Brothers Grimm, which was a highly-flawed film that looked as though it had the guts ripped out of it by overbearing studio interference. Filming on that particular movie took ages longer than it was supposed to, and there were endless rows between Gilliam and studio-mogul/infamous sex fiend Harvey Weinstein about the end product, so during that nightmarish production period he set out to make Tideland, pouring into it all of the dark, weird and subversive magic that he is famous for.

This goes to show that even the most divisive of movies can come from a place of true passion, even the ones that are hard to digest and remain outside of certain judgements to this day. Kudos definitely goes to Terry Gilliam for trying to get this made in the first place, considering the circumstances that led him there. It is true that Gilliam makes his movies through fire and brimstone just by examining his extraordinary filmography, and there is no denying that Tideland is a film that was borne out of that. It is highly likely that this still won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but nonetheless this remains a peculiarity that should be examined should you dare to choose so. Just don’t go into it expecting a perfect movie.

TIDELAND / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: TERRY GILLIAM / SCREENPLAY: TONY GRISONI, TERRY GILLIAM / STARRING: JODELLE FERLAND, BRENDAN FLETCHER, JANET MCTEER, JENNIFER TILLY, JEFF BRIDGES / CERT: 15 / RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 13TH

ISLE OF DOGS

In many ways, animation is the perfect form for Wes Anderson. His other films have that feel, like they’ve been made with the disciplines of animation in mind – the sets, the way the characters talk, the camera moves, the lighting. His previous stop-motion effort, Fantastic Mr Fox, brought much-loved characters wonderfully to life but perhaps lacked a little warmth. Here we are immersed again into the plight of maligned animals as a young boy joins a pack of wild dogs to find his beloved former pet, Spots, since all dogs have been banished from the Japanese future city of Megasaki by an evil Mayor to Trash Island, following an outbreak of canine flu.

What makes this film superior to Fantastic Mr Fox, and arguably all of his live action work, is the amount of love you get from Anderson in Isle of Dogs. More of a collection of love letters than a single one, the film oozes warmth for so many things, leaving you grinning like a soppy pup all the way though and sending you on your way all fuzzy and beaming.

Anderson’s love of Japanese culture, historical and popular, is evident in every frame. His delight in the characters and performances shines through so much that you care deeply for this bunch of scabby mutts. Clearly he adores the process and experience of stop-motion – there are tiny moments that will make your grin wrap half way around your face, and it takes more than one viewing to get them all. But most of all, for anyone who has ever loved a dog, that devoted relationship comes across so strongly that this film would bring a tear to a glass eye. You’d have to be pretty mean spirited not to be moved.

Of course, on Blu-ray it looks astonishingly beautiful, and there’s great pleasure to be had in watching some sequences several times to take it all in. Extras include a few short documentaries, including an engaging piece on the animators and their craft and a fascinating look at the sets. For once, there’s a stills gallery that’s worth looking at, including shots of the cast posing with their puppet counterparts.

Talking of the cast, the usual Anderson favourites crop up in the interviews. There’s regulars like Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Jeff Goldblum, and Tilda Swinton, with newcomers to the Anderson universe including Scarlett Johansson and Bryan Cranston. Delightfully, these cast interviews are also animated. It’s a lovely touch and shows the meticulous care with which this film was made.

It just might be Anderson’s best.

ISLE OF DOGS / DIRECTOR: WES ANDERSON / SCREENPLAY: WES ANDERSON, ROMAN COPPOLA / STARRING: BRYAN CRANSTON, KOYU RANKIN, EDWARD NORTON, BOB BALABAN, BILL MURRAY, JEFF GOLDBLUM / CERT: PG / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK

Picnic

On Valentine’s Day 1900, a party of schoolgirls from Appleyard College took a day trip to the nearby Hanging Rock. It’s a mysterious place where watches stop working, visitors experience a strange sleepiness, and time seems to have no rules. When three of the girls and their teacher climbed the Rock that afternoon, all except one of the girls was never seen again. But their disappearance, tragic though it was, set a more sinister chain of events into motion. Hester Appleyard, the owner and headmistress of Appleyard College, has been keeping some nasty secrets buried for a very long time, and the subsequent investigation into her missing students’ fate – coupled with the suspicions of one of her most trusted teachers – is threatening to unravel everything. Sadism, madness and death won’t be far behind.

The new miniseries of Picnic At Hanging Rock had a lot to contend with before it even went in front of the cameras. After all, how do you adapt a book that’s considered one of Australian fiction’s most beloved classics, and which has already been adapted into an equally beloved movie by the director Peter Weir, and still find something fresh to say about it? Although this new version was one of 2018’s most eagerly awaited television highlights – especially when Game of Throne’s Natalie Dormer was cast in the lead role of Hester Appleyard – most critics were expecting it to be an interesting failure and the initial reviews suggested they might have been right. But we don’t think so.

The new Picnic At Hanging Rock not only looked absolutely beautiful upon its initial broadcast, but its cast is pitch-perfect and its screenplay is a masterclass in how to transform a revered classic into something that’s both unique to itself and also deeply reverential towards everything that came before it. But the ingeniousness of this Picnic lies in how well the creative team have ramped up the Victorian gothic. There’s a tremendous Turn Of The Screw atmosphere to this version – Appleyard College may be a haunted house without a ghost, but what festers here is far more malevolent than any spectre.

Some critics have argued that Dormer is too young for the role of the headmistress, but the intensity of her performance is the wheel around which everything turns and there’s a backstory to Hester Appleyard that the actress fits perfectly. And don’t listen to the people who say the direction is too MTV-like and Cezary Skubiszewski’s score doesn’t work either. They’re wrong.

The BBC’s two-disc DVD is a decent presentation that unfortunately isn’t quite hi-def enough to do the visuals justice, and it would have been nice to see more special features. Still, it’s the content that’s important and if you missed Picnic’s TV airing we highly recommend putting your concerns about period drama aside and giving this DVD a look – at least until someone sees sense and gives the series the Blu-ray treatment it truly deserves.

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK / DIRECTOR: MICHAEL RYMER, LARYSA KONDRACKI, AMANDA BROTCHIE / SCREENPLAY: BEATRIX CHRISTIAN, ALICE ADDISON / STARRING: NATALIE DORMER, LILY SULLIVAN, LOLA BESSIS, HARRISON GILBERTSON / CERT: 15 / RELEASE DATE: 20TH AUGUST 2018