NOTE: The below Blu-ray and 4K UHD captures were taken directly from the respective discs.

ADDITION: Criterion 4K UHD (April 2024): Criterion have also released Peter Weir's "Picnic at Hanging Rock" to 4K UHD. An opening screen states "The original camera negative of Picnic at Hanging Rock deposited at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia was scanned at 4K resolution using an Arriscan XT by The Grainery, Australia.
It was restored in 4K by The Grainery, USA and Fixafilm, Poland.
It was graded in HDR by Gosia Grzyb with the supervision and approval of director of photography Russell Boyd and director Peter Weir." Criterion also advertise the transfer as a "New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Peter Weir and director of photography Russell Boyd". This package has one 4K UHD disc of the film presented in HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features. The Blu-ray is the same released by Criterion in 2014 as evidenced by date of the M2TS files:

NOTE: We compared eight digital editions of the film (DVD and Blu-rays) HERE.

So, Second Sight's 2160P is from the same source. I would say the Criterion still has waxi-ness but it is noticeably less than the UK edition. This may be because Criterion have only transferred only the Director's Cut of the film and it has a significantly loftier bitrate than their UK counterpart - approaching 50% higher. For me, the Criterion looks better - less digitized - which we can now presume of a function of the restoration. It is slightly fainter but this wasn't overly noticeable in my viewing - it was more about not being quite as waxy as the UK presentation that once you see you can't "un-see".

It is likely that the monitor you are seeing this review is not an HDR-compatible display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider and notably granular range of color and light. Our capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more 4K UHD titles in the future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the 4K system at your home. But the framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by this simulation representation.

NOTE: 20 more more full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K UHD captures, in lossless PNG format, for Patrons are available HERE

We have reviewed the following 4K UHD packages recently: I Am Cuba (no HDR), The Demoniacs , The Nude Vampire (software uniformly simulated HDR), Nostalghia (no HDR), Werckmeister Harmonies (software uniformly simulated HDR), Goin' South (software uniformly simulated HDR), La Haine (software uniformly simulated HDR,) All Ladies Do It (software uniformly simulated HDR), Old Henry  (software uniformly simulated HDR), To Die For (software uniformly simulated HDR), Snapshot (software uniformly simulated HDR), Phase IV (software uniformly simulated HDR), Burial Ground (software uniformly simulated HDR), Dark Water (software uniformly simulated HDR), Fear and Desire (software uniformly simulated HDR), Dr. Jekyll and the Werewolf (no HDR), Paths of Glory (software uniformly simulated HDR), Southern Comfort (software uniformly simulated HDR), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (software uniformly simulated HDR,) The Wages of Fear  (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Roaring Twenties (software uniformly simulated HDR), Universal Classic Monsters Limited Edition Collection (software uniformly simulated HDR), Scarlet Street (software uniformly simulated HDR), eXistenZ (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (software uniformly simulated HDR), Conan the Barbarian (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Django (no HDR), Lone Star  (software uniformly simulated HDR), Suspect Zero (software uniformly simulated HDR), Count Dracula (software uniformly simulated HDR), Full Circle - The Haunting of Julia (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Warriors  (software uniformly simulated HDR), Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (software uniformly simulated HDR), Blackhat (software uniformly simulated HDR), Mark of the Devil (software uniformly simulated HDR), Barbarella (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Last Picture Show (software uniformly simulated HDR).

The Criterion audio is a duplicate of the past Blu-ray - 5.1 surround in DTS-HD Master. Not many crisp separations - but quite robust - notable in the haunting Zamfir pan flute (I can't even look at the captures without hearing it in my head!). The piano and various classical offerings from Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and Tchaikovsky sound superlative. Criterion offers optional English (SDH) subtitles on the region FREE 4K UHD and region 'A'-locked Blu-ray disc.

There are no extras on the 4K UHD disc. Their Blu-ray from 2014 includes an extended, 25-minute, interview with Weir from 2003 where he discusses the production and enduring mystery of Picnic at Hanging Rock. There is a new piece on the making of the film, featuring interviews from 2003 with executive producer Patricia Lovell, producers Hal McElroy and Jim McElroy, and cast members. It runs over 1/2 an hour. Plus there is a new, 10-minute, introduction by film scholar David Thomson, author of The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. A Recollection . . . Hanging Rock 1900 is an on-set documentary, from 1975, hosted by Lovell and featuring interviews with Weir, actor Rachel Roberts, and source novel author Joan Lindsay. It runs 26-minutes but the source is not in ideal condition. Homesdale is an award-winning, 50-minute, black comedy by Weir made in 1971, described as "Guests arrive at an expensive private guest house on a remote island near Sydney. The guest house and weird activities, like theatre sports and orienteering, are run by a leery eccentric. One of the guests is a loner and the only way to fit in with the crowd is to participate in the questionable events. Some of the games border between comedy and horror - like the murder mystery" There is a long 4.5-minute trailer (also in less than ideal condition) and the package contains a booklet featuring an essay by author Megan Abbott and an excerpt from film scholar Marek Haltof’s 1996 book Peter Weir:

