The Wicker Man - C/D?

A few years back on 'Moviedrome' they presented a SLIGHTLY more complete cut than the norm - helped to establish the urgent and key fact that Woodward is a virgin, and hence ripe for the pyre.

But I have a big book all abt Wicker Man which insists that much of the original footage was irretrievably sold as clinker.

WHo would say - "I'm only doing tit shots, no arse". Its like bolting the stable door after the horse has left.

WHo would say - "I'm only doing tit shots, no arse".

----------

Wondered about that myself. ;) Anyway I thought that stick your head through the circle of swords moment was pretty scary at the time.

ah, that's a good one. not all 'longer cuts' are a waste of time then.

I really like this movie. but i never for one second thought he would escape.

is this no longer considered to be the case?

Seeing as we're on a repeating ourselves tip, I was born on the day Sgt Howie died. I found The Wicker Man second only to Alien in my 'films that were supposed to be scary but weren't at all' list.

Actually (and I've probably mentioned this somewhere before) the 1956 BTF film "The Land of Robert Burns" includes this ridiculously prettified, rosy-cheeked arrangement of the Corn Riggs song, played over scenes of Everyone Together Bringing In The Harvest. Not until I saw *that* did the version in the Wicker Man *really* chill me to the bone. But oh it does now, just knowing that context ...

The sex through the wall scene, the scene where they cut off a random person's head but he/she survives because it is a costume head, and the part where everyone sings about bedding the pub-owner's daughter right there in front of her in the pub are classic. Otherwise, I thought it was kind of silly.

The cop being Christian is interesting because he only appeals to his executors on the grounds that he is a Christian and that they are silly heathens. He never even brought up reasons not to kill him like "other cops will come to the island and arrest the lot of you," etc. Then instead of struggling towards the end he just starts to pray. I dunno. Maybe its just a cultural misunderstanding, but he seemed like a WILLING martyr in a lot of ways.

I didn't have much sympathy with any of the characters, and I wasn't all that surprised with anything that happened, so as a "scary" film It was a dud for me.

Overall neither C nor D (or a little of both).

There's a nice blogstrapolation from The Wicker Man called Orwell on Summerisle. I'd like to see something similar with Mark E. Smith visiting the pagan isle.

interesting ingredients but the least threatening horror film i have ever seen.

and edward woodward - "the tranquilizer" more like.

The weird thing for me was the last scene where the islanders are singing a folk song while the fire burns. The song is track 1 on Richard Thompsons album "1000 Years of Popular Music", where he sings old songs and new songs just by himself. NO doubt Thompson has seen the Wicker Man, but as a hardline Muslim, he would know that he opens the album with a pagan (or in this context, decidly anti-Christian) ditty. Or am I just reading to much into this?

-- DavidM (i...) (webmail), January 4th, 2002 1:00 AM. (link)

wtf they showed it on NYE in 2001 and NYE 2004 as well? Why on earth? I mean, once is quite outré, but twice? That's just baiting.

Apparently the original director is doing a remake, with NICHOLAS CAGE (argh) in the lead.

Synopsis: Nicolas Cage will star in the remake of The Wicker Man, a groundbreaking thriller released in 1973. The story follows a Scottish police officer investigating the disappearance of a child. He finds himself in a pagan land where human sacrifice is still practiced. Neil LaBute will direct from his own adaptation. Cage lends a production hand at Saturn Films with partners Norm Golightly and Joanne Sellar.

It was interesting and fine and everything, but the protagonist was SO unlikeable that I really just didn't give a shit that he died. And when it's him vs. Christopher Lee, I mean who am I supposed to be cheering for? Chris Lee needs to be eating puppies or some shit before I stop rooting for him.

xpost

WOW GUYS THE REMAKE OF THIS

A++++++ BAD

notthebees.gif

Island of Dr Moreau levels of wtf bad or just bad?

I've managed to make it this far without ever seeing Moreau, but I can attest that Wicker Man remake is spectacularly bad. Even for Cage.

from Wikipedia: "Today it has a significant cult following as an unintentional comedy, with several scenes on YouTube boasting Cage brutalizing various women throughout and terrorizing children, a fan-made comedy trailer of the film, and more"

Moreau is worth watching (or just youtubing) for the scene in which Brando, dressed in a mu mu, is accompanied on the piano by his mini-me. Truly mind boggling.

yeah cage punches a ton of chicks in this

the "not the bees" was genius

If you liked this, you MUST watch Moreau.

yeah cage running around in a BEAR SUIT btw punching and roundhouse kicking ladies -- i feel the bear suit is a pretty important part of this.

honestly the first 1,000,000 minutes of this movie are not worthwhile, they are straight-up regular "ugh i can't keep this up" bad but that last half hour/45 minutes is really wow.

I think if you are a staring-out neofolk band, you are given a contract stipulating you have to cover "Willow's Song" (aka "naked girl pounding wall song").

This based on my husband having like 30 versions of the thing on his computer.

This pretty much covers it:

First minute confirms this was a Labute film.

yeah all the chick-punching confirms its a labute film

is lakeview terrace on dvd yet? god i'm pissed i missed that in theaters. Ebert gave it four stars!!!

