Tags
1970's, Britt Ekland, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Edward Woodward, Horror, Ingrid Pitt, Mystery, Robin Hardy, The Wicker Man
Film Title
The Wicker Man
Director
Robin Hardy
Starring
- Edward Woodward as Sergeant Neil Howie
- Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle
- Britt Ekland as Willow MacGregor
- Diane Cilento as Miss Rose
- Ingrid Pitt as the Librarian
A seminal work of British horror, The Wicker Man stands as an unusual and highly chilling film cloaked in mystery, eroticism and spellbinding strangeness.
Sergeant Neil Howie journeys to the island of Summerisle, located in the Hebrides. He is there to investigate the disappearance of a young girl by the name of Rowan Morrison. Yet upon his arrival on the island, many of the townsfolk deny knowledge of the young girl ever existing. Howie, a devout Christian, is further appalled by the Pagan beliefs of the residents and is in full dismay of their liberated activities such as copulating in fields, children learning about phallic symbols in school and worshiping God’s of nature. An immediate clash of ideas becomes very apparent as Howie discovers proof that there was a Rowan Morrison and that the various tales from the uncooperative folk are merely to put him off the scent of something sinister. Continuing his search, he comes up against opposition in the form of Lord Summerisle, an oily but charismatic leader of the people and is teased by the seductive Willow, the daughter of the landlord of the inn Howie stays in while investigating the increasingly strange and very mysterious case. This battle of beliefs ultimately sets in motion the build up to a horrifying climax on the May Day celebrations as a result of Howie’s unwillingness to accept the islanders way of thinking.
The first thing to notice about The Wicker Man is that while it is a horror film, it is one of the atypical variety. Instead of senseless gore and blood flowing, it relies on the horror of the things unfamiliar to us and the unusual customs of the islanders. From the very beginning, we can see that the beliefs of the townsfolk are somewhat different from anything we’ve seen before. This also helps with the clash of religions that becomes very apparent with the arrival of Howie, whose obstinate belief in God makes him unable to accept any other belief whatsoever. The fact that The Wicker Man is set predominately during the daytime also adds to the eeriness of the piece, as it is the time when most people feel safe and free from harm. By setting most of the film in daylight, director Robin Hardy has added an extra layer of eccentricity to an already bizarre but enthralling mysterious branch of horror. Hardy perfectly paces The Wicker Man as a slow burning horror, that doesn’t rely on jump scares or flowing of blood, but instead gradually rises up with mystery and creepiness towards an unforgettable climax that will linger for a long time in the memory of viewers. There is a lyrical eye to detail throughout this film that captures the stunning scenery of the island, but basks it in an enigmatic and spellbinding glow of something a lot more sinister beneath the surface. The extremely memorable folk score provided adds another touch of hypnotizing glory to The Wicker Man, bringing us the beliefs of the people and nature yet also filling the songs and various lilting lullabies with symbolism and bristling eroticism.
Edward Woodward excellently plays the pious Howie, whose investigation is complicated by the islander’s evasive attitude and his disturbance at seeing their various beliefs that are at odds with his cloistered doctrines. In a sense, Howie is our eyes and ears at bringing us the unusual beliefs of the people and exposing his obstinate attitude towards them. Woodward is wonderfully effective in the role and manages to make Howie a complex character to watch. Christopher Lee is perfectly cast as Lord Summerisle, and he imbues the island leader with charm, witty intelligence and underlying menace. Britt Ekland brings slinky sex appeal to the role of the libidinous Willow, whose erotic singing and dancing in the nude in an attempt to lure the virginal Howie into her carnal bed represents one of the more sensual and bizarre highlights of the picture. Diane Cilento and Ingrid Pitt bring enigmatic life to their characters of school teacher/ priestess and evasive librarian.
Unusual, provocative and altogether an unforgettable experience, The Wicker Man is a film that will haunt your dreams from its interesting opening to jaw-dropping finale.
beetleypete said:
A British classic, and one of my favourites from the 1970s. Perhaps Woodward’s best role, and as mad as anything as a story. Pagan rituals, nudity, and wanton sex. It feels like a Hammer film in every way, but of course, it’s not. Ekland looks nice, but they should have used someone who could act as well, that might have helped.
What does help is that it’s written by Shaffer, who also worked on ‘Sleuth’, ‘Frenzy’, ‘Sommersby’, and lots of Agatha Christie adaptations. In case any readers are unaware, it was remade in 2006 in America, starring Nicholas Cage. Don’t bother with that though.
Regards from Norfolk. Pete.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks Pete, a classic indeed. I agree with you about the remake, it was just awful and frankly unneeded.
