Picnic on Valentines Day
A small but pivotal role I hold is the custodian and sales agent of the 1975 feature film Picnic at Hanging Rock. In the lead up to the 50th Anniversary next year, I’m exploring new Valentines Day screening ideas.
The film starts with these words: ‘On Saturday 14th February 1900 a party of schoolgirls from Appleyard College picnicked a Hanging Rock near Mt. Macedon in the State of Victoria. During the afternoon several members of the party disappeared without trace…’
There’s a commerciality surrounding Valentines Day that has become conventional, stale. Single red roses and white table cloth restaurants. At a Valentines screening of Picnic at Hanging Rock you are absorbed into a dark romance and a mystery. A powerful feminine energy. Valentines Day becomes a thread, connecting you through the ages.