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The Wicker Man (Two-Disc Special Edition) 
Actors : Juliet Cadzow, Ian Campbell, Walter Carr, Diane Cilento, Michael Cole
Studio : Starz / Anchor Bay
by Starz / Anchor Bay
Release Date : 2006-12-19
Publisher : Starz / Anchor Bay
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 2
EAN : 0013131507799
UPC : 013131507799
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 284 reviews)
List Price : $19.97
Our Price : $9.60
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Description |
Special 2 - Disc Collectors edition of the Original movie filmed in 1973. Released to coincide with the release of the 2006 Wicker Man starring Nicholas Cage. Features:
Extended version with 11 minutes of additional footage
Theatrical Version
Brand new audio commentary with director Robin Hardy, actors Christopher
Liee and Edward Woodward and moderator Mark Kermonde |
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Americancivilwar.com |
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Typically categorized as a horror film, The Wicker Man is actually a serious and literate thriller about modern paganism, written by Anthony Shaffer (Sleuth) with a deft combination of cool subjectivity and escalating dread. (Despite this promising directorial debut, British filmmaker Robin Hardy didn't make another film until The Fantasist, a little-seen thriller released in 1986.) We're introduced to the friendly but mysterious residents of Summerisle (located off the west coast of Scotland), where the isolated community enacts rituals that seem, at first, to be merely unconventional. When called in to investigate an anonymous tip about a missing child, mainland police sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) is treated as an outsider, and the ominous Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) has the inside advantage. As the repressed policeman is taunted by the island's sensuous atmosphere, his investigation leads to increasingly disturbing implications. With phallic symbols and soothing music at every turn, Summerisle is a pleasant haven for those who perform the pagan rituals of Lord Summerisle's maverick ancestors. These earthy ceremonies are presented with alluring authenticity, and the island's tempting eroticism is fully expressed by the landlord's daughter (Britt Ekland), who fills Howie with barely suppressed carnal desire. (Sirens took a comedic approach to a similar situation in 1994.) And yet the mystery of the missing girl remains, with clues that hint at a darker reality beneath the colorful local customs. When that reality is ultimately discovered, Howie becomes the crucial element in the islanders' most elaborate ritual, which is where the film's title comes into play. It may not be horror, but it is horrific, and this makes The Wicker Man an unforgettable film. --Jeff Shannon |
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Not for Everyone |
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If you are into Freddie Krueger, Leatherface or Jason ... this movie probably is not for you (though I could be wrong). Basically this a story of the conflict between Christianity (represented by Edward Woodward's SGT Howie) and Paganism (represented by Christopher Lee's Lord Summerisle and the people of his island). Sometimes called the "Citizen Kane" of horror movies, it isn't really a horror film at all. In some ways THE WICKER MAN defies labels. It isn't quite a horror film and it isn't completely a psychological thriller. It isn't simply a conflict between old religion/new religion. It is all of them and something more. It is strange and erotic at the same time. Sex is a major theme or perhaps more rightly, reproduction. That is the core of the conflict and the reason for SGT Howie, ultimately, coming to Summerisle -- though he does not know it at the time. Woodward and Lee are standout as is Diane Cilento. Rod Stewart once tried to buy the negative of this movie to have it destroyed -- it featured his then girlfriend Brit Eklund in a nude dance. To appreciate this movie you really do have to view it more than once. The extended version works better in my view. |
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Where is the AUDIO COMMENTARY? |
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It is listed on the backcover, but nowhere to be seen on any of the two discs. What the heck? |
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Much Better--Less Cagey |
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I wasted an afternoon when the newer version came out. Nicholas Cage was not enough to salvage it. When I read that Christopher Lee said that the original Wicker Man was his favorite of all the movies that he had made, I rented it. The original version is sinister where the sequel is pityingly laughable. The songs, which were a bit distracting the first time, became assets on subsequent viewings. (like the piano piece from The Bad Seed) |
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Chilling Tale with Too Simple Morality **SPOILERS** |
I don't know... I liked watching this movie, but did not fall in love with it, as it appears I should have done based on the majority of other reviews, here.
A couple of items in The Wicker Man left me cold. In the first place, I found myself roughly sympathetic to the "pagan" islanders throughout the film. Not knowing ahead of time what the conclusion would be, I kept hoping that the police officer would ultimately come to realize that they hadn't done anything wrong at all (nor were planning to) -- that he would be shown to be rude, blustery, and offensive for having barged his way into their lives, and tried to force upon them his own morality. That the "Christian soldier" would realize that there are potentially good things to be learned from those outside of his own faith. But no, it turns out he was essentially right all along, and just didn't have the man power to shut down what should have been shut down. The pagans turn out to be as wicked as he'd thought they were. That was disappointing.
In the second place, I didn't like how, in the end, the police officer becomes such a vociferous advocate of his faith... it seems to make the film a conflict between Christian and Pagan beliefs, with Christianity (naturally) riding with the morally-pure hero. But the truth is that the majority of the film really has nothing to do with either accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ -- the plot could just as easily have been a Christian group being invaded by a Pagan authority. The islanders weren't villainous because they didn't believe in Christ... they were villainous because they wanted to sacrifice a human being against his will. But, the movie didn't seem to realize that, and seems to ultimately agree with our bigoted hero that being Christian = good, and being other-than-Christian = evil.
Finally, (and I know it's probably a mistake to look to closely at this for plot holes, etc., but...) it seems bizarre to me that the police officer could have thwarted the entire plot (and thus ruined their May Day plans, and future harvest), by simply giving in to the sexual advances of the hot, blond Landlord's daughter. That just... doesn't track to me, for whatever reason.
Other than those slight philosophical disappointments, The Wicker Man was a decent film to watch. It was well-acted, and there were a few times I felt genuinely uneasy. The town had something of the surrealistic and sinister feel of the Village from The Prisoner. Christopher Lee is magnificent (as usual) as the antagonistic Lord Summerisle. Defying pure category, the movie incorporates aspects of a musical, and does it well. It's pretty to look at, and the finale is appropriately stunning and horrific.
Not as thoughtful as I wanted it to be -- it contents itself with pre-packaged, mainstream morality when it had the opportunity to extend slightly beyond such -- but good fare nonetheless. Three and a half stars, rounded up to four.
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I think I got the wrong version... |
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I have been looking forward to seeing this movie for ages, so my expectations may had been a bit high. I thought the acting, singing, and atomsphere were great, and it was very unsettling. I hope to get the director's cut, because I know that watching it could turn my like into love. After seeing this movie, I can see why everyone hated the Wickerman remake. |
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