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adamlaredo said:
I’ve always been about two minds of Wicker Man. One the one hand, I don’t love it. Sometimes it almost seems as if its some sort of American, anti-hippie, anti-pagan propaganda film by the same people who brought you Reefer Madness. One the other hand, you’re right about its unique qualities: no big scares, mostly done in daytime, sexuality explored in a way you don’t see it in most other horror flicks. It’s an odd mix and sets a tone that, again, you just don’t get anywhere else. In other words, while Wicker Man is never going to be one of my favorites, it’s definitely a rewarding movie experience. Nice post.
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vinnieh said:
I appreciate your thoughts, you make some very interesting points there that I’d never considered before. Great to hear from you.
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thecreativefoxden said:
I never actually watched this version, though I’m sad to say I watched the remake. That was a mistake. I will definitely be giving this a try. Great review!
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vinnieh said:
Definitely watch the original, it’s worth it.
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thecreativefoxden said:
I will for sure, I’m actually disappointed with myself for not having seen it already. It’s just one of those movies that slipped through the cracks.
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vinnieh said:
I look forward to hearing about your opinion on the movie, if you get round to seeing it.
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vinnieh said:
Have you checked out my naughty post today?
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thecreativefoxden said:
Haha! Yes. The Hemsworths have some good genes 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Indeed they do!
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The Telltale Mind said:
Great movie and a true classic!
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vinnieh said:
Well said man.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I completely agree! A true classic😌
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vinnieh said:
You’ve got excellent taste in movies, love talking to you as you have such an eclectic taste.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Aww! Thanks Vinnie! ! I’m like that with books too. Sort of all over the place, you know?😱 You, Eric, and Emma have introduced me to so many movies I haven’t tried though! I’d be living a very dull life without the three of you😕
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vinnieh said:
Aww thanks for the compliments, Eric and Emma are fantastic blogging buddies as well as you.
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jennifromrollamo said:
I rented this movie years ago and let my visiting in-laws watch it with me. We didn’t know what we were getting into! A strange film but well-done. I just wish the ending was far different than what actually was filmed.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, it is a very bizarre and unusual film that really doesn’t play by any genre rules.
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Dude the cleaner said:
I like the original one. The 1973 one With Christopher lee. That as one of a hell of a movie. But the remake I could not stand it.
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vinnieh said:
The original is as you say the best, I don’t know what they were thinking of when they decided to remake it.
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Veronika Zakonjšek said:
So happy to see this cult classic reviewed here! This is one of my favourite British films and it absolutely deserves more recognition. I hope this review will inspire some people who haven’t seen it yet to give it a try. 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Appreciate your lovely words, I too hope that it inspires people to seek out the movie. It truly is a cult classic that has so many amazing elements to it.
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emmakwall said:
Excellent and solid review Vinnie 🙂
This is a British horror we are proud of!!!!!!!
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vinnieh said:
Exactly, when us Brits really get our minds on the game in horror, we can produce some amazing results.
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emmakwall said:
Certainly can!! 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Brit Horror is really cool, well most of it that is.
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emmakwall said:
We could find a few clangers if we wanted to 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Very true Emma.
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Renlau Outil said:
You know they actually used a body double for Ekland’s ‘nude’ scenes? Or at least, that’s what I heard.
The Wicker Man is a wonderful wacky film. One of those great British films of the period – Performance and Get Carter are another pair that spring to mind.
While we’re on the subject of blasts from the past… I’ve refreshed my blog today with a long piece about movies, cinemas, nostalgia, what it feels like to find in the dark.
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vinnieh said:
I had heard about the body double thing as well, thanks for commenting here.
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theipc said:
Great post!
Killing me won’t bring back your apples!!!
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vinnieh said:
Thanks Eric, that’s such a good line.
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Abbi said:
I’d like to see this. I have only seen the remake with Nicolas Cage and it’s one of the worst films I have ever seen.
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vinnieh said:
Definitely see it Abbi, this is the best. The remake was completely needless and so so bad.
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mikeladano said:
Man I love this review! You captured a lot about what I love about The Wicker Man. FIlming in daylight…you know it never really occurred to me that 90% of this film takes place during the day. An interesting observation. Location shooting, especially a location like this, deserves to be seen au naturale!
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vinnieh said:
It just always struck me that a lot of it was done in daylight, which is rare for a horror film as most favour nighttime. There is something so interesting about all the influences and things this movie conjured up. Au Naturale you say?
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mikeladano said:
Of the images, I find the masks especially cool. Bizarre and slightly chilling. And the children’s songs and classroom scene…a layer of normalcy over something completely bizarre and horrifying!
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vinnieh said:
Yes, what unusual masks they were. The song around the maypole was certainly chilling in a strange sort of way. But the song I remember most is Willow’s song.
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