Britain has many archaic traditions, but unsurprisingly, one of them isn’t human sacrifice. That said, there may be some use in it coming back for certain politicians, but I digress. The most famous film about sacrificing people is probably the great folk horror The Wicker Man, which for its fiftieth anniversary has been given a new spruce-up, because burning people to death is always better when watched in 4K.
Directed by Robin Hardy and written by Anthony Shaffer, The Wicker Man was originally released in 1973 and, as with many of today’s classics, wasn’t particularly well received. The story concerns the remote Scottish island of Summerisle, famous for its crops of fruit, although the recent harvest was a disastrous one. Being pagans, they prepare for a ceremony to hopefully restore everything, police officer Bowie (Edward Woodward) arrives on the island to investigate a case of a missing girl. The authority overseeing the island is Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), and his word goes above everyone else’s, even the law (although I’d like to see what he’d do when faced with Judge Dredd).
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Bowie goes on investigating and the island’s folk are not forthcoming, although Lord Summerisle seems rather lackadaisical about the whole thing. Then there’s Willow (Britt Ekland), the uber-horny pub landlord’s daughter who is the temptation to Bowie’s fundamentalist Christian beliefs – he turns her down not only because he’s engaged but also doesn’t believe in sex before marriage, making him a forty-three year old virgin. No wonder he’s so uptight. He kicks off at everyone because their pagan beliefs offend his delicate Christian sensibilities and he’s frustrated at not being able to solve his case, but what he doesn’t realise is that he’s in line to be the star of the May Day harvest ceremonies. Uh oh.
The Wicker Man is an undoubted masterpiece. There are so many reasons for this; it’s finely directed although the writing is the strongest part, and the cast is incredible. Woodward and Lee perfectly inhabit their roles as defenders of their own faiths, and Ekland is wonderful as the ultimate temptation, although it’s worth noting her Swedish brogue was dubbed by actress Annie Ross, famous to nerds as the machine woman who scarred millions of kids for life in Superman III.
There’s also the music, with Paul Giovanni’s score and songwriting as well as the adaptions of traditional folk songs. People talk about craft elements of movies as “being a character of its own”, and while that can be trite and annoying, you almost see what they mean here. Almost. Thematically, the picture is so fascinating, and horrifying at the same time. The thing is, yeah human sacrifice is bad, but that aside, you sympathise with the attitudes and philosophy of Summerisle, especially as Howie is such a fucking drag.
Studiocanal have given The Wicker Man a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative and present three different versions – for clarity, we were supplied a standard Blu-ray copy – the original theatrical cut, the 2001 director’s cut, and the 2013 final cut, the latter of which is the best. It looks great given the source material, especially on the final cut which is made up of sources other than the original negative, and sounds wonderful too, with a 2.0 mono track.
The disc is full of special features, including a documentary called ‘Burnt Offering’ hosted by Mark Kermode, and an audio commentary with Hardy, Lee, and Woodward, although the majority are from previous editions. New features include short featurettes on the critical reaction, the locations, and the lost ending of the film.
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It’s a fine edition, but Studiocanal have chosen to release it in a box set that includes two 4K discs and then the identical contents on two Blu-rays, along with a CD of covers of the soundtrack. It all comes in with a 54-page booklet and postcards and a couple of posters, and this all costs £59.99 RRP, which wouldn’t be a big issue if the only other version available wasn’t a steelbook that itself is £39.99. I know Studiocanal have a habit of doing this and releasing a standard version later, but at times when everyone is counting their pennies, they should have issued it straight away.
That said, it’s an essential film to own. I can’t honestly recommend the expensive box set so wait for the standard edition. You won’t be disappointed.
The Wicker Man 50th anniversary 4K restoration is out now on 5 disc 4K UHD Collectors Edition, Steelbook & Digital release from Studiocanal.
