paul
Posts 251
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6/2/2006 10:49 AM
posted awhile ago
The Wicker Man
Skypilot, I know you know this film. I've heard that it's amazing, but nobody I've spoken to can tell me why. Please, Skypilot, if anyone can articulate Wicker Man, it must be you...
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patches
Posts 120
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6/4/2006 10:30 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: The Wicker Man
Alright PulpFiction1975, Paul, The Wicker Man IS amazing. Why you ask? Because it has great mystery, human sacrifice, virgins jumping over fire, and Christopher Lee. There's just too much to be said about this one.
I have a scratched copy of this DVD and I'm ticked. I would loan it to you, but you'd get to the end and then you'd be up in arms with the skipping.
This one has 4 stars on the cover, just see it. I KNOW Netflix has it, and if you can't find it, I'll buy another copy and loan it to you. I can't believe that you've never seen this film. It's one of my favorites. And there's a remake with Nicholas Cage coming out this year too.
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SkyPilot
Posts 576
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6/11/2006 4:45 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: The Wicker Man
Sorry for the delay, Paul. I agree with Patches: you should see it. I'll lend it to you once it's returned to me by he who has it now.
I recommend not looking ANY MORE into what "Wicker Man" is like or about. You'll see what I mean once you start it.
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indieabby88
Posts 327
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10/12/2007 12:03 AM
posted awhile ago
Re:Re: The Wicker Man
I agree. I watched "The Wicker Man" with a pretty good idea of what was going on, AND knowing what was going to happen at the end. It really took away the impact and made the film kind of dull. I think if I'd watched it not knowing what I was in for, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
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SkyPilot
Posts 576
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9/11/2008 3:45 PM
posted awhile ago
Re:The Wicker Man
My good friend Risselada sent me this message
"I'm not sure if it matters but I think I saw the cut 88 minute version rather than the directors cut. But I just found the movie to be aggravating. And as for the trick that the police officer was actually being tricked into becoming the sacrifice, I figured that out pretty early.
What do you think about it?
If you want you can repost this in a discussion group to see if anyone else wants to talk about it."
SPOILER ALERT
I've gotta say again, if you're interested in seeing this creepy, atmospheric, very un-ordinary horror movie, don't read about it until after you've seen it. Being unprepared is a major theme of the plot, so staying in the dark makes you experience the mystery more like the main character.
Rizzo, the funny thing is that the 88 min. version is the superior cut! I watched the 100 min. director's cut, and those 12 minutes changed the film considerably for the worse. It's not just a simple matter of being too long, because the 88 min. edit reshuffles a few scenes. The guy who did the shorter edit exercised a fair amount of creativity to make the film more mysterious, and make the protagonist Sgt. Howie more sympathetic.
I'm not totally surprised you figured out the end, but for me even after I guessed his fate, it was still terrifying. The movie is like a superlative episode of The Twilight Zone or Tales From the Crypt -- the classic setup of "I swear everyone else here is crazy, but they think I'm the fool."
Of course Sgt. Howie isn't perfect. He's blind to how proud and judgmental he is, but even if he was the nicest guy the world, the island was still dead set on killing him! That's another part of what gets under my skin. And the fact that a little girl was part of the murder plot.
So you found the movie aggravating? What about it?
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Tizzy
Posts 18
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9/11/2008 3:56 PM
posted awhile ago
Re:The Wicker Man
This is one of those movies that I found aggravating as well. I knew a little about it before going in, but it still seemed like there would be more impact with the horror of the situation if one actually identified with Sgt. Howie. However, I just couldn't stand him - so arrogant, so conservative, so blind! I really found myself identifying with the islanders. Early on in the film I was chanting "burn him up" just hoping they'd kill him. Of course, maybe it's my San Francisco upbringing with hippie parents that causes me to identify more with the locals!
Doves do a nice cover of "Willow's Song" though.
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Risselada
Posts 2068
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9/11/2008 4:52 PM
posted awhile ago
Re:The Wicker Man
SPOILERS to follow
 SkyPilot:Rizzo, the funny thing is that the 88 min. version is the superior cut! I watched the 100 min. director's cut, and those 12 minutes changed the film considerably for the worse. It's not just a simple matter of being too long, because the 88 min. edit reshuffles a few scenes. The guy who did the shorter edit exercised a fair amount of creativity to make the film more mysterious, and make the protagonist Sgt. Howie more sympathetic.
