Detailed item info | Movie description | 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.
| | Credits | | Producer: | Peter Snell | | Cast: | Aubrey Morris, Ingrid Pitt, Lindsay Kemp, Russell Waters |
| | Details | | Edition: | Limited Edition; Contains Both Versions in a Wooden Box | | Sound: | HiFi Sound, Stereo Sound, Surround Sound |
| | Notes | DVD Features:
Region 1
Custom Case
Two-Disc Set
Disc 1: American Theatrical Version of THE WICKER MAN
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85:1
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Surround - English
Additional Release Material:
Production Interview - 1. Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, and Ingrid Pitt - Stars
2. Robin Hardy - Director
3. Peter Snell - Producer
4. Anthony Shaffer - Screenwriter
5. Eric Boyd-Perkins - Editor
6. Seamus Flannery - Art Director
7. Jake Wright - Assistant Director
8. John Simon - US Distributor
9. Roger Corman - Filmmaker
Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer
2. TV Spots
3. Radio Spots
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus
Text/Photo Galleries:
Biographies
Disc Two: Uncut Version of THE WICKER MAN
Disc 1: American Theatrical Version of THE WICKER MAN
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85:1
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Surround - English
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus
The American theatrical version of the film runs between 85 and 95 minutes, and the full version of the film is 102 minutes long.
Film was produced in 1973, but not released until 1979.
Shot off the west coast of Scotland.
Original MPAA Rating: R
Other cast members include: Geraldine Cowper (Rowan Morrison); John Sharp (Dr. Hawthorn Ewan); Lindsay Kemp (Alder MacGregor); Aubrey Morris (Old Gardener/Gravedigger); John Hallam (PC); Russell Waters (Harbour Master), Roy Boyd (Broome); Ian Campbell (Oak); Walter Carr (School Master); Kevin Collins (Old Fisherman); Daisy (Leslie Mackie); Irene Sunter (May Morrison) and Donald Eccles (T. H. Lennox)
Originally released on video by Media Home Entertainment.
The film won the Grand Prize at the Third International Fantasy and Science Fiction Festival held in Paris in 1974.
Other credits include: Jimmy Devis (camera operator); Mike Drew (focus); Denis Whitehouse (assistant editor); Gary Carpenter (associate music editor); Masada Wilmot (wardrobe supervisor); Billy Partleton (makeup); Jan Dorman (hairdresser); Vernon Messenger (sound editor); Frank Law (publicist); John Brown (stills); Jilda Smith (location manager); Mike Cowans (unit manager) and Sue Merry (continuity).
| | Editorial reviews | "...It's a bleak, peculiar chiller -- erotic, eccentric and still shocking..."
Total Film - Daniel Webb (12/01/2003)
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..."
Uncut - Michael Bonner (10/01/2006)
"[M]ysterious, horrific, and thrilling..."
Widescreen Review - Widescreen Review Staff (02/01/2007)
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