REALLY important to make sure you're watching the unrated side of the wicker man dvd. I wasn't paying attention first time I watched it and was like "where's the bee mask?" People who saw this in the theater didn't see the bees, think about that.

is there any strained oscarbait about black and white race relations that ebert didnt give 4 stars to?

id watch it just for kerry washington regardless

ebert only gave bulworth three and a half stars. why do people like him again?

ebert's always been a sucker for oscar bait but since his health probs he's gone on a 4-star-givin'-out rampage

"Take your stee-upid mask."

this is not ilm but whatever

http://www.juno.co.uk/products/328458-01.htm

having been the only person to have seen the remake and not the original I say I like the remake on the frustrating concept that this movie was based on. I mean it still pisses me off that the good guy loses. Had it been a movie in which I liked the bad guys than maybe it would be different.

NOTTHEBEESNOTTHEBEESNOTTHEBEESAAAAAAAAAAAARGH

i think he would have outright died at the bee scene if he was allergic...

spoiler - in the criterion edition of The Wicker Man, there is an extra ending in which nicholas cage falls out of the burning wicker man as it collapses and he rolls through the embers 'til he lay handcuffed in a patch of mud. Then a swarm on little blond girls come over with pointed sticks, and kick and jab the shit out of him.. then and only then, he almost dies. They tie him up in the woods for the real bear to come eat him. The end.

Wait, there's a Criterion edition of the remake? What? Why?

captainlorax you should watch the original, woodward resists the seductions of the island but youll be lured into their ecstatic, creepy, orgiastic ways. 'pure anti-puritanism'. i would have been more conflicted if woodward had a bearsuit. is there a christopher lee character in the remake?

the original of this is dope. loved lord summerisle he has some amazing lines like 'shock is always easier to take with knees bent'

tho why o why is everything a trilogy now

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboys_for_Christ

dude is 70 already so wouldnt be surprised if the movie never happens

I didn't know there was a trilogy but maybe one of the books has an ending where I don't have to yell 'FUCCCCCCKKKK' lol
I would like to see that movie happen and I would watch it just for the ending even if the rest was crap. I want to know that a Wickerman movie can have a different kind of ending.

btw I don't know what everyone's problem with nicholas cage is.. is it because all he does is typecast roles? but lots of his movies are good.
he reminds of bruce willis but I think bruce is much more annoying as a typecast character. (I saw adaptation the other night and thought is was good)

So I saw the original Wicker Man the other night. It really wasn't any better or worse than the Nicholas Cage one. There was senseless nudity and singing. The main character guy was way less emotional than Nicholas Cage so I didn't really get into him as a character. Obviously the end wasn't as gratifying because I already new what was going to happen. It wasn't any better or worse of a film and I would to see a sequel in which the Sargent character slaughters everyone on summer isle and then a sun god smushes him with his finger (or something cooler) because the crazy blasphemous pagans turn out to be correct. Actually I just want to the some of the people on summer isle slaughtered.

It blows my fucking mind how many neofolk bands have covered 'Willow's Song'(one, hilariously, under the name 'Wicker Man Song'). Personally I think I wld prefer the "TAKE THE FIRE INSIDE YOU WATCH THE BABY GROW" song or 'Barley Rigs' but honestly that is bcz they bring me more glee and the lols factor is a notable factor.

Corrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn rigs and BARLEY rigs

Lord help the world when I am drunk and reminded of the Wicker Man soundtrack, everyone at the party gets informed about the corn & barley rigs & how I've often walked the (???) alone among the fields of barley.

(Tho lately I am more into singing The Nomi Song, poorly.)

The main character guy was way less emotional than Nicholas Cage so I didn't really get into him as a character

Really, you don't get emoting from Ted Woodward.

You get a lot of wooden disgust, which is AWESOME. He just walks around being stiffly appalled.

^

this movie rules

If you don't like this movie, you can't be my friend. End of.

Wasn't there some terrible indie band that covered the soundtrack in its entirety?

And from that seed there grew....a chiiiiiiiiiiiild!

I found this movie at a thrift store along with APE and BAD TASTE and it knocks those other two straight out of the water.

So I saw the original Wicker Man the other night. It really wasn't any better or worse than the Nicholas Cage one.
So I saw the original Wicker Man the other night. It really wasn't any better or worse than the Nicholas Cage one.
So I saw the original Wicker Man the other night. It really wasn't any better or worse than the Nicholas Cage one.
So I saw the original Wicker Man the other night. It really wasn't any better or worse than the Nicholas Cage one.
So I saw the original Wicker Man the other night. It really wasn't any better or worse than the Nicholas Cage one.
So I saw the original Wicker Man the other night. It really wasn't any better or worse than the Nicholas Cage one.
So I saw the original Wicker Man the other night. It really wasn't any better or worse than the Nicholas Cage one. So I saw the original Wicker Man the other night. It really wasn't any better or worse than the Nicholas Cage one.
So I saw the original Wicker Man the other night. It really wasn't any better or worse than the Nicholas Cage one.
So I saw the original Wicker Man the other night. It really wasn't any better or worse than the Nicholas Cage one.

