{"id":52668,"date":"2020-10-29T14:49:52","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T21:49:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=52668"},"modified":"2021-01-21T22:57:38","modified_gmt":"2021-01-22T05:57:38","slug":"wicker-man-the-1973","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=52668","title":{"rendered":"Wicker Man, The (1973)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;You simply don&#8217;t understand the true nature of sacrifice.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Poster-203x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-52687\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Poster-203x300.png 203w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Poster-694x1024.png 694w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Poster-87x128.png 87w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Poster-183x270.png 183w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Poster.png 757w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 203px) 100vw, 203px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA devout Christian detective (Edward Woodward) arrives on a Scottish island to locate a missing girl (Gerry Cowper), only to find that the Pagan locals &#8212; including Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), a schoolteacher (Diane Cilento), a librarian (Ingrid Pitt), the daughter (Britt Ekland) of the innkeeper, and the missing girl&#8217;s mother (Irene Sunter) &#8212; insist she never existed.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Britt Ekland Films<\/li>\n<li>Christopher Lee Films<\/li>\n<li>Cults<\/li>\n<li>Detectives and Private Eyes<\/li>\n<li>Horror<\/li>\n<li>Mysterious Disappearance<\/li>\n<li>Scottish Films<\/li>\n<li>Sexuality<\/li>\n<li>Village Life<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that this &#8220;one-of-a-kind occult film&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;written for the screen by Anthony Shaffer&#8221; &#8212; is &#8220;overrated and much less profound than the few critics who saw it in 1973 contended&#8221; (I disagree) &#8220;but it&#8217;s beautifully photographed by Harry Waxman, witty, erotic, and such an unusual entry in the horror genre &#8212; particularly because of Paul Giovanni&#8217;s extensive and clever use of music (bawdy ballads are sung, acoustic instruments are played throughout) &#8212; that one can understand why it would impress many viewers.&#8221; He adds that the &#8220;film is a combination of British TV&#8217;s <em>The Avengers<\/em> and British horror films <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=52743\"><em>Doomwatch<\/em><\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=35027\"><em>Horror Hotel<\/em><\/a>, in which Lee lures victims to Salem for sacrifice in a satanic rite&#8221; &#8212; but he notes that &#8220;this is the only Christianity (good) vs. paganism (evil) film in which both are shown to be impotent.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>There has <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Wicker_Man\">been much written<\/a> &#8212; including in Peary&#8217;s <em>Cult Movies 2<\/em> essay, and Allan Brown&#8217;s book <em>Inside The Wicker Man<\/em> &#8212; about the film&#8217;s notoriously challenging post-production and distribution history. The first restoration (released to great fanfare in 1979) bumped the running time up from 87 to 96 minutes and finally gave the film a significant audience; the 2001 Director&#8217;s Cut was a 95 minute hybrid; and the Final Director&#8217;s Cut (available on BluRay) is 93 minutes. Originally deleted (but now restored) footage includes a hypnotic nude dance by Ekland in a hotel room adjacent to Woodland&#8217;s as she bangs on the walls in an attempt to seduce him; and scenes from Woodland&#8217;s pre-island-visit life. <\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the film&#8217;s cuts, however, it remains an entirely unique movie experience: a &#8220;musical&#8221; which incorporates song and dance into the very fabric of its narrative; other-worldly (yet very-much-real) locations across small Scottish towns and hills; a missing-person-search with a stunning horror plot twist; an unusual tale (as pointed out in the short documentary &#8220;Burnt Offering: The Cult of the Wicker Man&#8221;) in which an entire town is &#8220;in&#8221; on a collective attempt to pull the wool over The Fuzz&#8217;s eyes; and a memorably knock-out ending. This one remains well worth a look; it&#8217;s easy to see how it&#8217;s remained a cult classic for so many years. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-1024x550.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"344\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-52675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-1024x550.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-502x270.png 502w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Edward Woodward as Sergeant Howie<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Woodward.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Woodward-1024x550.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"344\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-52706\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Woodward-1024x550.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Woodward-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Woodward-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Woodward-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Woodward-502x270.png 502w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Woodward.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Harry Waxman&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography3-1024x550.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"344\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-52683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography3-1024x550.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography3-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography3-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography3-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography3-502x270.png 502w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography3.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Excellent use of authentic outdoor locales<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Locales.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Locales-1024x550.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"344\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-52676\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Locales-1024x550.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Locales-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Locales-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Locales-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Locales-502x270.png 502w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Locales.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography-1024x550.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"344\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-52673\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography-1024x550.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography-502x270.png 502w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Cinematography.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Many memorable moments<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Dance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Dance-1024x550.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"344\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-52679\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Dance-1024x550.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Dance-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Dance-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Dance-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Dance-502x270.png 502w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Dance.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-Axe.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-Axe-1024x550.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"344\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-52704\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-Axe-1024x550.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-Axe-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-Axe-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-Axe-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-Axe-502x270.png 502w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Lee-Axe.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Memorable-Animal-Heads.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Memorable-Animal-Heads-1024x550.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"344\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-52677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Memorable-Animal-Heads-1024x550.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Memorable-Animal-Heads-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Memorable-Animal-Heads-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Memorable-Animal-Heads-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Memorable-Animal-Heads-502x270.png 502w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Memorable-Animal-Heads.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Paul Giovanni&#8217;s score<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Music.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Music-1024x550.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"344\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-52680\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Music-1024x550.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Music-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Music-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Music-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Music-502x270.png 502w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Wicker-Man-Music.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a genuine cult classic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0070917\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2191wick.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/horror\/wicker-man-1973.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/95785\/the-wicker-man#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You simply don&#8217;t understand the true nature of sacrifice.&#8221; Synopsis: A devout Christian detective (Edward Woodward) arrives on a Scottish island to locate a missing girl (Gerry Cowper), only to find that the Pagan locals &#8212; including Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), a schoolteacher (Diane Cilento), a librarian (Ingrid Pitt), the daughter (Britt Ekland) of the innkeeper, and the missing girl&#8217;s mother (Irene Sunter) &#8212; insist she never existed. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Britt Ekland Films Christopher Lee Films Cults&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=52668\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=52668"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52668\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65031,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52668\/revisions\/65031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}