Wicker Man Director: Robin Hardy Cast: Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt
DVD - Wide Screen Learn more
- DVD Release Date: 08/22/2006
- Original Release: 1974
- Rating:
FOR PARENTS
- Common Sense Rates this for Ages: More
| More Formats | |
|---|---|
| DVD - Wide Screen | $14.99 |
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Features
Closed Caption; Widescreen presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs; The Wicker Man Enigma: featuring interviews with stars Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt, director Robin Hardy, producer Peter Snell, writer Anthony Shaffer, editor Eric Boyd-Perkins, art director Seamus Flannery, assistant director Jake Wright, U.S. distributor John Simon, and filmmaker Roger Corman; Theatrical trailer; TV spot; Radio spots; Talent bios
Full Product DetailsScene Index
Disc #1 -- Wicker Man
1. Program Start/Main Titles [3:16]
2. Arrival [4:18]
3. May Morrison's Daughter [2:53]
4. The Inn [3:22]
5. Service With a Smile [2:49]
6. A Prayer for the Righteous [1:39]
7. Siren's Song [3:57]
8. Round the Maypole [2:40]
9. Primary Education [6:40]
10. Blasphemy [2:20]
11. Asserting Authority [3:43]
12. Rites of Fertility [1:37]
13. Lord Summerisle [6:36]
14. Exhumation [4:04]
15. Proof [1:32]
16. Disturbing Research [2:17]
17. Engine Trouble [2:10]
18. May Day Preparations [3:18]
19. The Search [3:40]
20. Hand of Glory [1:51]
21. Let the Festivities Begin [2:36]
22. "Chop, Chop, Chop..." [2:28]
23. Innocent Victim [5:29]
24. King for a Day [4:55]
25. The Wicker Man [6:04]
26. End Credits [1:03]
Editorial Reviews
A subtle, intelligent British thriller that has attained cult status over the years, director Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man is more creepy than terrifying, doling out its frights with a spare but expert hand. It benefits from a superb performance by Edward Woodward as a repressed, devoutly Christian police detective who arrives on an idyllic Scottish island to investigate the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl. The inspector is immediately rattled by the friendly but duplicitous islanders, who engage in casual nudity and wanton sex under the free-spirited rule of the foppish and eccentric Lord Summerisle (memorably played by Hammer horror icon Christopher Lee). When Woodward discovers that the natives are pagans, his disapproval turns to fear and outrage as he begins to suspect that the missing girl might have been used as a human sacrifice. Eschewing the usual horror film conventions, almost all of The Wicker Man takes place outdoors under sunny spring skies as the islanders prepare for their May Day celebrations. Hardy imbues the bucolic goings-on -- folk song sing-alongs, a maypole dance performed by children -- with an ever-increasing sense of menace. The deeper terror is psychological, though, as Woodward’s inspector is confronted with a heathenism against which his faith provides no bulwark. We feel the inspector’s anguish as he struggles to subdue his physical desire when the innkeeper’s luscious daughter (Britt Ekland) tries to tempt him by dancing naked outside his room. It is Woodward’s magnificent portrayal of this self-righteous but well-meaning man that makes The Wicker Man’s dark and unexpected ending truly devastating. Hacked down to 87 minutes for its initial release, the film was a theatrical failure. The DVD presents the film, fully restored from original vault materials, in its original 102-minute version. Kryssa Schemmerling, Barnes & Noble
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Why We Rated This Appropriate for Ages 16 and UP
What to watch out for
- Violence:
Car smashed by a truck in front of Edward, then bursts into flames (he sees versions of this trauma repeatedly, as flashbacks); Edward finds a bloodied corpse; Edward pulls his gun on a girl to get her bike; Edward is allergic to bees and a... More
Car smashed by a truck in front of Edward, then bursts into flames (he sees versions of this trauma repeatedly, as flashbacks); Edward finds a bloodied corpse; Edward pulls his gun on a girl to get her bike; Edward is allergic to bees and attacked by a swarm, leaving him swollen, unconscious, near dead; Edward fights with several women near end, kicking and slamming them into walls and to the floor; Edward is beset by a swarm of women, bloodied, beaten, and tied up; Edward is set on fire (by a little girl) and screams as he burns to death (from a distance, his figure is recognizable). Close
- Drugs:
Cop smokes cigarette; Edward takes prescription drugs following his trauma; he drinks "mead" ("honey, herbs, and whatnot"); extras drink in bar.
- Language:
One f-word, plus several instances of "s--t," "hell," and "damn."
- Messages
- Sex:
Schoolgirls recite that men represent a "phallic symbol" island women seek to perform a "fertility ritual" a couple kisses (standing and clothed).
- Consumerism:
Not an issue.
What Parents Need to Know
About Wicker Man
Parents need to know that the plot sets up an agrarian cult of women who sacrifice humans and animals to a "fertility goddess." The eventual sacrifice is harrowing, as the victim is dragged, beaten, tied up, and burned to death (this scene is potentially scary for kids, as it uses sounds and blackouts). The film begins with a violent accident, in which a car with a mother and child inside is slammed by a truck and catches fire; this scene repeats as the witness/cop suffers flashbacks throughout the film. Island women menace the cop, who responds by pulling his gun and eventually fighting them physically. The cop discovers a dead body with bloody eyes (in close-up). Several tense scenes and arguments. One f-word; assorted other profanities.
Families Can Talk About
Families can talk about the functions of cults in popular culture. How is Edward an ideal victim for this group, as he wants to "help people"? Why might it be significant that the women are associated with "fertility"? Why are horror movies so popular in general?
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