^^ very rong

Wasn't there some terrible indie band that covered the soundtrack in its entirety?
i think you're thinking of valerie and her week of wonders. another great soundtrack, but totally different.

i love the wicker man ardently and shamelessly
i even taught myself to the fire leap song on the recorder (it's really easy, but still)

BTW, the only reason I rented this movie was because of this thread.
Maybe yall's views on the original Wicker Man would be different too if you saw it second to the remake.
The music was good. I liked the movie but it could have been stretched out to put in more creepy scenes at least.
The concept is always awesome. I love the ending. Reminded me of Jesus Camp.

wait wait are you saying you got into nicolas cage as a character?

more so than edward, but no. he was great in adaptation btw

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8927/probablynot.jpg

Maybe yall's views on the original Wicker Man would be different too if you saw it second to the remake.

If I saw the Wicker Man remake and then got syphilis, I would totally be all "Up With Syphilis!"

I don't understand your metaphor. The Wicker Man has syphilis?

never seen this film and have no interest in it because it always seemed v bad and hammy and old and british

nah dude it's good and hammy and old and british!

Scottish more specifically, makes it 10x cooler

british I think and lame

you are not very rad, con

2 disc DVD's amazing. of the original obv.

has cage ever apologised in an interview or explained himself? man what HAPPENED to this guy?

cage is the one man who never needs to apologize for anything

it's like asking a cactus to sing

http://www.tv.com/the-afternoon-play/the-singing-cactus/episode/392227/summary.html

http://thecactuscuties.com/

ok, maybe it's like asking a Mycetozoa to knit a dinosaur

take that, google

i feel like some threads are just one sockpuppetmaster talking to himself

laaaaaame

Sometimes I think it's like, we're all God's sock puppets. Then I sigh and put down the bong.

The main character guy was way less emotional than Nicholas Cage so I didn't really get into him as a character

Really, you don't get emoting from Ted Woodward.

― Matt #2, Sunday, May 24, 2009 Bookmark

Woodward plays it as a repressed copper, which I think is what the poster means

(not seen the remake)

You watch me knit a dinosaur, latebloomer...you just WATCH me!

Ha that was me, Abbott, don't worry! I would TOTALLY knit a dinosaur, tho...just you wait!

dun dun dun

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/396943621_eadde165aa.jpg

dun Dun Dun

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/76/226440498_3fd5f3bf92.jpg

DUNDUNDUN!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2027/2074527709_d285b2ea67.jpg

:D

http://issuu.com/soundofdrowning/docs/muppetwickerman

i just came here to post that! i squealed like a child when i saw it.

Oh my god!

Thank you for this, Ward.

never has there been a better role for miss piggy!

ha, i was coming here to post this

Woah - official sequel, to the original:

http://io9.com/5636915/new-wicker-man-sequel-will-help-you-forget-nic-cages-infamous-bee+gargle

Who can forget the gargling bee-filled gasps of Nic Cage's Wicker Man remake? But this new sequel, The Wicker Tree, written and directed by the original film-maker Robin Hardy and starring original leading man Christopher Lee, might help us heal.

Here's the official synopsis — nothing says fry me up pagans like a couple of unsuspecting missionaries!

Young Christians Beth and Steve, a gospel singer and her cowboy boyfriend, leave Texas to preach door-to-door in Scotland . When, after initial abuse, they are welcomed with joy and elation to Tressock, the border fiefdom of Sir Lachlan Morrison, they assume their hosts simply want to hear more about Jesus. How innocent and wrong they are.

FINALLY
better title the Jesus Cowboys or whatever they were calling it before

seriously? i CANNOT WAIT for this to come out.

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lbsa2t0kuB1qe0eclo1_500.gif

One of my favourite films. Watched "Blood On Satans Claw" after Mark Gatiss mentioned it on his horror retrospective as a similar film, but it wasn't a patch on the Wicker Man.

Yeah, not nearly as good, nor is the OST-- but even so, the sdtk is still pretty damn good.

i often imagine an alternative universe with loads of really rough chavs stretching each other out off their tits on e to "corn rigs" as the last tune of the night...

i understand "off their tits" but what does this mean stretching each other out (honest q)

sometimes when people are high on e (and have zero self respect, or are say, 18) they do various bodily stretches which basically make you get a crazy headrush and feel like you are about to have a happiness heart attack. they can be surprisingly complex and detailed. a bit like with all drugs i guess when you're v young, someone always has some "pro tip" for what to do while high.

Lord Summerisle is definitely assuming a raving posture in that pic.

Wow, I have seriously never heard of that. Learned sthg today.

NO NOT THE BEES THEY'RE IN MY EYES!!!
AAAAGGGHHAHHH!
ARAGUIAHISUFHSDAOFUISOUIDAOIAAA!!

new making-of book out this year
http://blog.booklistonline.com/2010/12/10/reading-the-screen-the-wicker-man/

can't wait to read it

i guess i should have read to the bottom before i posted this -- apparently it's a reprint/reissue/republish w/e but i am still excited because i cling to scraps

i'm sure you know this, but that review has it wrong - it IS possible to see the longer version of the wicker man, or near as dammit, on the region 2 dvd, which also includes a p entertaining commentary w mark kermode, robin hardy, edward woodward and christopher lee, who is hilariously pompous throughout

yeah i do have a longer version of the movie but i don't know if i have that one -- i have the special edition in the little wooden box that comes with the released version and an extended version with shitty looking unremastered "lost scenes" (slugs), but i don't know if it has commentary. honestly i don't listen to commentaries all that often.

have you read the book? clearly i haven't.

