Originally released in 1975, Peter Weir's third feature film has long been considered a modern cinematic classic, often discussed in hushed, awed tones replete with exclamations and declarations of genius. For many fans, efforts to see this masterpiece have proven futile in recent years - the video release of the film was halted many years ago, and many rental copies have suffered from wear and tear to the extent that they are no longer usable. Now, hot on the heels of the success of "The Truman Show", Weir has had the opportunity to return to "Picnic at Hanging Rock", and the film is now being re-released in the Director's Cut, which has had seven minutes excised from it in order to tighten the proceedings onscreen. This same version will also be released on home video in the Fall of this year.

More than two decades after it was universally hailed by critics and audiences, "Picnic at Hanging Rock" remains one of those films for which words like "haunting", "mesmerizing", "beautiful", "hypnotic" and other such adjectives were invented. The film is premised upon a deceptively simple tale about a group of Australian schoolgirls who go for a picnic at the titular rock on Valentine's Day 1900. For reasons mysterious and ominous, two schoolgirls and a school mistress disappear and are never heard from again. Purportedly based on a true incident, the screenplay by Cliff Green, working from a novel by Joan Lindsay, has the mystery at its heart, but takes many dark and interesting tangents along the way to delve into the minds, motives and madness of the many individual lives forever changed by the girls' disappearance. There's Mrs Appleyard (Rachel Roberts), the headmistress who sees the incident as a mere economic ruination of her school. There's also Mademoiselle Dianne de Portiers (Helen Morse), the coquettish French schoolmarm who shared a special bond with the girls. And there is Sara (Margaret Nelson), who was in love with Miranda (Anne Lambert), the most alluring of the missing of trio. A young British lord and his manservant (Dominic Guard and John Jarratt) are also drawn into the intricate web of events as tensions mount within the town.

From the opening shot of Hanging Rock, lovingly framed by cinematographer Russell Boyd, accompanied by the strains of the pan flute played by Gheorghe Zamfir, the film sets its elegant, restrained tone, which nevertheless is creepy and unnerving to the extreme in its quietness and repression. Boyd's camera is one of the film's greatest assets as it not only captures the rural scenery of Australia, but somehow manages to make all that natural beauty seem simultaneously dangerous and inviting. His expert lensing also heightens the effectiveness of Weir's direction, ably supporting the director's vision of barely contained sexual hysteria and confusion amidst an outwardly ordered society. Weir also assembled an astounding cast, all of whom are uniformly excellent. The stand-out performers include Helen Morse, who affects a delicate accent and who manages to capture her character's personality in a small handful of scenes. Dominic Guard and John Jarratt also play off each other very successfully in their scenes together, and each individually brings a much needed jolt of nervous tension to the screen as the only male characters of note in the film. Most captivating of all is Anne Lambert - her Miranda is the heart and soul of the mystery and the film, and it is a testament of both her capabilities and Weir's direction that Miranda will be the lingering memory as you leave the cinema even though she barely appears in the film.

Ultimately, the film offers many more questions than it attempts to answer, but rather than frustrate, this becomes the film's central attraction. Much like Weir's superb but overlooked "Fearless", "Picnic at Hanging Rock" is that rare film that is emotionally moving, cerebrally challenging and powerfully compelling all at once. Don't miss it this time.