The Wicker Man [Blu-ray]

This review is for the 88 minute version of the film. It is not patched together from outtakes, but the film as it appeared in its U.S. theatrical release. I have also seen the longer version on an ancient VHS tape, the additional 12 minutes or so do provide additional background regarding Sgt. Howie, plus the events of the film are added to and reordered so as to cover one more day and evening on the island, plus there are some extra verses in some of the songs. Having seen both I feel that this version of the film stands on its own. Admittedly, I'm not sure why those 12 minutes were trimmed for the U.S. theatrical release, but I don't feel it is worth the price of the box set to view them. The Wicker Man is less a horror film, regardless of the claims on the packaging, and more of a suspenseful mystery. Summoned to a remote Scottish island to investigate the reported disappearance of a young girl, Sgt. Howie (Edward Woodward) becomes convinced that something is not right, but cannot at first determine exactly what it is. As he questions the villagers, every answer seems contradictory, which only makes him more curious and more determined to get to the bottom of the situation. The villagers are led by Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), who is quite cheerful and upfront, while still being evasive. As the story develops, we see two belief systems contrasted, conservative Christianity as practiced by Sgt Howie, and the pagan "Old Religion" of the islanders. It eventually becomes apparant that several generations previously, the island had completely abandoned the Christian religion, and gone back to the practice of the worship of nature spirits and gods of the elements, etc. As part of their worship of nature, the islanders have a very unrestrained view of sexuality, which Sgt Howie views as simply scandalous, and causes him some tension when Willow (Britt Ekland), the daughter of the local innkeeper tries to seduce him. Her completely naked singing and dancing may cause tension of a sort in some viewers as well. There was admittedly a body double used for some parts of this sequence, but a great deal of it is Britt herself, and she looks wonderful. This sequence alone could have been responsible for the film receiving an R rating. Ingrid Pitt appears as the local librarian and she also has a brief nude scene in a bathtub. In conversations between Sgt Howie, Lord Summerisle and others, some very interesting similarities between the the religion of the islanders and traditional Christianity are highlighted. On his way to Lord Summerisles estate, Sgt Howie witnesses some local girls jumping over a Beltane fire. Lord Summerisle explaines that the ritual is to insure fertility and appease the god of fire, by whom the girls hope to conceive a child. When Sgt Howie protests that this is blasphemy and poor biology, Lord Summerisle reminds him of the Christian account of Jesus as being "born of a virgin, who was herself impregnated by a ghost". In another scene, when Sgt Howie attempts to council the schoolteacher Miss Rose (Diane Cilento) that her education of her female pupils is improper, the Pagan and Christian views regarding death and rebirth are compared, and shown to be largely different words for the same thing. The ending of the movie finally reveals the "Wicker Man" of the title, and once more, depicts a ritual which is the very foundation of the Christian belief system, but which Christians view as abhorrent outside of the Christian context. In this ritual, it is made apparant that Sgt Howie has become an alternative Jesus figure, chosen by the islanders because he is a virgin, because, as an officer of the law, he represents the King, and because he came of his free will (he flew the seaplane which brought him to the island himself). In a similar manner, Jesus was said to be a virgin, to represent the King of Heaven, and to have gone willingly to his sacrifice. Overall, the islanders seemed very happy and comfortable with their life style and sexuality. There appeared to be no guilt or shame associated with their practices, they just appeared to be healthy and happy people who enjoyed their bodies in a natural manner. Society in general would probably benefit by adopting such an honest and healthy attitude toward their sexuality, instead of claiming that sex was "original sin", thereby attaching shame and guilt to what should be joyful positive experiences. Generally, the movie painted a reasonable and for the most part, accurate picture of many pagan beliefs, especially regarding reincarnation and related matters. However, I am not aware of any modern pagan group which practices human sacrifice as shown in this film, even though in much earlier times this had been the case. Two centuries before Jesus, the Romans passed laws forbidding the practice anywhere within the Empire. It is plausible that the practice of human sacrifice continued outside the Empire, and Scotland was never under Roman rule.Of course, sacrifice of one particular human IS the foundation of the Christian faith as it is practiced today, although from the Roman perspective, Jesus was not sacrificed as atonement for sin, but executed as a criminal accused of stirring up people against the Roman government in Judea. Although human sacrifice had been outlawed 200 years previously, Christians of Jesus time were certainly familiar with animal sacrifice to Yahweh, held annually at the Temple in Jerusalem, and followers of Jesus continued the practice at least until the time of his death, if not longer. Taken as a whole, the Wicker Man is rather reminiscent of the better episodes of "The Twilight Zone" in that it is puzzling at first, with a growing sense of ominous dread which builds as the story unfolds. In addition, the film causes viewers to think about their beliefs, and ask questions such as:What makes a religion "true"?Why is human sacrifice, even one time, to the Christian god acceptable, but not to other gods?How does the viewer feel about a god who is appeased by sacrifice?What if the situation were reversed, that is, what if the primary religion of our culture was the pagan nature religion, and the movie was about a small cult on an island who sacrificied a man on a cross to make things right with their god?Would we then view that ceremony in the same way as we now view the ritual involving the wicker man?Would a small "wicker man" made of precious metal adorn the necklaces or hang from the rearview mirrors of hundreds of millions of people?Would the title of this film then have been "The Crucifix"? I found this to be a thought-provoking and completely absorbing film, well worth seeing.

