Rating: 
Summary: Wicker Man
Review: This movie has it all. Paganism... horror... Brit Eckland doing a naked fertility dance... and Christoper Lee, dressed as a woman, leading a parade of animal costumed geeks. All of the makings of a great B-movie. What elevates Wicker Man above the usual B-movie genre is the ending. The suprise ending of Wicker Man hits a homerun, in the bottom of the ninth, with all the bases loaded. I've shown this movie several times and nobody ever guesses the ending. Trust me, this is a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Souter Fell.
Review: Great atmospheric,... unrepressed cult-movie. Contains a story about a girl who disappears in the "Summerisle's"(an island off the coast of Scotland)and the policeman who is sent to investigate. The cop then stumbles on a bizarre community of "Pagan People" who open up a world of vivid intrigue to the Christian-tamed man,played nicely by Edward Woodward. Great potent music & sounds don the soundtrack,it's an extremely under-rated movie...one I was totally enchanted with. Great parts are Britt Ekland dancing to the folk-song "How Do"(which was covered by U.K pop-group "Sneaker Pimps" for their Debut release "Becoming X")& Sgt.Howie's visit to a classroom full of (beautiful) girls concerning their vanished classmate. The Australian release of this hard-to-get gem is the 101 min. version,so I'm glad nothing infectious was missed. Either way,it'll blink you into a trance.
Rating:
Summary: The Real Harvest Home
Review: This film actually accomplishes, and brilliantly, what the dreadfully bad TV version of Thomas Tryon's Harvest Home, starring Bette Davis, attempted some years back -- the convincing portrayal of a survival of paganism into the modern era. (Christopher Lee's explanation of how Summerisle came to be as it is may not be wholly convincing, but at least it avoids the problem that the Tryon film walked right into -- accounting for how such a strange environment somehow missed being subsumed by the modern world). The rituals and songs of the islanders were easily the most convincing examples of otherworldly practices I have ever seen in a fantasy film (no Maria Ouspenskaya gypsies here!). I was particularly impressed by the way that the screenwriter, Anthony Shaffer, refused to make Sergeant Howie "lovable", but, rather, allowed him to be as humorless and dogmatic as a real Scottish Presbyterian would be if confronted with this horrible situation. At the same time, his courage and sense of duty make him a real hero -- and Woodward, a splendid actor, conveys all of this human complexity to perfection. The chilling matter-of-factness with which the villagers present their bizarre beliefs is infinitely more disturbing than any no-don't-go-to-Castle-Dracula-tonight-good-sir nonsense would have been.
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Summary: Poster Child of the Forgotten 70s Genre
Review: I find few oversights as shameful to the entertainment Biz as the fact that films like this are not easily obtainable to the general public. The Wicker Man is wonderfully representative of a somewhat lost Genre of creepy 70's art house flicks. A strong foreign influence on Brit & Auzzie directors of the time and all of the mind expanding drug experimentation of the 60's finally started paying off. Films such as The Wicker Man and Don't Look Now, and to a lessor degree, films of the continent like More and The Valley are indeed a forgotten artform. A film of the "Lost Genre" typically will be shot on that very distinctive 70's film stock. It apparently looked marvelous at the time, but cost cuts in it's composition that were to save the industry ended up in a film stock that degraded in a mere five or six years. What we're left with however unintentional at the time are beautifully creapy washed out colors blending at the edges into each other and night scenes as grainy as a gravel road. An irreverent view towards sex, a hint of otherworldly spiritual implications, and an ending you'd never guess are all featured key themes in these films. If you are a modern day film afficionado and you appreciate the works of Lars Von Trier, Danny Boyle, and David Lynch, I strongly suggest you investigate the Wicker Man and other such films of the era. Sadly, you will find it quite difficult to snag them in most U.S. video stores. Some are still not "legal" in the U.S.. The Wicker Man may be hard to find, but it has not been banned and it is well worth the extra investigative effort. Also see the early films of Nick Roeg (Don't Look Now, The Performance and Walkabout ) and of famed diredctor Peter Weir (Picnic at Hanging Rock and the Last Wave) All are brilliantly creepy and I feel that all are members of the secret lost genre.
