A classic film that not only endures but continues to inspire half a century later is a true marvel. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, The Wicker Man helped popularize the folk horror genre that continues to flourish with the likes of Midsommar, The Witch, and The Ritual. Its impact extends beyond cinema, from inspiring Radiohead (“Burn the Witch”) and Iron Maiden (“The Wicker Man”) songs to being included in the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.
In the film, Sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward, Hot Fuzz) travels from the mainland to the Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. The devout Christian is appalled to learn that the islanders practice a form of paganism characterized by blasphemous beliefs, degeneracy, doublespeak, and peculiar customs. Like The Bride of Frankenstein, the namesake doesn’t show up until the final moments of the film, but it leaves an indelible impression long after the credits roll.
Director Robin Hardy and writer Anthony Shaffer (Frenzy) waste little time trying to fool the viewer into believing that nothing is amiss in the remote community, instead utilizing the time to build tension and intrigue. Howie is immediately ostracized as an outsider and the divide widens as the film progresses, but the us-vs.-them mentality goes both ways. Blood sacrifices notwithstanding, the free-spirited islanders often come across as more sympathetic than the close-minded Howie.
Christopher Lee co-stars as cult leader Lord Summerisle. Having made a career out of bringing his signature gravitas to everything from Dracula and James Bond to Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, the more obvious choice may have been to cast him as Howie. Broadening his horizons with a more nuanced character following his Hammer Horror run, his Summerisle proves to be the perfect counterpart to Woodward’s Howie. Both characters have the same conviction in their respective faiths, but their resolve manifests in opposing ways.
. Courtesy: Rialto Pictures/ Studiocanal</p>
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<p>‘The Wicker Man’</p>
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<p><strong>Britt Ekland</strong> (<em>The Man with the Golden Gun</em>) plays the lascivious daughter of the innkeeper where Howie stays, and British horror staple <strong>Ingrid Pitt</strong> (<em>The Vampire Lovers</em>) appears as the village’s librarian. David Bowie mentor <strong>Lindsay Kemp</strong> and <strong>Aubrey Morris</strong> (<em>A Clockwork Orange</em>) can also be spotted among the townspeople as a landlord and gravedigger, respectively.</p>
<p>While horror movies customarily take place under cover of night, <em>The Wicker Man</em> occurs in broad daylight. Hardy and director-of-photography <strong>Harry Waxman</strong> (<em>The Pink Panther Strikes Again</em>) embrace natural sunlight and harsh shadows to aid the atmosphere. The soundtrack is similarly atypical. There is some traditional score composed by<strong> Paul Giovanni</strong>, but more prevalent are narrative-driven folk songs — somewhere between shanties and hymns — sung by the villagers. Despite these interludes, the pacing is snappy.</p>
<p>Lionsgate has released the 94-minute “Final Cut” of <em>The Wicker Man</em> on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital in Steelbook packaging designed by Richey Beckett, available exclusively at Best Buy. The theatrical version, rearranged and truncated to 87 minutes against Hardy’s wishes, and the director’s cut, extended to 99 minutes with previously deleted footage, are absent — and, unfortunately, so too are two director’s cut commentaries — but the “Final Cut,” which debuted in 2013, was Hardy’s preferred vision and is a happy balance between the two.</p>
<p>StudioCanal handled the 4K restoration, presented with Dolby Vision/HDR and LPCM mono audio. The majority of the film was sourced from the original 35mm negative, while other footage was scanned from a second-generation 35mm intermediate positive, due to irreparable damage to the negative, and 35mm prints, the only known sources for select sequences. Over 500 hours was dedicated to the color grading and restoration. Discrepancies in quality among the sources are perceivable but not distracting.</p>
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