It's ridiculous how much I, as an American, learned about British neo-paganism from The Wicker Man, or indirectly from various references to it. Ridiculous, because it paints them in a very critical, sensationalized light, as you would expect from mainstream Christian culture (the same people who think Harry Potter is out to teach your children witchcraft and sorcery...), while retaining a few threads of their actual beliefs which are, after all, presented with all sincerity by the characters.We're meant to see just how frightening and terrible the heathens are. They sing, dance, unabashedly practice sex education... and far worse! But it's a horror movie, after all, they're allowed some leeway when it comes to historical/cultural accuracy. Never mind that what we actually *do* know about such practices in the ancient world is clouded by the agendas of their conquerors (be they Roman soldiers or Christian missionaries).Still, I think it should be required viewing for those of neo-pagan/wiccan/druid persuasion, not only to see how mainstream culture views their beliefs, but also to potentially learn about some traditions which they might not be aware of. "The Golden Bough" was a major influence on the film, and although it no longer holds a high reputation in scholarly circles (perhaps due to the pervasive, condescending colonial perspective of Victorian England, and strong preference for grotesque caricatures over plain fact), it's a similarly entertaining TOME of ancient lore. If you find yourself intrigued by the practices shown in this movie, I direct you there for more than enough examples to satisfy your curiosity.Interestingly one of the few horror movies where I identify more with the "bad guys" than the good guy. He's annoyingly meddlesome, narrow-minded, and uptight. Couldn't he relax a bit? Have a drink, chat with the lovely barmaid. The pagans simply want to enjoy life and make babies on their pleasant isle, while being left alone, is that so bad? But no, Mr. Policeman has to wage his little one-man crusade and turn it all upside-down. To save their souls or die trying, as it were. But the inhabitants have their own dark agenda in which he plays a central role...No review of this movie could be complete without discussing the music, which is honestly fantastic. If you enjoy folk music, particularly contemporary and neofolk, then you partly owe this film a debt of gratitude. The Wicker Man's place as part of an ongoing cultural/spiritual revival is worth more (IMO) than its place as pure entertainment. And that's why I can easily give it 5 stars.

Es una gran película de cine clásico, se pasa rápida, es muy dinámica a pesar de su duración ( el metraje original era más largo, se perdió, aún no se ha encontrado) la película tiene un gran final ....

Un clásico. Todos los trabajos posteriores de folk horror beben de este gran filme. Tiene subtitulos en español

Fantastic film and quality of the DVD!

I have received the Blu-ray. Thank you very much.

This my all time favourite, a classical film in the genre of British film-making. Christopher Lee excels as Lord Summerisle, and all the cast play their roles to perfection. Much credit must go to Edward Woodward for making his role as Sgt. Howie so believable. One can scarcely believe the tiny budget which produced this very powerful film. The setting on the Western Isles of Scotland provides the perfect backdrop to the central Pagan theme of the movie, of regeneration of the natural land spirit. Again, a classical film and one which I love to watch again and again!