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THE WICKER MAN
2 Disc Collector's Edition
Review by Michael Jacobson
Stars:
Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, Christopher
Lee
Director: Robin Hardy
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Studio: Anchor Bay
Features: See Review
Length: 88 Minutes (Theatrical), 99
Minutes (Extended)
Release Date: December 19
“You’ll
simply never understand the true nature of sacrifice.”
The
Wicker Man is
a devilishly clever little film that teases, tantalizes, and inspires chuckles
and raised eyebrows before blowing you away with a monster of a twist ending.
Sergeant
Howie (Woodward) is a dedicated lawman and a by-the-book Christian who comes to
a tiny Scottish island called Summerisle to investigate the reported
disappearance of a little girl. He
doesn’t find much cooperation from the inhabitants, who strike him as
“raving mad”. The girl’s own
mother claims she has no such daughter. The
school, led by Miss Rose (Cilento), state they had no such student.
It turns out to be a lie, which disturbs Howie, but not nearly as much as
the lesson on the Maypole, which the teacher correctly describes as a phallic
symbol!
Howie’s
world is more and more rocked, as he witnesses more strange and uncivilized
behavior from the residents, including strange orgies, naked children dancing
around and over a fire, and a bizarre through-the-wall seduction scene he
endures from his innkeeper’s daughter (Ekland).
A
meeting with the owner of the island, Lord Summerisle (Lee, in a wicked
performance) confirms the truth: they
are an island of pagans. They
believe in the so-called “old gods” of the sea, the sun, fertility and so
on, to whom they credit their success of raising tropical type crops on such a
cold, northern island. Howie, whose
Christian sensibilities seem unshakable, is morally outraged. Nevertheless, he still has a job to do.
As
he learns more and more about the pagan religion, and witness more and more
strange occurrences on the island, he becomes convinced that the girl he is
looking for is alive and about to be sacrificed in a ritual to bring the
island’s harvest back. In a
daring move, he dons a disguise and takes part in the strange island ritual in
hopes of rescuing the girl. He
doesn’t have a clue what’s really in store, nor do we.
I’ll leave it at that.
A
quick look back through the events of the film will convince audiences of just
how neatly Howie’s fate was laid out for him the minute he stepped on to the
island. The structure of the
picture is neatly constructed…it’s forays into eroticism and weirdness might
mask the pivotal points along the way, but they do exist for rediscovery on
subsequent viewings.
It
could be argued that the ultimate point of the picture is the failure of
religion in general. Howie’s
attempts at using his Christian beliefs to appeal to the pagan people falls
miserably short, to be sure, but neither is there salvation in their bizarre
antics and rituals.
Anchor Bay is the definitive studio for bringing cult classics like this to DVD…and at long last, they got this one right. The two disc collector's edition features both the traditional 88 minute theatrical version as well as the extended 99 minute director's cut. It's nice to finally see both together in a reasonably priced package (as opposed to having to spring for the limited set).
So enjoy at long last, and feel free to finally retire those VHS copies. The Wicker Man is back for real, and better than ever.
Video
**
The
video problems here are mostly related to the quality of the print, and not the
anamorphic transfer itself. There
are stretches where scratches and discoloration create a noticeable flicker
effect on the images, and overall, the picture tends to look its age from the
dirt and dinginess apparent on the frames.
Images maintain sharpness fairly well throughout, and colors render well
despite a somewhat washed-out look. Without
a full scale restoration, this may be as good as it gets.
It’s more than watchable, but it’s no standout.
Audio
**1/2
The
soundtrack is mixed for 5.1 audio, but it doesn’t make much use of discreet
rear signals. The haunting folk
music sounds quite nice, and gets a bit opened up with multi-channel sound, and
certain sequences of the score make good use of the subwoofer’s low frequency
capabilities. Dynamic range is only
fair, but dialogue is well rendered and clear.
Overall, a decent job.
Features
***
Most of the features are on the theatrical version disc. I
particularly enjoyed the 35 minute documentary The Wicker Man Enigma.
It features plenty of fresh new interviews with cast and crew,
including Lee, Woodward, director Hardy, writer Anthony Shaffer, and many more.
There are also some talent bios, a trailer, a TV spot, and a couple of
radio spots, in addition to animated menus with sound.
The extended version has a terrific new commentary featuring stars Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee, along with director Robin Hardy and moderator Mark Kermode.
Summary:
