The Wicker Man

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Has anyone else seen this movie???
its great starring Edward woodward and chritopher lee. Its a British Film about a policeman that goes to a scottish privatley owned isle to investigate a missing child. But he finds that the island is full of pagans, who will not help him because they say she has "returned to nature". Its almost a musical, and definatley would go on my favorite foreign films of all time. And- it came out on dvd, so rent that.
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The Wicker Man (1973) is a classic that Horror fans and Brits probably know better than most casual American filmgoers. It is definitely considered a classic in Horror circles, but still widely unknown and underappreciated by the genral public. Darn good flick.

The DVD is quite good too, even featuring interviews with some of the cast and crew, including good ol' Christopher Lee. I scooped it up at Tower Records around Halloween for only $15. There's also a deluxe edition DVD set that comes in a little wooden box, a second-disc with an alternate cut of the film, and two mini-posters. That one retails for $40.
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i've seen the Wicker Man a couple of times, first in the late eighties....different, spooky, and hard to forget.... so mecurdius, do you remember a song about "(something)corn and barley corn......" something like that? i've never been able to remember what movie i had heard it in and your post triggered the thought that maybe it was from the Wicker Man....me thinks it's time to see it again! Holden, do you recall such a song? not that it's a good song, just a song that kind of took root, you know?
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A truly creepy film, full of mystery, suspense and the supernatural. Unique and individual Edward Woodward is superb.

The less said about the plot the better, just know if you like your horror with ambiguity and class check this one out.

There are 2 different edits one is only 88 while the other is 115 or so. The full cut is far more fullfilling.
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This is for me one of the films that for me inspired a generation of not only film goers but also film makers. It was seen I think by many as a film that questioned religion and blasted religion but I don't believe it does. I think if anything it was very respectful towards the Christian faith.

The plot is a very simple one but I think the plot is almost secondary to the acting and the location of the film. The locations were fantastic and the shots were perfect. It was a creepy film but was creepy in a very different way. It wasn't creepy in someone walking out of the basement but creepy in a "please stop staring at me" way.

It also has one of my favourite lines in a film:

Sergeant Howie: Your lordship seems strangely... unconcerned.

Lord Summerisle: Well I'm confident your suspicions are wrong, Sergeant. We don't commit murder here. We're a deeply religious people.

Sergeant Howie: Religious? With ruined churches, no ministers, no priests... and children dancing naked!

Lord Summerisle: They do love their divinity lessons.

Sergeant Howie: But they are... are *naked*!

Lord Summerisle: Naturally! It's much too dangerous to jump through the fire with your clothes on!
Gotta love health and safety!
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Yep Holden's right in that it's very well known here in the UK. I saw it back on release as the B film in a double bill with Don't Look Now. Me and my mate were scared to walk home in the dark after that!

It forms part of the folk genre we have over here of isolated villages populated by eccentric and possibly inbred characters (prob have in the US too) . You can see that reflected in the British tv series The League of Gentlemen and in the village pub at the beginning of American Werewolf in London

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



The Wicker Man (Final Cut) had a limited cinema release last year. Here's my review:

Despite a few bad shots, a couple of dodgy overdubs, and THAT bottom, this is still a masterpiece of a movie. It's lost none of its creepiness. The 'final' edit is closer to Robert Hardy's original cut than the last DVD release which featured scenes in the Police Station which Hardy is now less than enamoured about. This version introduces Christopher Lee much earlier and there's the song 'Gently Johnny', but nothing taking us too far from the beaten path. It's good to be reminded of how wonderful Edward Woodward's performance really is; those final scenes - with the equally wonderful Christopher Lee - are just pure cinema. 10/10