I'm not totally surprised you figured out the end, but for me even after I guessed his fate, it was still terrifying. The movie is like a superlative episode of The Twilight Zone or Tales From the Crypt -- the classic setup of "I swear everyone else here is crazy, but they think I'm the fool."
Of course Sgt. Howie isn't perfect. He's blind to how proud and judgmental he is, but even if he was the nicest guy the world, the island was still dead set on killing him! That's another part of what gets under my skin. And the fact that a little girl was part of the murder plot.
So you found the movie aggravating? What about it?
Well I'm glad to hear I saw the superior cut.
I was still terrified after I figured out that he was the one they were going to sacrifice. I didn't know he would get burned alive though. And the figure they put him in was just real creepy.
It aggrivates me for the same reasons you say it "gets under your skin". What do you mean exactly when you say it get under your skin? Is that a pleasant feeling or not?
Maybe it's hard for me to believe that a group of people who had never sacrificed another human being before (even if they had sacrified animals) would be so willing to do it. And take so much pleasure in doing it! And at the same time it's not that hard for me to believe, and the fact that I can almost believe it makes me feel even more sick.
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SkyPilot
Posts 576
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9/11/2008 9:57 PM
posted awhile ago
Re:The Wicker Man
Risselada:
I was still terrified after I figured out that he was the one they were going to sacrifice. I didn't know he would get burned alive though. And the figure they put him in was just real creepy.
It aggrivates me for the same reasons you say it "gets under your skin". What do you mean exactly when you say it get under your skin? Is that a pleasant feeling or not?
Maybe it's hard for me to believe that a group of people who had never sacrificed another human being before (even if they had sacrified animals) would be so willing to do it. And take so much pleasure in doing it! And at the same time it's not that hard for me to believe, and the fact that I can almost believe it makes me feel even more sick.
Oh, I totally misunderstood you Rizzo! I thought you were aggravated or frustrated by the movie's style or something. Instead it sounds like we had really similar reactions.
By "getting under my skin" I meant that I found it demented and creepy, but also somewhat believable. All the elements work together to make it a really memorable film for me.
I've heard Rosemary's Baby creates a similar feel in the viewer, so I have to see that. Does Wicker Man remind you guys of anything else?
Okay, possibly bad news: they're remaking Rosemary's Baby. I read so many disappointed reviews of the Nic Cage Wicker Man that I decided to skip it.
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Risselada
Posts 2068
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9/12/2008 9:29 AM
posted awhile ago
Re:The Wicker Man
SPOILERS
SkyPilot:
You can look up some clips of Nicholas Cage in the 2006 Wicker Man on youtube. They are absurd! He also beats the crap out of a bunch of defenseless women, one time while he is wearing a bear suit!
Make sure you find the clip with THE BEEEEES! AUGH THEY ARE IN MY EYES!!!!!!
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SkyPilot
Posts 576
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9/12/2008 4:05 PM
posted awhile ago
Re:The Wicker Man
Tizzy:
This is one of those movies that I found aggravating as well. I knew a little about it before going in, but it still seemed like there would be more impact with the horror of the situation if one actually identified with Sgt. Howie. However, I just couldn't stand him - so arrogant, so conservative, so blind! I really found myself identifying with the islanders. Early on in the film I was chanting "burn him up" just hoping they'd kill him. Of course, maybe it's my San Francisco upbringing with hippie parents that causes me to identify more with the locals!
Doves do a nice cover of "Willow's Song" though.
Tizzy, I have some friends who didn't like Sgt. Howie either. I can understand why you guys wouldn't like him, but I haven't heard someone say they identified more with the islanders. I would be interested in hearing more from you on that.
I think I like Howie because he's like the embodiment of good ideals handled badly. He believes that truth exists, but when he disagrees with someone about the nature of truth, he can't interact meaningfully with the different point of view. All he can do is pronounce his opponent's view to be heresy and insanity.
He's also courageous in his mission to save a little girl from being sacrificed, but all the while trampling on the convictions of everyone. Does that play a part in his doom? As I said before, I think that even if Howie was really nice to them, they were still going to kill him. Bummer.
So for me the movie got me thinking about how people should interact with one another when they encounter someone with a vastly different worldview. I even wonder if this story's heart is about large factions of Christianity being 'arrogant' and 'blind,' to use Tizzy's words?
Yes, Doves do a great version of Willow's song! So does Isobel Campbell. English folk music can be so heart-breakingly beautiful.
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