Picnic at Hanging Rock

Picnic at Hanging Rock - posters

August 18, 2024

1. What happened to the girls?

Peter Weir's 1975 Australian feature film Picnic at Hanging Rock is now considered a modern classic. Based upon the original 1967 novel by Melbourne author Joan Lindsay, upon the film's initial release it saw presentation in a number of international markets. A record of this is partially contained in the posters and promotional materials released at the time, a number of which are illustrated below. They are arranged chronologically, oldest to youngest. Posters have been identified from the following countries: Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Poland and the United States. A six-part television series of the Picnic at Hanging Rock was released Foxtel in 2018. It should be noted that in the modern era of the 21st century a lot of promotional posters exist only in digital form, and not in printed form. As such they are used on digital display screens in public places. Some of these formats are also illustrated below, in situ.

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2. The Peter Weir film 1975

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, Australia, 1975, insert, 13 x 30 inches, M.A.P.S. Litho Pty Ltd. The photolithograph insert poster was a format very common and popular in Australia, dating back to the silent era and often used for the release of local films. As such, the larger one sheet was less common, due to the expense.

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, Australia, 1975, 1 sheet, 27 x 40 inches, M.A.P.S. Litho Pty Ltd. This is identical in design to the insert poster.

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, Australia, 1978, lobby cards, 11 x 14 inches. These lobby cards were associated with the Australian re-release of the film, following on its initial success and subsequent acclaim.

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, France, 1976, 1 sheet, grande, 47 x 63 inches. Distributor: Planfilm. Presenter: Coline.

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, British, 1976, quad, 30 x 40 inches. Artist: Brian Bysouth. Comments on the poster design, and an interview with the artist is available here.

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, Italy, 1976, 39 x 55 inches, Graphopress, Anno di Edizione MCMLXXVI. Presenter: Stefano Films. Detail: Gran Premio VII Festival Di Taornina. This is a large poster, equivalent to the more common US one sheet, which is smaller at 27 x 41 inches.

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, Italy, 1977, 1 sheet, 27 x 41 inches. Distributor: sampaolofilm. This new design is likely related to a re-release of the film in Italy.

*Picnic at Hanging Rock, Belguim, 1977, 14 x 22 inches.

* Piknik Pod Wiszaca Skala [Picnic at Hanging Rock], Poland, 1978, size: B1, 26 x 38 inches. Polish posters have, since the late 1940s, been known for their unique, often surrealistic designs.

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, United States, 1979, 1 sheet, 27 x 41 inches. The US release posters are undoubtedly the most boring, and text heavy, lacking any real creative design elements.

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, United States, 1979, 1 sheet, 27 x 41 inches.

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, United States, 1979, mini poster, 17 x 22 inches.

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, Japan, 1986, size: J B2, 20 x 29 inches. This poster was also issued in a small size common in Japan.

* Picknick am Valentinstag [Picnic at Hanging Rock], Germany, re-release or first release, 1989. Two varieties available, in blue or green background, with pale orange or pink lettering.

* Piknik Pod Wiszaca Skala [Picnic at Hanging Rock], Poland, size: B1, 26 x 38 inches, 1992 re-release. Artist: Wiktor Sadowski. This poster is undoubtedly one of the most stunning, visually, and once again reveals the surrealistic intent of the Polish poster artists.

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, United States, 1990s re-release, 1 sheet, 27 x 41 inches.

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, Japan, 2024 re-release, size: J B2, 20 x 29 inches.

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, Sweden, 27 x 39 inches, 2024.

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3. The Television version

* Picnic at Hanging Rock, Foxtel, 15 January 2018. The following posters are photoshop designs, being a mixture of photographic images from the film and backgrounds.