Peter Weir's hypnotic "Picnic at Hanging Rock" is a remarkable cinema achievement. The film is pure cinema establishing a distinctive character of a unique geological formation created over 6 million years ago - a former volcano - in central Victoria, Australia. It imbues powerful spiritual connection forces that hauntingly transcend time. "Picnic at Hanging Rock" is a unsettling mystery, a hypnotic dream that eerily lulls the viewer into a suggestive state to embrace the ambiguous fiction of the story of what happened that Valentine's Day in 1900... at that 'exact right time and place'. Like a painting, 'En plein air', in front of our eyes. In communicating with the natural world - sometimes we are only provided with vague answers... or none at all. Mood embracing Romanian Gheorghe Zamfir's panflute, Bach's Prelude No. 1 in C from The Well-Tempered Clavier performed by Hungarian pianist Jenő Jandó, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven... with the camera exploring the stone outcropping edifice and its labyrinth of mysterious alcoves, recesses and trails - puts the viewer in such a calm mesmerized state that we fatalistically accept the unresolved picnic disappearances - wanting answers but subconsciously aware that we will get none. There isn't even other cinema that I can compare to "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and its impressionistic impact. It is wrapped in themes of mysticism, death, adolescent femininity, innocence, secrecy, scandal, privilege, the unknown, nature's retributive power, time... The Criterion advances in terms of the video presentation - which may be enough for fans to double-dip - who already own the duplicated Blu-ray of extras.  

***

ADDITION: Second Sight 4K UHD (May 2023): Second Sight have released Peter Weir's "Picnic at Hanging Rock" to 4K UHD in both a limited edition and standard packages. It is described as a "A new Second Sight Films 4K scan and restoration from the original camera negative supervised and approved by Director Peter Weir and Director of Photography Russell Boyd." Both packages include 2 4K UHD discs (Director's and Theatrical Cuts) with HDR (High Dynamic Range.)  The "Limited Edition" includes 2 Blu-rays (making it a 4-disc set), soft-cover book, original novel, art cards etc. A screen prior to both films indicates:

"The original camera negative of Picnic at Hanging Rock deposited at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia was scanned at 4K resolution using an Arriscan XT by The Grainery, Australia.
It was restored in 4K by The Grainery, USA and Fixafilm, Poland.
It was graded in HDR by Gosia Grzyb with the supervision and approval of director of photography Russell Boyd and director Peter Weir."

The 2160P image has instances of digitization processing. Grain is not apparent and there is an unusual waxy softness (and flatness) to the visuals (see examples HERE and HERE.) On my system I wouldn't say these were easily discernable nor impinging on the presentation. Others, more sensitive to this, may not appreciate it. I didn't find the DNR was blanketed across the entire film. Both Director and Theatrical Cuts look similar (sample below.) Overall the image is mostly brighter, richer black levels and deeper colors. It has a glossiness less-present on the previous digital editions. We've compared some examples below. I had such a high levels of anticipation to see this in 4K UHD.

It is likely that the monitor you are seeing this review is not an HDR-compatible display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider and notably granular range of color and light. Our capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more 4K UHD titles in the future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the 4K system at your home. But the framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by this simulation representation.

NOTE: 16 more more full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K UHD captures, in lossless PNG format, for Patrons are available HERE

On their 4K UHD, Second Sight use a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) for the Director's Cut and the choice of DTS-HD Master mono or stereo for the Theatrical Cut. I found the surround equally as robust as the 2014 Criterion Blu-ray lossless 5.1. There are a few subtle, but impactful, separations. Synonymous with Peter Weir's "Picnic at Hanging Rock" is the, much-discussed, haunting Gheorghe Zamfir's pan flute (beautiful and an unforgettable facet of the film). It many be the best marriage of visuals and music in film. It exports pleasing depth and richness augmented by the piano and various classical offerings from Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and Tchaikovsky. Second Sight include offers optional English (SDH) subtitles - and is, like all 4K UHD, region FREE, playable worldwide. I don't have the Blu-rays but presume they are Region 'B'-locked.

The Theatrical Cut 4K UHD has more extras. A Lovely Day for a Picnic is a new dozen-minute interview with actor Karen Robson (Irma in Picnic at Hanging Rock) sharing her thoughts and recollections. Finding the Light is a new 10-minute interview with Director of Photography Russell Boyd (A Soldier's Story, The Last Wave.) Crashing Through Boundaries is a new 7-minute interview with Camera Operator John Seale. Something Beyond Explanation: Thomas Caldwell on Picnic at Hanging Rock runs 23-minutes discussing one of Australia's most distinctive startling, unusual, and perfect films approaching its 50th anniversary. There is a 1/4 hour archival interview with source-novel author Joan Lindsay - previously found on a Umbrella DVD and the behind-the-scenes documentary Recollection: Hanging Rock 1900 from 1975 produced and presented by Patricia Lovell which includes interviews with author Joan Lindsay, director Peter Weir, and key cast members including Rachel Roberts. It runs shy of 1/2 hour. There are curious Outtakes for over 12-minutes and the original long (5-minute) trailer.

The limited edition package has a rigid slipcase with new artwork by Thinh Dinh, a soft cover book with new essays by Daniel Bird, Kat Ellinger and Justine Smith, archive essay by Rebecca Harkins-Cross, Costume Gallery, feature on the original marketing of the film and the new restoration. Second Sight include the original novel and 6 collectors' art cards.

Gary Tooze