THE
WICKER MAN: COLLECTOR'S EDITION (1973)Director: Robin Hardy
Anchor Bay Entertainment
THE
WICKER MAN: COLLECTOR'S EDITION (1973)THE WICKER MAN is one of
those films with a long history of distribution headaches. The film was severely
edited on its initial U.K. release, and Warner Brothers in the States gave it
a neglected, limited theatrical run in 1974. In the late 1970s, a small U.S.
company re-released it in an expanded form, and this version later turned up
on television (with the obvious cuts) and home video. Previously released on
DVD as a limited edition wood box set containing both the theatrical and "extended
version" on two separate discs (Anchor Bay had also issued the theatrical
version several times as a single disc), this new collector's edition arrives
to coincide with the DVD of the recent Hollywood remake, which totally failed
to live up to the original.
Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) travels to a remote Scottish island to investigate an anonymous letter that he received. The letter claims that a young girl from the island is missing, but when Howie arrives, the islanders deny knowledge of ever sending this letter, or even knowing the girl. Contrary to his stern Christianity, Howie encounters a community that is Pagan in philosophy, indulging in open sexuality, demoralizing folk songs, ritualistic dances, and other heathen beliefs (such as reincarnation and the worshipping of nature). Any signs of Christianity are now long forgotten and now decayed, and the somber Howie finds himself a complete outsider from the cheerful, yet peculiar islanders. Becoming increasingly repulsed by their outlandish behavior, it is clear that he is being lied to and he suspects that the girl is being held prisoner somewhere on the island. Soon, his meddling gets him tangled up in the island's yearly Mayday celebration where he hopes to get to the bottom of things.
A
lot has been said about THE WICKER MAN over the years, and it simply remains
one of the best horror films (and British films) ever made. Anthony Shaffer's
screenplay is simple yet unique and literate in every way, dealing with clashing
religions in methods never before explored on the big screen. Filmed entirely
on beautiful Scottish locales, the images that the film exhibits linger in the
viewer's head, and the jarring ending is utterly disturbing and unmatched. Paul
Giovanni's folk songs (performed by various cast members) are definitely an
integral ingredient to the story and doesn't turn it into a "horror musical,"
but rather an agreeable medium given the lifestyle that these islanders lead.
Edward Woodward (later star of the 1980s CBS series, "The Equalizer") is magnificent in the demanding role of Sergeant Howie. Loyally Christian to the most extreme (he's awaiting his wedding day to make love), Howie contradicts the islanders in every way, making for a tense conflict of cultures and beliefs, and it's hard to picture anybody but Woodward in the role. Christopher Lee is superb as Lord Summerisle, responsible for orchestrating the island and its practices. Summerisle is charming and robust on the outside, but quite mysterious (and possibly mad) in reality. Lee considers this the best film that he's ever been involved with and he's probably right. The cast is rounded by great character actors (Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, Lindsay Kemp, Aubrey Morris, etc.) as the eccentric inhabitants of the island.
Anchor
Bay's new special edition of THE WICKER MAN contains both the theatrical and
extended versions in transfers identical to what was found on the now out-of-print
wooden box edition. Both versions are anamorphic widescreen in the original
1.85:1 ratio with the theatrical version having very vibrant colors, solid blacks,
and the source material being in excellent shape. The extended version has a
few minutes of extra footage that was taken from a 1 inch video telecine master
blended in, so a shift in quality is very evident, and these scenes sometimes
look like you're watching VHS. The footage is spliced in accurately, and this
extended version is preferable and is basically a director’s cut, despite
several minutes still lost. The sound for the theatrical cut is presented in
a 5.1 mix, so it's quite impressive, nicely separating the music and sound effects,
and the dialogue is very clear. The sound on the extended cut is mono, so it's
not as impressive as the former, but still acceptable.
Scenes in the extended version
include vital characterization of Sergeant Howie before he leaves for the island,
Lord Summerisle escorting a teenage boy to be initiated into manhood at the
hands of the landlord's beautiful daughter Willow (Ekland), and other considerable
bits of business. Willow's seductive mating dance (longer in the extended version)
is shown much earlier in the theatrical cut, and a proceeding scene where she
greets Howie in his room the next morning is only in this version, not the extended
one. Basically, both versions are necessary, so if you’re going to buy
the film, get this double disc version. 
The best extra on Disc 1 is a 35-minute "making of" featurette -- one of the best ever made exclusively for a DVD. It features interviews with stars Woodward, Lee and Pitt, director Robin Hardy, producer Peter Snell, writer Shaffer (who has since passed away), Roger Corman (who wanted to distribute the film in the U.S. but lost it after the new head of British Lion was given a better offer), and others involved in the production. This featurette is fascinating, interviewing most of the main principals involved. They discuss the film's shoot, its atrocious distribution dilemma, and its constantly expanding cult reputation. The video actually shows some of the original locations as they are today, and they virtually look the same. One of the best anecdotes is that the original negative (featuring even more unseen footage) is buried under a highway somewhere in England!
Other
extras include the intense British trailer, a TV spot (looking like it was done
for a local station), and a large assortment of radio spots. Some of these radio
spots are narrated by Lee himself, the others are narrated by an inane announcer
(sounding something like Dan Akroyd during his "SNL" heyday) who at
one point makes an outrageous connection to rock star Rod Stewart (who was uptight
about his then-girlfriend Ekland prancing around in the buff). Talent bios on
Hardy, Shaffer, Lee and Woodward are included, and an Easter Egg will reveal
a local American TV appearance by Hardy and Lee promoting the film on a talk
show in 1979. New to this release (and the only extra presented on the second
extended version disc) is an audio commentary with director Hardy and stars
Lee and Woodward, moderated by Mark Kermode. The commentary was recently recorded
for a British DVD release, but its inclusion here is most welcomed as it’s
very thorough, leaving the impression that these gentlemen (all passionate about
their work here) could have sat through the film several more times to discuss
it even further. A highly recommended listen. (George
R. Reis)