The Wicker Man was released in December of 1973 (the exact date is unknown), and is widely regarded as a cult classic, and one of the best British, and horror, films ever made. It was written by Anthony Shaffer, directed by Robin Hardy, and stars Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Christopher Lee.
I'd never seen this film before, or its remake. I knew the twist at the end, as many people do, but literally, that's all I knew. (SPOILERS) The twist is this: the people of Summerisle believe they need to sacrifice someone to their sun god in order to get their crops to grow, and they sacrifice protagonist Sergeant Neil Howie, by burning him in a gigantic wicker man, hence the title. I didn't really know the plot of the film, aside from that basic twist. I'm glad that I didn't know the plot, cause this film was rather brilliant, and kept me interested the entire time.
Sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward), a Scottish police officer, is sent to the small island of Summerisle, just off the coast of Scotland, to search for a missing girl, Rowan Morrison (Gerry Cowper). On this small island, the inhabitants adhere to an odd religion, which according to Wikipedia, is inspired by Celtic paganism. They believe in reincarnation of the soul, into fire, water, air, earth, and animals. They believe they must make a sacrifice every Mayday in order to ensure their crops will grow. They teach their boys songs about sex and reincarnation through sex, and they teach their girls about phallic symbols, and how to jump over fire naked. Howie is disgusted by this, and rightfully so. He is a Christian, and proud. Now, I'm not religious at all, but I can completely agree with Howie in these matters. Quite frankly, the people of Summerisle are crazy. There must have been some inbreeding somewhere, because these people will believe just about anything. It seems that they are manipulated by their spiritual and political leader, Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), into believing whatever he says, and it seems like he truly believes in what he's saying.
I found myself being extremely emotionally involved with the film, and I can think of 3 main reasons.
#1. The oddities of the people of Summerisle.
These people are just plain weird, and shocking. There is one scene where a teacher is teaching young girls about phallic symbols, penises, and it seems that this is the most basic of education for them. Not only that, but in a later scene, we see these same girls, completely nude, dancing around a fire, singing some weird song about reincarnation, and jumping across the fire. Encouraged by their teacher. These people are really odd, and regardless of your religion or beliefs, you are concerned for these children. Yes, this is film, and hence, fiction, but what you see is so shocking, that you feel emotionally involved with the story.
#2. Edward Woodward.
He is the protagonist, and the most identifiable character. He represents sanity in this world of insanity. He attempts to being Christianity to this island, only to be repressed. And the reason why we identify with him so well is because he is a great actor. He shows such concern for the people of Summerisle, and fights against the insanity of Lord Summerisle. He is a police officer, and so, is a strong authority figure. We trust him, because he is normal in this world of abnormal.
I've never seen him act before, or even heard of him, for that matter, but let me tell you, he was brilliant. If he's done more films, I intend to check them out.
#3. The soundtrack.
The soundtrack, composed by Paul Giovanni, is rather brilliant. (Does the fact that I'm using the word brilliant a lot imply something?) It's a mix of folk, 70s rock, and musical. The music can show the oddities and insanity of Summerisle, but it can also be strangely compelling in scenes (admittedly, Britt Ekland being nude in this scene helps). Arguably, it's one of the best horror soundtracks ever.
Overall, I'm extremely glad I saw this film. This film was brilliant. And because of this, it earns the Seal of Brilliance, along with #492 - Amores perros. This film truly is a gem of horror cinema. Overall, this film earns a 10/10 from me. I highly recommend this film to anybody. And watch the remake if you want too, but from what I've heard, it's some of Nic Cage at his best.
Next time, I'm watching The Fountain, Darren Aronofsky's foray into the mainstream.
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