i barely read that blog post tbh
i just saw the words new and wicker man and book and posted like a moran

that extended version you have does sound like the same one on the region 2 dvd: yeah, it is a shame abt the quality of the restored footage, but it's pretty important to have all that stuff BEFORE the copper gets to the island (establishing he's a virgin etc.) haven't read the bk, no. a cpl of years ago there was a pretty gd doc abt movie locations in britain, and kermode went back to some of the wicker man locations w edward woodward - they haven't really changed at all, and lots of the locals still remember the shoot. i've lived in scotland for the last few years and im pretty ashamed that i've haven't made a similar pilgrimage (my excuse is that i'm a non-driver and a lot of these places are p remote)

Yes -- those scenes are totally important and without them, things don't really make sense. The parts of the Wicker Man book (the actual book, not the making-of book) add more to the backstory of Howie and his girlfriend. Yeah, he had a girlfriend!

I have made that pilgrimage, if you can believe it. I stayed in the Ellangowan, went up to the cliff, and found the feet and everything.

Looky:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/139/350665831_16291dbb35.jpg

I have another one of me sitting at the bar too.

That was mere months after someone chopped off what remained of the legs -- there was actually a lot more left before we got there.

v v cool! making a similar trip top of my 2011 resolutions...

The soundtrack is amazing, I can't say it enough. I know Magnet were responsible for "Corn Rigs", but what about the rest? We should poll the soundtrack really.

how could i pick? if i had to, though, festival/mirie it is processional medley
it's one of my favorite songs of all time and i have yet to find anything that genuinely sounds like it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG-0s5BnO-0

most of the s/t was by a geezer called paul giovanni - i think you can see him onscreen in some of the pub singsong scenes

he's the guy singing "gently johnny"

the guy who played the fiddle (most notably in the maypole scene) had a funny blog somewhere -- i think it was purple -- i had it bookmarked for a while but that was a long time ago

Ah, I think I know who you mean. A guy with big hair. My favourite is Gently Johnny.

Also need a best characters poll. My vote is for the massive avuncular beardpeado with the dragon costume.

While we're at it, RIP Ingrid Pitt.

Look what I got for Christmas!

(pardon the reflection of my kitchen window)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5169/5290220171_fb8fa7b7d6.jpg

aaaahhhh

don't be jealous

wicker tree trailer!!
gonna admit that i am pretty psyched and super glad they changed the title from jesus cowboys or w/e
http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/23360

"i'm one queen of the may that no one is EVER gonna forget" in that accent omg

Personally I'm dubious, but more than willing to be proven wrong.

also nudity and weird man-birth and pagan people clapping for what i can only guess is an imminent human sacrifice
YES
question: will there be songs, will those songs be awesome?

i know that this might be terrible, but i am ready to like it regardless (unless it is as terrible as, say, fear dot com, which is probably the worst movie ever)

wow they got christopher lee too. the og wicker man is srsly awesome i can watch that over and over

lee prolly working w/o pay just like he did on the original

omg @ framed summerisle 1972

I got the paperback version of Allan Brown's Wicker Man book for my birthday yesterday, pretty psyched about reading it. I skimmed the photos/captions/addenda and it looks to be pretty funny and full of new (to me) info.

Has anyone read the Christopher Lee bio Tall, Dark, and Gruesome?

Ooh, I think that's the book I have. (The Allan Brown book, not the Christopher Lee one.)

I read Tall Dark and Gruesome many many years ago - my memory is that it is rather too full of family anecdotage and not enuff Hammer, Amicus, Wicker Man etc etc chitchat. There is a revised version called (in the uk at least) Lord of Misrule, w a heavier emphasis on lotr, geo lucas etc.

JAN. 27 release date!!!

trailer on hulu http://www.hulu.com/watch/307162/the-wicker-tree

Got Tall Dark and Gruesome for Christmas this year btw.

ACCEPT OUR SACRIFICE, THAT WE MAY BE FRUITFUL
ONCE AGAIN!

if nothing else, costuming for this movie looks ~excellent~

hey La Lechera, come and see this with us:

http://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/content/default.asp?page=home_AnAppointmentWithTheWickerMan

oh, if only i could! one question: what does am-dram mean?
On a remote Scottish island, the Loch Parry Theatre Players mount their am-dram version of The Wicker Man.

i feel like i need to organize an outing to see this movie when it comes out in chicago

am-dram = amateur dramatics (ie a non-professional theatre group)

Oh wow I would love to see that!

ha, i thought it was a scottish variant of humdrum or something
good to know!

it does look okay except the music in that trailer is very incongruous.

i mean, not just because the original soundtrack is one of the greatest things ever.

it's also really different from the first trailer with the man-birthing and obvious texans
this is gonna totally tank in the US

this is destined to be on netflix instant view within a month of its release...which is fine by me. Looking forward to seeing it even though I have some reservations.

WICKER TREE opens THIS WEEKEND

fyi

A peer LOVED this, but her tastes are extremely suspect. Still...a little stoked I guess?

I can imagine exactly how bad this will be and I'm still pretty eager!

Totally psyched, hope it comes to Chicago soon because apparently tomorrow is not the day :(

The local arthouse place was advertising it for 1/27 here, but now they aren't... delayed perhaps?

