The Wicker Man (1973)
Universal DVD (region 4)
d. Robin Hardy; pr. Peter Snell; scr. Anthony Schaffer; ph. Harry Waxman; m. Paul Giovanni; ed. Eric Boyd-Perkins; cast. Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt (100 mins)
The troubled post-production history of this remarkable British genre-defying movie has contributed as much to its cult reputation as the merits of the film itself. Although praised by select critics on its original release, the film was rarely seen and almost never in the version intended by its director, Robin Hardy (in an astonishing debut feature). When Hardy’s final cut was presented to the studio, the new management had little faith in the movie and saw to it that it was trimmed by about 15 minutes and dumped into “low-end” British theatres without much fanfare. Taken up by a tax shelter group in America, who merely held it, the film then virtually disappeared from world view. With such a prolonged absence, its reputation started to grow and it became a talking point – considered the unseen masterpiece of British cinema. Soon, the people seeking it out were no longer confined to the fantasy-horror core cult fans but comprised film students, historians and even academics familiar with its reputation alone. However, all that was available for the curious were the various truncated versions; until some American enthusiasts managed to track down a complete release print. From this they were able to reconstruct the film and then finally re-release it. The re-release was something of a cinematic event, the re-discovery of a lost classic. Indeed, this director’s cut has restored to cinema one of its unique treasures.
Edward Woodward plays a strictly religious, chaste and staunchly moral Scottish police officer who one day receives an anonymous note concerning a possible missing girl on the remote Scottish island of Summerisle. A proud, dogmatic and arrogant man, he goes to this isolated island to investigate, piloting a small plane. Once there, he finds that the locals still practice the pagan religion and worship the Old Gods. His Christian sensibility is offended by the teachings, practices and what he considers the anti-Christian eroticism around him and he is increasingly resentful, even conflicted when this usually asexual man begins to feel erotic stirrings for a local barmaid (Britt Ekland), stirrings which deeply threaten his established faith. He continues to investigate and begins to suspect that the villagers are lying when they say they have not seen or heard of the girl. When he notices a missing photograph from the pub / rooming house, he begins to suspect some sort of a cover-up. Finally, he confronts Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) who explains to him the religious nature of the populace and their preparation for the upcoming May Day celebrations. Further outraged by this paganism, he does some research and slowly starts to suspect that the girl may have some horrible role to play in these upcoming celebrations, perhaps she may even be intended as some kind of human sacrifice. read more