The Wicker Man [DVD]

I first watched 1973 folk horror film ‘The Wicker Man’ p-rrrobably somewhere in my early teens and, with no-one at hand to explain exactly what was going on, interpreted that on show as a bunch of brainwashed weirdos on an island bent on murder. It is, naturally, rather more than that. The Wicker Man is a tale of Celtic Paganism, devout Christian and police sergeant Neil Howie journeying to the fictional Hebridean Summerisle (though there does exist a Summer Isle archipelago off North-West Scotland) following the apparent disappearance of local girl, Rowan Morrison. In a star-spangled cast, English actor Edward Woodward fronts as Howie, joined by countryman Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle, with Britt Ekland and Diane Cilento heading up supporting cast in Summerisles’ spooky community.There are many themes running simultaneously in the Wicker Man’s course. Where Howie represents the light of Christianity, Summerisle stands for Pagan darkness; where Howie represents 20th century modernity, Summerisle stands for backwardness; where Howie represents faith, Summerisle stands for fanaticism; where Howie represents progressiveness, Summerisle stands for reactionary spiritual conservatism. Celtic Paganism is mercifully by-and-large extinct in Scotland yet the fanaticism, dogma and unconsciousness lives on in some our smaller communities, the Outer Hebrides an area where the rays of enlightenment have yet to fully cast. Like The Wicker Man’s fictional community, locals of Lewis (for example) seem amiable embodied taken at face value - but spend consequential time in their midst, where conversations may touch on history, politics or world news, and a dark, dark undercurrent of unworldliness surfaces. The Outer Hebrides, in contrast to ideas of purity promulgated in The Wicker Man, are in fact an exemplar of Christianity perverted: the Free Presbyterian Church about as intolerant, as antiquated a grouping the world can offer.The Wicker Man was in fact part filmed in the Inner Hebrides, though the majority of photography back-drop unravels in southern Dumfries and Galloway. Shot on a low budget, the raw, cheapskate aura The Wicker Man emanates somehow adds to the mounting sense of fright, Howie shortly after his arrival by seaplane encountering manifold oddities as he seeks out answers from Summerisles’ self-congratulatory residents. Eccentricities extend to the film’s musical score where traditional Scottish folk-songs mingle with those of Mediaeval Middle English; singular guitar twangs too enunciate to add to the overall sense of strangeness.The Wicker Man proves that a horror story need not indulge in gratuitous gore, extravagant violence or foreboding mise-en-scène to terrorise audiences. Summerisles as relayed is light, blue-skied and superficially jovial. Children sing and people go about their business sprightly. Beautiful women in Willow and Summerisles’ librarian intersperse the screenplay. A carnival atmosphere exudes from the island and all therein. But Howie also sees couples copulating in fields, young girls dancing naked around stone circles, strange figurines in everything from confectionery to ornamental décor.Fertility too plays no small part in The Wicker Man’s premise. Ekland, a real sight to behold in her heyday, plays a character representative of the Old Norse goddess, Freyja: guardian of gold, furtherer of fertility, lodestar of lust. A modern mindset would consider Willow the village rickshaw, but to devotees of Paganism, Freyja’s positioning was one of high reverence, loose behaviour actively encouraged as such in the Pagan approach to sensuality. Howie’s sober sensibilities are sorely tested when Willow performs a seductive dance in the adjoining hotel room, luring the sergeant into sin while Howie entirely relatably sweats it out, listening to goings-on next door. The Wicker Man on sexuality bears a macabre turn of humour, Lord Summerisle meeting a furious response from the saintly Howie upon asking if the policeman feels “refreshed” by the sight of the naked, dancing quines in a truly chucklesome moment. Lee is a commanding presence as Summerisle, still strangely so even whilst dressed as a ghoulish female form leading May festivities, dancing lustily at the head of the community procession. Summerisle is heir-apparent to a social experiment started by a forefather whereby the community rejects Christianity to return to ‘the old ways’: the old ways invested in ideologies linking gods with the sun, the sun’s mercurial relationship with earth, the earth with fertility and bounty. And bounty requires a worthy sacrifice.The craziness of it all compounds and compounds, right up until The Wicker Man’s famous, conflagratory ending on the Feast of Beltane. But perhaps the most potent sense of unease comes from watching a collective living in an alternative reality. We know today about Nazism’s effect upon the German populace, we see today Bolshevik Chaos turning back the clock in attempting to snatch back the old Soviet Empire. Sustainedly, increasingly shrilly, Howie tries to get through to Summerisles’ people, tries to reason - in the end nigh-on begs, but all to no avail. The Wicker Man’s ending is nothing short of iconic as the Stornoway Airport departure lounge clasp hands in a circle, joyously belting out ‘Sumer is Icumen In’, their brave, pure of soul victim duped into Christian martyrdom.

You should watch this.

Hadn't watched this before as I'm not much into horror. Needn't have worried - this is more suspenseful than horrific. The atmosphere of increasing danger creeps up gradually. Premise is a bit difficult to swallow (that the islanders believe in ancient gods and that this ensures a good harvest in most years) but it does help the viewer to understand PC Howie's response to what gradually unfolds before him. Probably wouldn't rush to buy a hard copy but was worth a watch.

Surprisingly enough, I'd never seen this film before purchasing this set. I've heard lots about it over the years, mainly attacks from pious goody goodies who've never actually seen the film, but a few glowing reviews from film buff's who's opinion I respect. After stumbling across this set I decided it was time to take a chance.The film itself was a bit of a surprise, I had almost been expecting something along the lines of a Hammer production. However, the production values and photography are superb. From the opening shot of the sea plane flying across the Scottish Isles to the legendary finale, the photography is quite superb and breathtaking. This is a production that has been put together with love and care.The plot was also not was I was expecting. Written by Anthony Shaffer (who also wrote one of my favourite films of all time, Sleuth), it is an excellent tale of a staunchly Catholic policeman Sgt. Howie (Woodward) who has flown out to a remote Island community to locate a missing girl. The community (headed by the seemingly affable Lord Summersisle, played by an incredibly impressive Christopher Lee) closes ranks, and Howie comes to suspect something dreadful has happened and is connected to the islander's pagan beliefs. The story works on several levels, the straight investigation element, and the wonderful character study of Howie and his growing revulsion as he battles the islander's paganism with his Christianity. The sly manipulations of Summersisle, (Christopher Lee's greatest screen performance - the character has an almost magnetically affable persona, with a strong undercurrent of menace just behind the surface. Lee gets to act for a change, and not just dress up un a silly cape with fangs for make-up, he obviously relished the opportunity and grabbed it with both hands) gradually come to the fore, building to the a very surprising 'twist' ending and the final confrontation between the religious beliefs of Summersisle and Howie, said beliefs are ultimately both shown the be hollow. A really great thriller and character piece.This set contains two versions of the film, the original theatrical release which was so badly cut as to make it almost unintelligible, and a directors cut, which restores as much material as is still extant, and makes the story a lot clearer. The picture quality is good in both, but the restored sections in the directors cut are from a low quality source and so stand out as the picture quality very obviously dips in these sections. The sound quality is superb.The third disk is a CD of the soundtrack. It is worth getting this set for this CD alone. It features dialogue form the film, and all the original music. The opener 'Corn rigs' is a classic, and Christopher Lee singing the innuendo laden 'The Tinker of Rye' is a permanent fixture on my MP3 playlists!An excellent set, which does thorough justice to a cult classic, which more than deserves it's reputation. 5 stars.