The Wicker Man (1973)

Director:

Robin Hardy

Writer:

Anthony Shaffer (screenplay)

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 | Ale | Sex | Musical | Sergeant

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)

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:

Finland:K-16 (1983) (self applied) (video) | Finland:K-18 (2006) (DVD) | Iceland:16 | South Africa:(Banned) | 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:

Revealing mistakes: While Sgt Howie (dressed as Punch) is being chased by the women, you can see autumn leaves on the grass, though the story is set on the first of May.

Quotes:

[outside, several young girls are dancing naked over a fire]
Lord Summerisle: Good afternoon, Sergeant Howie. I trust the sight of the young people refreshes you.
Sergeant Howie: No sir, it does NOT refresh me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Coupling: The Cupboard of Patrick's Love (#1.6)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Gently Johnny

Exceptional but NOT a horror film

A police sergeant (Edward Woodward) goes to a remote island near Scotland hearing that a young girl is missing. When he gets there it seems no one has ever heard of her...and most say she never existed. He continues to search and the mystery gets deeper and deeper leading up to a very disturbing conclusion.

I saw this during it's theatrical reissue in 1980--it was the cut 88 minute version. I was disappointed. It was advertised as a horror film and the edited version leaves gaping plot holes. I just saw the extended version on the DVD and loved it!

For one thing, as I said, it is NOT a horror film. I went in expecting that and didn't get it. It's actually a thriller with strong religious and sexual overtures. There's WAY too much to get into about the religious views in this film, and the sexual element is STRONG! There's a whole circle of nude young women dancing around a fire, and an exceptional sequence in which a very erotic song is sung by a nude Britt Ekland. The mystery itself is fascinating but I really got caught up in the religious and social aspects presented in this film. Credit writer Anthony Shaffer for his script.

Also the acting is great on all counts. Woodward deserves credit for playing such an unlikable character--and STILL getting you to sympathize with him! Also Hammer stars Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt (whose part is brutally reduced in the short version) are just great! For one thing it's interesting to see them playing fairly "normal" people (instead of vampires) and they give out excellent performances. Lee especially is enjoying himself--he did the film for free! To this day he said it's his best movie--he's right.

An excellent, haunting thriller but it might be too much for some people. There's next to no blood or violence, but I do know some people who just found the ending a bit too much to handle. Still, it's a definite must-see.

A deserved cult classic.