Congratulations, El Paso! http://www.thewickertreemovie.com/showtimes.html

Try again later, Chicago. :(

I'm totally psyched about seeing this but bummed that I can't be in the first round. (Not so bummed that I would drive to Cincinnati, but I did briefly consider it.)

El Paso and Plano? What?

Hahaha why did I think that was Plano, Illinois for half a second before coming to my senses? I was about to say, La Lechera, Plano is a much closer drive than Cincinnati.

The movie does have Texans in it, though. Maybe that's why. Cowboys for Christ, etc.

THAT IS CLEARLY THE ONLY POSSIBLE EXCUSE!

Naked Butted norse woman hits wall in sex-anguish - the end is a twist that makes you feel like "am I happy about this? I dont know" overall I feel somewhat sad about the grain-worshipping smelly folk of that island

If they had shown it in Austin, people would have actually gone to see it though!

she was naked all over iirc

has this been noted?
Nic Cage wants to play ghost in Wicker Man sequel set in Japan
http://www.avclub.com/toronto/articles/nic-cage-wants-to-play-ghost-in-wicker-man-sequel,68416/

Fuck yes!! Nic Cage should really, at this point, just set up his own production company and stop waiting for crazy projects to come to him. I bet he has the money to produce a few (insanely crackpot) films.

I'm pretty sure he has negative money!

That's the kind you need to make bad movies, rite?

Maybe he's got no cash, but I think he has plenty of HOLLYWOOD CAPITAL.

No shortage of bad ideas, either.

On the other hand, nobody in Austin has ever commented on my Summerisle t-shirt. Maybe El Paso is crazy for the Wicker Man?

What kind of cretins are you living with there? Nobody?
Savagery!

I love this movie (the original obv). gotta say though after cop-guy's smug "Haven't you all ever heard of Jesus?" screeds, I was happy as hell when they sacrificed his witnessing ass.

oh shit Spoi--ahh hell who the hell didn't know that's how it ends.

Lots of people!

I'm genuinely bummed that I can't see the Wicker Tree this weekend. There's nowhere to see it within a 6 hr radius though and that's a lot of gas money and mileage ;_;

I know! I used to live only an hour away from El Paso, too! Argh!

Driving ten hours to El Paso is more realistic than the idea of driving 5 hours to Plano.

It'll probably get a wider release next weekend, I think? Right?

RIGHT?!!?

I woul dlike the sequel to be "The Wicker Chair Set"

Bad news! Things don't look good for wider distribution/screening in small towns like Chicago ;_;

Good news: out on DVD in April.

*sigh*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH1VdD-nAc0

Brilliant.

That was posted upthread iirc? It was awesome then too.

Oh probably, I was just too lazy to check.

Still haven't seen this :(
Considered preordering the dvd but it felt wrong. Holding out for something at the Music Box or similar venue. Stoically.

me either! I think I'm going to scour the usual places to see it. It's not piracy if a movie has like no distribution, rite?

I mean morally, obv. the MPAA thinks it is.

Well, I've given up. So be it.

web site doesn't list screening cities anymore, just links to amazon for dvd/blu-ray pre-orders. oh well.

apparently this was screened in january here in austin!

you should ask all three people who went to the screening who paid them not to tell anyone else about it
geez

To be fair, I'm not super plugged in to local events. One downside of never going anywhere without a book to read is you never pick up the local alt weekly and find out about stuff.

* still haven't seen Wicker Tree :(

* did see Whiskey Galore, which has a similar premise of "remote Scottish island experiences drought" only this time, it's a whiskey drought! there aren't songs a la wicker man, but there IS a great dancing scene when one of the main characters sneaks away from his protective religious mother and gets married to a local girl. it's on netflix! really surprisingly entertaining, the whole movie. i liked it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-rkvIEERSA

ooh, how does it compare to "I Know Where I'm Going!"?

I'm not sure because I haven't seen it, but I would guess that it's funnier -- Whiskey Galore was pretty funny! Do I need to see I Know Where I'm Going? The synopsis sounds intriguing because of curses and islands and whatnot.

If you've seen any Powell/Pressburger films from the time, it's got this calmness that makes it feel like they filmed it almost accidentally, and then you get these bursts of jazzy back-and-forth dialog... I like it a lot! I am going to watch Whisky Galore, which almost looks like its twin.

I Know Where I'm Going! used to be on Netflix, but it isn't anymore.

Well, Wicker Tree is out on DVD now. Still haven't seen it, but I guess I will sooner or later. Today would have been a nice time if I had planned ahead. WHOOPS.

On May Day! Inspired timing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Lm4wirsl4

Ian Cutler, fiddler on that tune
http://www.iancutler.com/Pictures/ianfront1.gif

I purchased a copy of The Wicker Tree for my library because I am a bad librarian. (I also bought a copy of the original Wicker Man at the same time).

what a terrible awful librarian you are

http://www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/ActorsP/13891-21276.gif

I think next year is the 40th anniversary?

I really wanted to have a maypole in town this year. And maybe a burning.

General Strike Action and Burning of Criminals

Well, I've finally seen it.

Pretty good! The music is nothing to write home about (in fact, the soundtracked/incidental music was really distracting) but there was notable plot development from the original, and lots of natural boobs (the Willow character, Lolly, was charming even if she wasn't Britt Eckland). I'll spare anyone who hasn't seen it further commentary.

