The Wicker Man [1973] (DVD)

When Sergeant Howie, a staunch Christian, goes to the remote Hebridean island of Summerisle to follow up on an anonymous claim that a young girl has gone missing, he thinks his investigation will be a straightforward one. He could not be more wrong. None of the islanders claim to know the missing girl, not even her own mother and sister. Yet the behaviour of the islanders, including the laird of Summerisle, suggests that they know more than they are letting on. They certainly have some very strange religious practices which are far from being Christian. When the Sergeant finally finds the grave of the missing girl, he orders it to be dug up...only to find that there is ...  Read the complete review

So the recession hits England and the personal knock on effect this has for me is that I find myself increasingly sitting in watching a DVD that I haven't cast my eye over for ages, although I have had enough of this and intend to treat myself to a couple of cheapies after work today. However the end result was that not two nights ago Wicker man caught my fancy and as I'm sure it's one of those films that I have watched bits and pieces of but not all the way through in one sitting I thought it was worth a watch. Sgt Howie (Edward Woodward) starts off the action, he lands by water plane to a remote Island off the Scottish mainline, he has been sent a personal ...  Read the complete review

I was travelling down to Devon early in the new year and passed that now familiar landmark just outside Taunton on the M5 near Bridgewater – a huge 40ft tall willow figure, a marvellous creation by Serena de la Hey. Not quite as impressive as the ‘Angel of the North’ but nevertheless a wonderful celebration of contemporary art. For some reason it always reminds me of one of my favourite films of the seventies, Robin Hardy’s, ‘The Wicker Man’, which came out in 1973 and starred Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento and Ingrid Pitt. This really was one of the most unusual horror stories since Hammer ...  Read the complete review

The Wicker Man is a 1970's cult classic about the small Scottish island of Summerisle. It features the confrontation of a classical Christian doctrine with a more ritualistic, animal, pagan one that never gets named. It does so with almost comedic folk music and a smattering of tits. It's got my vote already. Our hero, a police officer called Sargent Howie, is sent to the island of Summerisle after receiving an anonymous letter claiming that a 13 year old girl had gone missing. He finds the inhabitants not at all helpful, and is confused by the fact that nobody seems to have heard of the girl. He finds the girl's supposed mother, but she too ...  Read the complete review

The Wicker Man - DVD. 2 Disc Limited Edition of 50000 copies. --------------------------- This opinion is based on the Anchor Bay R0 DVD of The Wicker Man. The Story: Made in 1972 The Wicker Man stars Edward Woodwood as police sergeant Howie a man of strong religious beliefs who travels to a remote Scottish island to investigate the disappearance of a young girl named Rowan Morrison. On his arrival the locals are less than helpful and to his horror the sergeant uncovers a community devoid of Christianity and finds instead a pagan society. The head of the island Lord Summerisle is played by Christopher Lee and the film also stars Britt ...  Read the complete review