The Wicker Man (1973)

Director:

Robin Hardy

Writer:

Anthony Shaffer (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

June 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

From the writer of 'Frenzy & Sleuth' Anthony Shaffer's incredible occult thriller

Plot:

A police sergeant is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. Stranger still, however, are the rituals that take place there.

Plot Keywords:

Male Virgin | Animal Sacrifice | Sergeant | Foreskin | Sex

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Edward Woodward	...	Sergeant Howie
Christopher Lee	...	Lord Summerisle
Diane Cilento	...	Miss Rose
Britt Ekland	...	Willow
Ingrid Pitt	...	Librarian
Lindsay Kemp	...	Alder MacGreagor
Russell Waters	...	Harbour Master
Aubrey Morris	...	Old Gardener / Gravedigger
Irene Sunters	...	May Morrison (also as Irene Sunter)
Walter Carr	...	School Master
Ian Campbell	...	Oak
Leslie Blackater	...	Hairdresser
Roy Boyd	...	Broome
Peter Brewis	...	Musician
Barbara Rafferty	...	Woman with Baby (as Barbara Ann Brown)
Juliet Cadzow	...	Villager on Summerisle (as Juliette Cadzow)
Ross Campbell	...	Communicant
Penny Cluer	...	Gillie
Michael Cole	...	Musician
Kevin Collins	...	Old Fisherman
Gerry Cowper	...	Rowan Morrison (as Geraldine Cowper)
Ian Cutler	...	Musician
Donald Eccles	...	T.H. Lennox
Myra Forsyth	...	Mrs. Grimmond
John Hallam	...	P.C. McTaggert
Alison Hughes	...	Fiancée to Howie
Charles Kearney	...	Butcher
Fiona Kennedy	...	Holly
John MacGregor	...	Baker (as John Macgregor)
Jimmy MacKenzie	...	Briar (as Jimmy Mackenzie)
Lesley Mackie	...	Daisy (also as Leslie Mackie)
Jennifer Martin	...	Myrtle Morrison
Bernard Murray	...	Musician
Helen Norman	...	Villager on Summerisle
Lorraine Peters	...	Girl on Grave
Tony Roper	...	Postman
John Sharp	...	Doctor Ewan
Elizabeth Sinclair	...	Villager on Summerisle
Andrew Tompkins	...	Musician
Ian Wilson	...	Communicant
Richard Wren	...	Ash Buchanan
John Young	...	Fishmonger
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
S. Newton Anderson	...	Landers (uncredited)
Paul Giovanni	...	Musician (uncredited)
Robin Hardy	...	Minister (uncredited)

Directed by
Robin Hardy

Writing credits
Anthony Shaffer		(screenplay)
David Pinner		novel "Ritual" (uncredited)

Produced by
Peter Snell	....	producer

Original Music by
Paul Giovanni

Cinematography by
Harry Waxman		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Eric Boyd-Perkins

Casting by
Maggie Cartier

Art Direction by
Seamus Flannery

Costume Design by
Sue Yelland

Makeup Department
Jan Dorman	....	hair stylist
W.T. Partleton	....	makeup artist (as Billy Partleton)

Production Management
Mike Gowans	....	unit manager
Ted Morley	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jake Wright	....	assistant director
Brian W. Cook	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Vic Smith	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Richard Rambaut	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Robin Gregory	....	sound
Bob Jones	....	sound
Vernon Messenger	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Allwork	....	photography: second unit
John Brown	....	still photographer
James Devis	....	camera operator (as Jimmy Devis)
Mike Drew	....	focus puller
Ken Worringham	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Masada Wilmot	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Denis Whitehouse	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Gary Carpenter	....	associate musical director
Magnet	....	music performers

Other crew
Beryl Harvey	....	production secretary
Stewart Hopps	....	choreographer
Frank Law	....	publicist
Susanna Merry	....	continuity (as Sue Merry)
Jilda Smith	....	location manager
Craig Miller	....	marketing consultant (uncredited)
Annie Ross	....	dubbing voice: Britt Ekland (uncredited)

Production Companies

• British Lion Film Corporation (presents) (as British Lion)

Distributors

• British Lion Film Corporation (1973) (UK) (theatrical)
• National General Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Channel 4 Television Corporation (2001) (UK) (TV) (directors cut)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1986) (2003) (2005) (Finland) (TV)
• Media Home Entertainment (1978) (USA) (VHS)
• R-Video (1983) (Finland) (video)
• Studio Canal (2002) (UK) (video)
• SubTV (2005) (Finland) (TV)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• VTI Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1975) (USA)
• Warner Home Video
• Works Editora (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Anthony Shaffer's The Wicker Man (UK) (complete title)
The Wickerman (Europe: English title) (alternative spelling)
Covek od pruca (Serbia) [sr]
Dödlig skörd (Sweden) [sv]
Dieu d'osier, Le (Belgium: French title) [fr]
Gevlochten god, De (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Hombre de mimbre, El (Spain) [es]
Homem de Palha, O (Brazil) [pt]
Uhrijuhla (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

UK:100 min (2001 director's cut) | USA:88 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

South Africa:(Banned) | Finland:K-16 (1983) (self applied) (video) | Finland:K-18 (2006) (DVD) | Iceland:16 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Ireland:15 (re-rating) (2002) | Ireland:18 (original rating) | Norway:16 (1974) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2002) | UK:18 (video rating) (1990) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Burrow Head, Isle of Whithorn, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, UK

Company:

British Lion Film Corporation

Trivia:

Director Robin Hardy originally wanted Michael York for the role of Sgt. Howie. When it turned out he was unavailable, David Hemmings was considered before writer Anthony Shaffer and producer Peter Snell recommended Edward Woodward who had always been Snell's first choice to play the part.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sgt Howie is unable to start the plane, he calls the harbor master. While the harbor master is rowing back he calls out to Sgt Howie "What's the matter, won't she go?" Notice that when he begins this question he is nowhere near the plane, but as he is finishing the question, he is now alongside the plane.

Quotes:

Willow: Some things in their natural state have the most VIVID colors.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Iron Maiden: Visions of the Beast (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Corn Rigs

Chilling insight into ancient paganistic rituals, slightly chipped

The bizarre and chilling tale of a fool chosen to be king for a day.

The shocking denouement of this film has stayed with me for many years, far longer than scenes or images from more famous films. A classic of its kind, it deserves the re-release it will probably never get.

Superficially a mystery thriller, this intelligent and well researched story delves into the beliefs and rituals of Ancient Britain, its folk mythologies and music, and reveals some of the un-settling fears that lie at their root. Set on a remote Scottish Island and giving the appearance of being a Whisky Galore, Local Hero type community, there is yet something off-centre about the townspeople that Edward Woodward, as Sergeant Howie, has come to investigate. The presence of Christopher Lee as the eloquent, commanding Lord of the Isle, gives the film an insidiously creepy edge suggesting a Hammer Horror lurks around the next wee wall. He is perfect in the role.

The story un-folds like a cross between Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby, as the dogged Howie gets led all over town, up one blind alley and down another. Clues are dropped all the way about what is really going on, but we don't heed them. Until it's too late. Too late to walk away.

The standard video version runs for 85 minutes, cuts many important scenes and shows others out of sequence. A BBC version shown in 1998 ran around 95 minutes. The full version ran 102 minutes but I have never found it.

However, whilst uneven in parts and certainly flawed this is one of the most intelligent and interesting stories I have ever seen on film. See it yourself and you too will have many meetings with 'The Wicker Man', in your dreams, in the dark, where you cannot escape.