When I first saw the extended edition of The Wicker Man three years ago, I found it to be flawed, but parts of the film, particularly its incredible ending, stayed with me. I decided to see it again before the Neil LaBute remake comes out in the fall, and this time saw the theatrical cut. The movie is indeed very impressive, and its easy to see why this completely atypical film attracted a cult following- its atmosphere stays with you. It says something that Christopher Lee considers it the best film ever appeared in, and was so taken with the script that he worked for free.
Part of the uniqueness of The Wicker Man is that it doesnt belong to a specific genre- despite the presence of Lee, its not really horror, and has elements of straight drama, thrillers and even musicals (yup, you do get hear Lee sing, and hes good- he wanted to be opera star before he became an actor). You shouldnt know too much of the story before you see the film, but the plot revolves around the conservative Christian Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodwood), a Scottish detective who gets a tip that a young girl has gone missing on the isolated island of Summerisle. When Howie arrives, no one, even the girls mother, admits to knowing her, and he is disturbed the inhabitants behavior. People have sex out in the open, sing songs about having sex and sometimes go about naked. He soon finds out why- the old Pagan gods still lives on Summerisle and the deeply religious inhabitants practice old Celtic rituals. The Christian Howie is deeply offended by this, and something else just doesnt add up.
A lot of the movie appeal comes from the fact the movie presents a conflict between the Christian and Pagan faiths and doesnt take sides. Pagans can point to Howies stiffness as support to their cause, Christians can point to his morality to support theirs, and I once read an atheist interpretation of the film arguing that its about the pointlessness of religion- if there are no God or gods of any kind, the whole religious conflict the film presents is wasteful. The performances are all great (its not Lees best but hes still great), although the real standout is Woodwood, who takes a character that could become annoying (and, indeed, is in the extended cut) and makes him likable and three dimensional.
I was tempted to give the film four stars, but excellent as it is, it still seems it could have been better. I think the problem may be that its not quiet as poetic as it should be- Hardy is good at establishing an atmosphere, but an even better filmmaker (Roger Corman?) could have made it far stronger. The movie is better written than its directed, with a very strong script by Anthony Schaffer.
Although it is not as good as it should be, this is a movie that is still exceptional and a real conversation starter, with some very strong moments (the ending packs a real punch). Eventually, most cineastes interested in religious subject matter should check this out, as it is possibly that only film that takes Paganism seriously.
Note: the theatrical cut is better than the extended edition. None of the deleted scenes are necessary and only serve to slow down the story, especially the extended and unnecessary prologue, entirely deleted in the final cut.
The Wicker Man (1974)