Has no one else seen The Wicker Tree yet?!

nah, waiting until it is v v cheap on amazong

la lechera, have you ever seen the fantasist, robin hardy's 'other' film?

I have not. Should I?

Looks like it's only available on VHS?

there was a region 2 dvd, also

i haven't seen it for many many years - my memory is that it was a fairly ordinary psycho thriller, but it may have 'aged' well, i dunno

I bought The Wicker Tree DVD, but I haven't watched it yet.

It's in my shopping cart, but I'm waiting for a gift card!

although I just realized, I am wearing my Summerisle t-shirt today.

:D

finally saw The Wicker Tree this past weekend. It didn't really have the spark of genius of the original but I still enjoyed it. I was immensely excited to find out that Honeysuckle Weeks was in this, I am little bit in love with her.

Apparently this is now supposed to be a trilogy, with the third part titled The Wrath of the Gods???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wicker_Man_Trilogy

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_IpgtmCYAAXAJb.jpg:large

:D

print of the original cut found

Whaaaaaaaat

"and this is the exciting bit"

found under a hayrick?

I think my favourite thing about the film is that the hot air currents have failed so that the island is dying / it's not even an unbroken chain back to the pagan past, because it was Lord Summerisle's grandfather who instigated the paganism - so it's about pagan reconstructionism, not just paganism. Neither the island's way or the policeman's way 'work'.

So viewed in terms of 'Environmental Cinema', that edge is what keeps the film from being a regressive fantasy like Avatar or LotR.

i'm not sure it's what i like about the wicker man, but i sure love games where everybody loses.

so will there be a theatrical release of the newly found print? WILL THERE!?

The discussions on the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/WickerManAppeal), particularly the one attached to Robin Hardy's video announcement, are very interesting! The history of the Wicker Man is contested!

In this one, the policeman escapes..

i already clicked on that and followed it! wait, why are you not my facebook friend?

holy cow, missed this yesterday. camping out in line til whenever.

Rialto rolling out restored DCP version in theaters beginning next month.

whaaaaaaaaaaat

that is great news
link?

Cover story on the new issue of Sight & Sound:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BTejYAMIUAA_kQq.jpg

Nice that Classe Tous Risques is in that issue as well.

new print looks fantastic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7eAc5Jugr0

screening dates... did la lechera take the day off?

:: September 27 – October 3 NEW YORK, NY IFC Center
:: October 4 – 5 SAN FRANCISCO, CA The Castro Theatre
:: October 25 – 31 CHICAGO, IL Music Box Theatre
:: October 25 – 27 BELLINGHAM, WA Pickford Film Center
:: October 26 SEATTLE, WA Cinerama
:: October 28 – 31 PITTSBURGH, PA Pittsburgh Filmmakers at Regent Square
:: November 1 – 7 LOS ANGELES, CA Landmark Theatres - Nuart
:: November 1 – 7 PORTLAND, OR Hollywood Theatre
:: November 8 – 14 PHILADELPHIA, PA Landmark Theatres - Ritz at the Bourse
:: November 15 – 16 HOUSTON, TX Landmark Theatres - River Oaks
:: November 15 – 16 DENVER, CO Landmark Theatres - Esquire
:: November 15 – 16 BROOKLINE, MA Coolidge Corner Theatre

September 27 – October 3 NEW YORK, NY IFC Center

:D :D :D

Who wants to go?

!!!!! i don't need to take the day off -- it's playing for a week!!

hooray
totes gonna get dressed up
wheee!

i wonder if one of the opening nights will be a singalong

man october is gonna rule so much -- i'm seeing goblin, hawk wind, and new wicker man print? my 70s dreams are all coming true! (well, some of them at least)

Awesome news. Would be kind of cool to see it on Halloween!

oops sorry about the space in hawkwind

austin needs to feel shame, houston is getting the wicker man and they aren't.

lol
space

man october is gonna rule so much -- i'm seeing goblin, hawk wind

I am pretty pissed that both of these shows are when I am going to be in Yosemite >:(

saw a youtube of a recent Hawkwind Warriors at the Edge of Time show and it looked pretty awesome

there are going to be dancers and a light show!
i really need to start planning outfits now if i want october to shine properly

great interview with britt!! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/10321559/Britt-Ekland-on-nudity-Alzheimers-and-being-abducted-by-Peter-Sellers-interview.html

Man the part about her moms Alzheimer's ;_;

Yeah that was pretty brutal. I love her attitude toward old age though.

She is now 70 and lives mostly in Los Angeles, a town where everyone over 27 is invisible.

that's it, I'm moving to LA

http://www.theguardian.com/film/picture/2013/sep/20/the-wicker-man-infomania?CMP=twt_gu

new info to me from all the recent guardian coverage of the wicker man was that pentangle were giovanni's first choice to perform the soundtrack, and much as i love them, i'm kind of glad they weren't available.

Lots of interesting tidbits here:
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/sep/24/how-we-made-wicker-man

So it was great seeing this on a big screen last night, but I didn't notice a lot of difference between this cut and the Director's Cut I have at home other than a few scenes were missing!

yeah I think the main reason for celebrating this is the new print, which if the youtube clip above is anything to go by looks amazing.

iirc in the home video DC there's a jarring drop in quality during the excised scenes

Yes. Like the slugs!
I can't wait to see this on the big screen!!!

saw the restored cut at a sold-out theater tonight - it's touring the US. see it at any cost, it's fucking tremendous.

