wickerman1973

THE SYNOPSIS

Prim, proper and devout Christian Sgt. Howie (Woodward) comes to a remote Scottish Isle from the mainland in search of a missing girl. The locals are friendly, yet also a tad removed from this interloper.

Among them, he meets sultry barmaid Willow (Ekland) who lives next door to his room. Curiosly, nobody seems to know the missing girl in question.

He questions Lord Summerisle (Lee), the enigmatic ruler of the island. As time passes, Howie learns of the natives’ pagan religion—involving sacrifices, plenty of nudity (woo-hoo!) and all-around weirdness.

Has the girl been sacrificed? No. But only in the end does he realize that a conspiracy has been brewing all along. He is the target of their religious zeal and comes face to face with their god, The Wicker Man. Set those fires, folks!

THE CRITIQUE

With the remake’s release in 2006, it is definitely time for movie fans everywhere to embrace the original 1973 version of THE WICKER MAN.

Smartly-written by the late, great playwright/author/screenwriter Anthony Schaffer (Sleuth/Frenzy/Death On The Nile), THE WICKER MAN immediately roped horror king Christopher Lee in to co-star. Not only starring in the film, the thespian also championed it from inception to conception and claims (to this day) that it is his favorite film in his own repertoire.

TWM also stars British actor Edward Woodward (best known in America as the star of the ‘80s show The Equalizer) and Swedish sexpot Britt Ekland (007’s The Man With The Golden Gun—who’s also an ex-Mrs. Peter Sellers). Along with Lee, these thespians contribute bravura performances to a creepy tale.

Directed with even-handed assurance by British filmmaker Robin Hardy, TWM would mark his feature film debut. A wonderful effort in my opinion.

Also worthy of a kudo is the handsome, atmospheric-lensing by late British cinematographer Harry Waxman (The Pink Panther Strikes Again/Vampyres). To say that the visual palette enhances the mood is a total understatement. By the way, TWM was shot in various locations in Scotland.

Other tech credits (editing, production design, real FX, etc.) are totally boss. One other standout is the appropriately-creepy score by the late artist, Paul Giovanni--who also appears in the movie as a musician.

THE BOTTOM LINE

A classic horror movie. Well-made and well-executed, THE WICKER MAN stands the test of time. With the Nicolas Cage remake now cemented in celluloid, comparisons will arise. My humble opinion is that both films are a product of its time--and thus should be judged accordingly. As for the original, it still rules! Oh yes, and I loved the nudity!

By the way: next time someone wants you to step into a gigantic wooden statue, politely decline and run like hell!

AC/N/V 1973 88m ENGLISH