Picnic At Hanging Rock: Character Analysis

Acting is a vital tool utilised to establish character used in ’Picnic at Hanging Rock’ to bring alive the divine, the norm and the traditional. In Sara’s case the combination of her timid and quiet tone, slow pace and her lack of hand gestures/ general movement, small presence and stiff posture aid to create a character that is quite average - a reserved yet eerie character. In comparison Miranda is described as a very different sort of person - she has a calming quiet voice that still demands attention, speaks with an advanced vocabulary and in a high pitched tone, with her movements, as graceful as her words and her concentrative facial expression, the combination helps to construct her as an intelligent, powerful and majestic character.
Finally, Mrs Appleyard’s authoritative and ‘proper’ character is shown through verbal techniques like her sophisticated and carefully chosen words, strong tone and through non-verbal ways such as her composed features and body language, rigid posture and commanding presence.
Mise-en-scene is another effective way filmmakers have presented Miranda - freedom, Sara - the outcast, and Mrs Appleyard - the controller. We see in the female student’s costume the colour white and very constricting clothing such as corsets, reflecting the idealisation of purity and conservative views society places on their gender, although the two students Miranda and Sara wear the uniform very differently. Miranda choses to release herself from them psychically, showing the freeness of her character - her transformation from typical angelic beauty to something that is more naturally divine - while Sara’s uniform is adorned with dark articles of clothing, such as her apron like piece, highlighting the outcast, orphan and
strangeness of her. Mrs Appleyard willingly replicates these traditions of 1900’s society - clothing meant to confine and create a straight and proper facade, wearing corsets, long dresses and carefully brushed hair. Although this facade of Mrs Appleyard slowly crumbles, her clothing choices getter darker, and her previously perfectly styled hair and make-up becomes messy, as she morns and becomes increasingly dependant on alcohol. Lighting is also used to separate characters’ personalities - while Miranda is bathed in sunlight and beautiful warm tones representing her otherworldly and enchanting qualities, Sara often gets scenes filled with unflattering or slightly darker lighting to illustrate how unremarkable she is. Mrs Appleyard is often partly shown in shadows giving her a menacing and powerful atmosphere - but implies she’s hiding something from the ‘cold light of day’, which is her obsessive desire for dominating regulation and non-existent answers, ultimately leading to her depressive and drunken descent.

Both previous mentioned techniques are once again implemented to engage viewers in the tension and unconventional bonds between Miranda, Sara and Mrs Appleyard.
The relationship between Sara and Miranda is obsessive but loving, with Sara having a unhealthy co-dependance on Miranda. Sara’s loving looks thrown to Miranda, how she adoringly listens to Miranda’s words like gospel, and how dedicates the majority of her time to Miranda. The same sentiment is shown as Sara builds a shrine to Miranda with her pictures and belongings, and writes a poem for her on valentines day. Sara and Mrs Appleyard have quiet the opposite relationship though filled with a more undoubtably obvious conflict of character - between a stern authority figure and her kindling rebellious student. In a scene, Sara is made to remember and recite poetry by Mrs Appleyard but fails to do so correctly refusing to do as her principal has said - facing Mrs Appleyard with calculated words with forced effort, her back straight, and not making any eye contact with the offending poetry book. Mrs Appleyard responds in her stern voice commanding Sara trying to reestablish control, yet gaining it wholly. Making Sara a psychical representation and scapegoat of Mrs Appleyard’s withering control over events and her students, for example them students/teachers leaving. Mrs Appleyard and Miranda’s relationship though may be the strangest of them all as they never have any direct interactions - but their clash of beliefs and
behaviour creates a unspoken tension between them. As mentioned before, Miranda is the personification of a seemingly unobtainable beauty and divinity through her release of society’s norms to embrace the natural - for example stripping herself of her constricting clothes and walking amount the ‘fearful’ or ‘dangerous’ bushland. Which causes a clash when compared to Mrs Appleyard - with her traditional hair and wardrobe, her intelligent vocabulary and controlled pace - representing old-fashioned and socially acceptable behaviour. This divide on screen is intentionally done to bring stubble attention to their different personalities.