A local (chicago) brewery has just put out a "Rowan Morrison Scotch Ale!" I'm drinking it as I write this and it's pretty good!

Got a really strong Summerisle vibe from this story about theft on the remote island of Canna that I heard on the radio yesterday:
(Block is Melissa Block of NPR, Clark is the island's spokesman)

http://www.npr.org/2015/06/17/415274560/thieves-cause-uproar-on-scottish-island-that-was-once-crime-free

BLOCK: So the tradition will live on.

CLARK: Oh, the tradition will certainly live on. Yes, yes. It wouldn't break them, not by any stretch of the imagination. No, no.

BLOCK: Well, Mr. Clark, thanks for talking to us about all this.

CLARK: That's all right. You're welcome. And maybe one day, you'll visit the lakes of Canna and one of the other Inner Hebrides.

I can hear Corn Rigs playing in the distance as the investigator prepares to get to the bottom of this crime...

This is the best film ever really, isn't it?

one of em

Re-watched the blu-ray the other night, after Lee died.

I like this film but feel like I enjoy it in a different way than most (ie as a comedy)

that's how i feel about the remake

well yeah.

I just don't get creeped out by anything in this movie, there's no terror or fear in it. It's wicked but in a funny way

They screened it at the Alamo here in Austin a few weeks back and I went, I liked how the presenter recommended watching the Wicker Man and then I Know Where I'm Going, he said they were two sides of the same coin. Two of my favorite movies and I never noticed!

I bought a notebook of special knitting graph paper because it was published by Rowan Morrison Books. The logo is a hare!

They're from Oakland. Used to run an art gallery by the sam name. I can't believe I never made the connection!

What's the matter with you, McGregor, do you call that dancing? Cut some capers, man! Use your bladder!

classic

still have a hard time thinking of this movie as anything other than a comedy

haha yeah — it walks a thin line! my wife and i have at least three regular in-jokes based on this movie ...

It cuts both ways

it'd be fun to screen it with Life of Brian at a theater

That’s why it’s so good! Songs/funny/human sacrifice = ❤️❤️❤️

last week I watched both (1980 and 2017) versions of Watcher in the Woods hoping for a bit of Wicker Man frisson, but it doesn't quite get there. And to be fair, probably didn't want to go there.

i tried to watch that as an adult and was disappointed. i loved it so much as a kid!!! nerek!!!!

So, yes, I had not seen this until just this weekend. Fantastic.

I was totally obsessed with the Watcher in the Woods when I was little.

me too, it was like part of my identity lol

https://vimeo.com/15307305

Worth it for the way a couple of key scenes were achieved.

we totally watched that in 9th grade in....some class. classic

(WAtcher, not Wicker Man, I woulda been offended by that movie in high school)

Why does Britt Ekland try to seduce Woodward the night before the ritual if his virginity is part of what makes him a good sacrifice? Like what would they do if she succeeded? Way too late to try to lure a different victim.

It's the other way around, I surmise; it's a purity test

No I get that, but if he fails the purity test he'd still be the best candidate available, they have nothing to gain.

I realise the actual answer is almost certainly "the director wanted some more nudity".

Thought the revive would be about this. Includes a pop-up!

https://i.imgur.com/uULvVjsl.jpg

It was to prove his piousness (piety??) as well. It’s more clear in the book.

I guess I'm just wondering about the Plan B here.

Obvious nit picking I know, film as a whole is amazing.

what a cool boxed set! especially NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THREE CUTS OF THE FILM. I've only ever seen the cut that made it to the US, I think.

apparently it's also going to get re-released to some theatres?

I guess I'm just wondering about the Plan B here.

well if Howie was actually a tramp and they didn't test him and went ahead with the ritual it wouldn't work!

(and they'd have to refund everyone for their three-day Summerisle festival passes too)

There are a few strange plotholes / incongruities in the film. Like when the landlord lets himself get knocked out so that Woowar can nick his costume and replace him in the procession - feels like a far-fetched (and potentially fatal) plan on the landlord's part.

I mean the "deftly executed plan that appears to fail but actually the failure was a built-in part of the plan and everything worked as expected" trope has existed for centuries in fiction of all kinds, I don't think it'd be as interesting having a movie where a few of the things that were planned didn't work out and we get treated to five minute scenes where all of the plotters get together and talk about what went wrong and how they can do better moving forward

I saw the attempted seduction as a fail safe — they knew he was the right guy and they had to make sure with a final test. And sure enough he was the right guy. They didn’t need a plan B they just needed to be sure he was who they thought he was. And obviously he was. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen chastity get someone killed and for that I applaud this film once again.

OTM

I guess it would've been pretty amusing if there were actually like 5 Woodward types being put up in that cottage Airbnb, all of whom were, at various points, being nudie serenaded from the next room over

The Wicker Bachelor

Producers emergency meeting on whether "just masturbation" results in instant disqualification

Two left standing, trivia game show style competition used to select sacrifice

That restoration is playing here in a few weeks.

That this was the Jean Eustache thread for a second.

