Aus 68 - Picnic At Hanging Rock


(3 stars; 3 reviews)

A Collection of Aussie Radio Shows No 68 Picnic at Hanging Rock is an Australian historical fiction novel by Joan Lindsay. Set in 1900, it is about a group of female students at an Australian girls' boarding school who vanish at Hanging Rock while on a Valentine's Day picnic, and the effects the disappearances have on the school and local community. The novel was first published in 1967 in Australia by Cheshire Publishing and was reprinted by Penguin in 1975. It is widely considered by critics to be one of the best Australian novels. NOTE: I don’t know where this version came from, but it is possible it was a 2010, BBC Radio 4 broadcast   radio adaptation. The cast included Simon Burke, Penny Downie, Anna Skellern and Andi Snelling. Nevertheless it is a good Australian story. Disclaimer: By uploading these files, I make no claim to ownership or copyright. These recordings have been acquired from publicly available sources on the Internet, and my goal has been to put together a collection of every available episode where possible. I will add to these collections if I discover new episodes or if any new episodes become available. Additionally, while I tried to put together a collection that contains the best version of each episode that I could, there may be better copies of some recordings available from collectors and dealers, and I encourage you to reach out to them if you are so inclined. If they are not in the public domain, notify me and they will be deleted.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.

Reviews

Picnic at Hanging Rock


(5 stars)

Picnic at Hanging Rock is a classic mystery, made famous by Peter Weir's 1970s film. This new interpretation goes back to the original story, recreating the strong underlying sense of horror and supernatural that resonate in Joan Lindsay's novel, abridged for Radio 4 by Polly Thomas. Starring Penny Downie, Fenella Woolgar and Simon Burke, this radio version features music from award winning composer and producer Jon Rose. Set in Edwardian Australia, the drama starts innocently enough as an excited party of school girls prepare for their Valentines day treat - a picnic on Hanging Rock. Cast: Narrator ..... Penny Downie Mrs Appleyard ..... Fenella Woolgar Mademoiselle ..... Elizabeth Boag Miss McCraw ..... Sarah Rutherford Constable Bumpher ..... Simon Burke Miranda/Sara ..... Celeste Wong Irma ..... Anna Skellern Edith ..... Andi Snelling Miss Lumley ..... Lauren St Paul Michael ..... Nicholas Banks Albert ..... David Palliser Sound design: Eloise Whitmore Original music: Jon Rose Script editor: Helen Meller March of the Men of Harlech played by Amanda Dalton Participation with Year 12 students of Springwood High, New South Wales Producer/Director: Polly Thomas A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4. Fri 17 Sep 2010 Omnibus Edition

Picnick at Hanging Rock


(0.5 stars)

This story has very little substance and relies heavily on adjectives in an attempt to communicate horror, reminiscent of pulp fiction pieces such as the Call of Cthulhu. Banal writing style made it difficult to stick with till the end.