Flickering Opinions: The Wicker Man

Film Details:

Directed by Robin Hardy

Written by Anthony Shaffer (Death on the Nile)

Starring
Edward Woodward ("The Equalizer")
Christopher Lee (Fellowship of the Ring, Star Wars Ep. II -- Attack of the Clones, Sleepy Hollow, Dracula... C'm on, if you haven't seen Mr. Lee in any of the 250 films he has been in, hie thee to a video store.)

Review: by Melissa (e-mail your faithful reviewer)

As far as I can find, there are at least three versions of this film: an 87-minute version, a 95-minute version, and a 102-minute version. The version I viewed was the 87-minute version, which was released on DVD in 2001. I know Don has the 102-minute version sitting around at home... perhaps I can talk him into reviewing that one.

I'll start out by saying I did not particularly care for this film. I found it to be lacking in tension, and it seemed to me to be more interesting as a cultural time-capsule than an effective movie in itself. But that's just my knee-jerk reaction to it, for whatever reason. There's a lot more to the film than that.

This film must have been utterly groundbreaking when it first came out. Some of the directorial choices are very odd (i.e., when the movie suddenly turns into a musical, and a character looks straight into the camera and sings), the detail in the pagan rites is very interesting, and the script is really quite good. The ending is great.

Unfortunately, this film is far from timeless. It is very much a product of the 60's, and it does not transfer at all well to the world of today. Modern viewers are likely to think that the protagonist is something of an intolerant prude, instead of a devout hero figure. Events in the film that must have come off as bizarre pagan rites 30 years ago, now come off as lame Renaissance Festival caliber antics.

The biggest stumbling block for the film, though, is that it doesn't tap into timeless, pan-cultural fears. The best horror films do. The Wicker Man puts too much stake into the fear of things non-Christian. That's something that doesn't touch everyone at their core. Religion-based horror flicks, in order to keep a larger audience, aldo have to tape into the deep, primal fears. Consider The Exorcist. Even if you don't buy the concept that the devil can inhabit a human, you can certainly be scared by the fact that this sweet little daughter had gradually transformed into a bile-spouting, crucifix-wielding bundle of shock. Who wouldn't be terrified of seeing a loved one turn into that?

When it should be scary, or at least tense, The Wicker Man just rolls along. Even so, it is at least interesting, even if it is not particularly compelling. I never did feel urgency about the protagonist being in danger, but it was fun to watch him riddle out the mysteries of the plot.

For as lackluster as I felt this film was, it is far from boring. It is even great fun at times. Hell, it has Christopher Lee! In a kilt! And he sings! You can't miss that! And fans of willowy, tawny 60's models will get a kick out of seeing Britt Ekland writhing naked against a wall. It's not my thing, but I can see where the appeal might be.

The Wicker Man is well worth a watch for film history buffs, but if you're looking for a high-tensile police story/horror film, you might be better off dusting off that copy of The Silence of the Lambs.

10012002 Addendum:

I just perused the 95-minute version of the film, and I can firmly say that those extra few minutes make a world of difference. What I originally saw as a lackluster film suddenly turned into something I would highly recommend to others.

The most noticable difference between the 87-minute version and the 95-minute cut is how the characterisation is paced. Edward Woodward's character is fleshed out within the opening scenes of the movie, rather than half an hour in, which makes the earlier developments in the story far more interesting, as well as making the center of the film flow better. Most other additions are minor, but there is one other major change that completely changes the way the movie develops. A scene that involves a very nude Britt Eckland moved from the first half of the film to the last half, which completely changes the meaning of the scene. Instead of being out-of-place, the scene has purpose and contributes to the building of the plot.

If you have the need to see The Wicker Man, for the first or the fortieth time, I highly recommend picking up one of the longer cuts for perusal. I look forward to checking out the 102-minute version; it would be interesting to see how the film grows with the further additions.