They did some screenings in the UK a couple of weeks ago and a number of people who hadn't seen the film before were royally pissed off bc they chose to show a documentary/Q&A about the film before the film itself. Obviously this was dripping with spoilers so those who hadn't seen the film before had their evening ruined.

I remember liking The Third Day with Jude Law, I think it had some Wicker DNA but is a very different story

I would love to see this in a theatre and take all the people I know who only know the HOW'D IT GET BURNED cage version

This revive prompted by my seeing the restoration at the Prince Charles last night. A few too many giggles for me - I think there's a lot of comedy in it but I guess not nec in the moments others find funny - but there was a nice round of applause at the end.

yeah The Third Day is brilliant xps

I saw this at the ICA in London in a double bill with Mike Leighs' Nuts in May... a great double bill.

I think it benefits from a tipsy audience laughing along with it.... but i'd want that to be my second or third watch.

not sure if its still on in theatres (I heard it was a one day limited release) but very tempted to take my eldest and see him experience it with no knowledge of the film or the ending..

just tell him its about a policeman sent to a scottish island to rescue a girl... and watch as it slowly veers away from his expectations till the bitter end.

Watching this tonight, I was thinking about how the greatest horror films come with some of the greatest endings ever. Truthfully, I wouldn't rank this quite that high--the film, that is--but the ending, yes. This, Texas Chainsaw, Rosemary's Baby, the '78 Body Snatchers, Night of the Living Dead, etc.--those endings stay with you for a long time.

I've never seen the movie.

Is there some surprise at the end other than they sacrifice Edward Woodward? Because that seems blazingly obvious from even the vaguest plot description.

Surprise is part of it on first viewing; it's still disturbing no matter how many times you've seen it.

I knew they were going to sacrifice him when I went in but didn't know the girl would be in on it.

xp yup I've watched it a fair few times* & saw the restoration at the BFI a couple of weeks ago - I know it well enough to relax and enjoy the fun but imo Woodward sells the horror and it feels very material, very concrete, like I come out thinking 'well fuck I really don't want to be burnt alive'

*we rented a screening room & had it as the afternoon entertainment for my stag do

yeah the enjoyment of Wicker Man isn't OMG SHOCKING ENDING, it's the way it's executed. the ending sequence is so well shot and creepy.

the music is what makes repeat viewings enjoyable imo

Sometimes a Howdunnit is better than a Whodunnit IMO, and the fact they give the ending away in the title is pretty brave really.

I don't remember being especially shocked by the ending when I first saw this way back when, but then I'd been hardened by all sorts of extreme Asian horror nightmare fuel. It wasn't until I re-watched it that the true awfulness of Ewar Woowar's fate hit home.

But yes... When asked, this is what I tell people is my favourite film. There is nothing not to love about it. I found a DVD of the Nic Cage version left out in a box on the street a few weeks back and took the plunge. It is shocking isn't it?

And I agree - the music is amazing. The fact this is a folk horror musical is a big part of the appeal. What a strange idea, conceptually, to include parts where characters break into song during a film like this, and yet it's almost always diegetically justified: Why shouldn't the villagers sing a bawdy song together in the pub?

I don't think the title gives the ending away. You have no idea what the wicker man is until you see it. Plus, the first time I saw it I was half-expecting him to be rescued or escape somehow.

what I most love about it (and this is true of many of my favourite films) is that it exists in its own vividly portrayed, self-contained world, apart from the rest of cinema

Side note: is it weird that the 'Ewar Woowar' joke/meme/whatever it is has lasted as long as it has? Is it just a UK thing? Are some people looking at dog latin's post wondering wtf has happened to his syntax?

i had no idea what he was talking about but just moved on. i frequently have no idea what people are talking about!

watched this on mushrooms a few months ago and it was a very beautiful and deeply unsettling evening

I love how resistant this thing is to pat interpretations and classifications and moral lessons and I very get different things from it each of the 3-4 times I've seen it. it's impossible to know exactly where the film lands on its own characters and events and everyone I've talked to about it has had very different and often surprisingly personal impressions of jt

idk what the most common version people watch is but for me it *has* to start in the church with howie's self-eulogy

*of it!

a stage musical? would it work?

Christopher Lee is the real star here, not Woodward

Surely you mean Woowar?

The joke is (drumroll):

Q: "Why does Edward Woodward have so many Ds in his name?"
A: "Because if he didn't, he'd be Ewar Woowar!"

(this joke is unknown to Americans, pretty much, as is the Wicker Man generally)

i still don't know if I've seen the 'real' cut of Wicker Man or the US-release with extra things missing before.

I dunno, joke tickled me when I was told it, probably at school when I didn't really know who he was, so he'll always be Ewar Woowar to me

The nihilistic endings of Texas Chainsaw and Living Dead (originals) were a big part of why Robin Wood loved them, and the ending of The Exorcist--restoration of patriarchy, family, the awesome power of religious faith--a big part of why he hated it. (I can live with the ending when the rest of it is so terrifying.) Don't know how he felt about The Wicker Man (or the '78 Body Snatchers), but following the same logic, he would have probably loved it/them.

Rosemary's Baby is a little harder to pin down, but closer to the nihilistic endings, I think.

Some cool production stills

https://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2023/aug/31/the-fool-and-the-fury-behind-the-scenes-of-the-wicker-man-in-pictures

Neat!