Directed by:
Robin HardyScreenplay:
Anthony ShafferCinematography:
Harry WaxmanComposer:
Paul GiovanniCast:
Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Britt Ekland, Ingrid Pitt, Robin Hardy, Aubrey Morris, Roy Boyd, John Hallam, Paul Giovanni, Gerry Cowper (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Off the coast of Scotland, the natives of a small island owned and run by a Lord Summerisle, immerse themselves in a religion based on pagan rites and rituals, totally antithetical to Catholic dogma. When a devout Christian police sergeant from the mainland comes to the island to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a local 12-year-old girl, he stirs up hatred and resentment among the locals to such an extent that for their annual May Day celebrations, to insure the crops don't fail for a second year in a row, he becomes their target to appease the heathen goddess of the harvest. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (10)
A small cinematic delicacy that was completely overlooked at the time of its release and was not discovered and praised by film critics until much later. The story of a policeman who travels to an island near England in search of a missing girl and is confronted with the pagan customs of the local folk engulfs the viewer with a unique atmosphere and impressive music. It plays a really big role here and the whole film is interspersed with musical and dance interludes that do not slow down the plot, but on the contrary add to its impact. Genre-wise, the film is classified as horror (some critics even call it the Citizen Kane of horror films), but it feels more like a detective story and the horror classification is fulfilled only by the slightly shocking ending, which puts it in the same line as Shyamalan's films in terms of surprise. We can only regret that the director was not very diligent creatively in later years.
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A remote Scottish island with dramatic rock formations and windswept vegetation... The atmosphere of the location and the depiction of the cult mentality of its inhabitants make this a unique film, for a near B-movie debut of a director who then gave up on filmmaking. The equivocation of everyone present, the seductive sexual undertone, the helplessness of the main character of the police sergeant whom no one respects, and the almost spectacular sophistication of the people’s strange beliefs and their origins make The Wicker Man an absorbing, plot-driven flick.
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I had the same feeling from The Wicker Man that I usually experience when reading reviews written in Swahili; these feelings are identical to when Howie enters Summerisle pub. What more do you need to know about the investigations of a shy fanatic and his battle against pagan windmills which is hard to determine the genre (s) of and even those of us with the confidence of Donald Trump wouldn’t dare to try. Just don’t worry about that and let yourself be sucked in by THAT atmosphere, the actors, the songs, the Vermin Man by the maypole, Lee’s flowing locks, phallic symbols and... And one of the most unusual (and one of the best) movie experiences ever. Shirley Jackson would have loved this.
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Colorful fictional folklore, a bit of hippie poetics of apple growing and casual sex, a bit of dull detective story kicked off with the final twist. Yes, its atmosphere cannot be denied, it can be resonating like Christopher Lee's tone color - especially in an epic ending. But the filmmaking is really mediocre, full of naivety and, in the extended version, quite disturbing visual excesses. In short, the film didn't entice me nearly as well as like-minded crazy films (which I consider to be my heart's capital) would have. Feel free to burn me to death - great idea, slightly above-average movie.
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In terms of execution, it's nothing great – often shoddy editing and dull staging of potentially impressive scenes that could have been among the gems of cinema. But maybe that's why Wicker Man impressed me so much. The nagging feeling that I was watching something unconventional, original and distinctive, persisted in me the whole time, culminating in the surprising ending in exactly my favourite cinephilic way. The script is very clever and manages to keep the viewer's curiosity and slight tension, the actors give convincing performances and the Scottish music completes the immersive formal setting. It makes me think that if Kubrick had made something like this, I wouldn’t be able to sleep for a week out of sheer excitement. 75%
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