A notoriously troubled production notwithstanding, the controversial cult classic THE WICKER MAN is now regarded as a classic of British cinema. Edward Woodward stars as Sergeant Howie, a naive young police officer sent to Summerisle, a secluded island off the coast of Scotland, to investigate the disappearance of a young girl named Rowan. When he arrives there, he finds a very tight-knit community that is mistrustful and hostile to outsiders. No one is willing to even acknowledge Rowan's disappearance. Soon, Howie begins to realize that the town might, in fact, be a strange pagan cult, one given to unbridled sexuality and possible human sacrifice. Seeking an audience with the oddly civilized Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), Howie hopes to get to the bottom of the mystery, but instead he finds something more shocking than he could have ever imagined.
Written by Anthony Shaffer (SLEUTH, DEATH ON THE NILE), Robin Hardy's eerie film paints a disturbing portrait of an almost prehistoric, multi-deity worshipping society given to bizarre rituals and Bacchanalian excess. Though recognition may have been a long time coming, THE WICKER MAN stands as a strikingly original achievement that is equal parts horror, drama, comedy, and musical.
Off the coast of Scotland, the natives of a small island owned and run by a Lord Summerisle, immerse themselves in a religion based on pagan rites and rituals, totally antithetical to Catholic dogma. When a devout Christian police sergeant from the mainland comes to the island to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a local 12-year-old girl, he stirs up hatred and resentment among the locals to such an extent that for their annual May Day celebrations, to insure the crops don't fail for a second year in a row, he becomes their target to appease the heathen goddess of the harvest.
The American theatrical version of the film runs between 85 and 95 minutes, and the full version of the film is 102 minutes long.
THE WICKER MAN was produced in 1973, but not released until 1979.
Filmed on location off the west coast of Scotland.
The film won the Grand Prize at the Third International Fantasy and Science Fiction Festival held in Paris in 1974.
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo - English
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English
Closed Caption - English
Additional Release Material:
Interview - THE WICKER MAN ENIGMA: Cast & Crew Interviews
Trailer - Theatrical Trailer
TV Spot
Radio Spots
Text/Photo Galleries:
Talent Bios
Additional Products:
Gold Foil Title & Embossed Ocard
Disc 2: Extended Version Features:
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Audio Commentary - New Commentary with Robin Hardy - Director; Christopher Lee - Actor; Edward Woodward - Actor; Mark Kermode - Moderator
Additional Footage - 11 Minutes of Rarely Seen Footage
Director of Photography
Harry Waxman: British Director Of Photography
Review 1:
"...It's a bleak, peculiar chiller -- erotic, eccentric and still shocking..."
Source: Total Film
p.52 12/01/2003
Review 2:
3 stars out of 5 -- "Much of the film's enduring appeal lies with its ending, and screenwriter Anthony Shaffer finds plenty to play with in pitting Christianity against an older religion..."
Source: Uncut
p.157 10/01/2006
Review 3:
"[M]ysterious, horrific, and thrilling..."
Source: Widescreen Review
p.71 02/01/2007
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