Rating:
Summary: Sublime
Review: Before beginning this review, I thought it worth commenting on the previous reviews. As is typical of modern-day liberal-socialist 'pagans', they feel compelled to flirt with the glamour of witchcraft (itself a 20th century invention) and historical paganism (often interpreted by christian scholars), whilst distancing themselves from the darker aspects of the same. For example, "this is possibly the most accurate portrayal of the Craft ever put to celluloid . . . aside, of course, from the last ten minutes" or "I feel that to some people this may give rise to ignorant prejudices against 'alternative' religions, especially Wiccans and other pagan groupings". And of course the little darling who saw fit to bleat about the "Witch Burnings" whilst review a film which had nothing to do with witch-burnings. It should be obvious to anyone that human sacrifice was and is a part of genuine heathen practices, from the various Celtic peoples, to the Teutonic peoples, through to Minoan society, and to Aryan India. Need I mention the bog people? The practice itself is continued in modern day times: The Clapham Woods 'Friends of Hekate' phenomenon in the late 1970s, and the Shropshire Order of Nine Angles in the mid-1990s. Of course, modern pagans would distance themselves from such practices because it destroys their good-guy image . . . thus, they are little more than New Agers - The 'Melting Pot' pagans - thus failing to understand that heathenism was - and is - a complete Weltanschauung, and instead inthralled with abstractions. I have gone into this at rather torturous length because it is necessary to appreciate this film at its deepest level. I feel that "Wicker Man" is, in a small way, one such aspect of the 'Second Coming of Wotan' predicted by Carl Jung in his brilliant essay "Wotan". This implies a deeper understanding of our Origin and Future, and the re-integration of the Folk's collective Shadow-Self. Jung wrote this essay in response to the rise of National-Socialism, expounding this in often religious terms. He saw the Hitler Youth solstice rituals and the Volkisch Movements as being evidence for a nation possessed - poetically - by Wotan, the great Norse God. I would recommend that every one have a read of this essay. I have yet to see such a startling and vivid portrayal of Heathenism in any medium. Everything, from the landscapes to the music, was sublime, interwoven with an immanent surreal and threatening atmosphere. The final scene was one of the most disturbing film sequences I have ever seen, and has haunted me ever since. Much has been said of the Jungian aspects of the film (the all consuming force of the policeman's anim - Willow - and its potential to save him from his eventual sacrifice) and the raw, eroticism of the film (Willow dancing naked around the adjoining room singing, "say 'How Do'/To the things I'll say to you/ A stroke as gentle as a feather./Hey Ho..I am here./ Am I not young and fair?/ Please come, say 'How Do'/ To the things I'll show to you.) The recurring motifs of cycles (The Maypole Song) and regenerative powers (the classroom scenes where the children discuss the phallic nature of the maypole) are worth noting, as is the symbol of Man's empathy with Nature in the Green Man (c.f. The Green Man/Knight in the legends of King Arthur, and some of the poems of Seamus Heaney, as well as the old "Blood and Soil" slogan) in opposition to modern-day abstractions. However, the part of the film where I thought it lost its way was with the garbled mythology of Ouarda, The Fool, the six swords, and the various offerings prior to the sacrifice. Also, the dubbing of Britt Ekland's performance is jarring at first, but Edward Woodward's powerful performance more than makes up for this. All in all, this is definitely a film worth watching. It may involve some effort to track it down, but you won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: There is nothing else like it!
Review: I rented this movie for three reasons: Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland and it's promise to depict Paganism. After the first few minutes and my first look at the island, I was so happily absorbed; practically pinching myself in disbelief that this movie had been around for so long and I had not discovered it until the 90's. I was rubbing my palms in glee when the Christian policeman (played quite nobly by Edward Woodward) was told by the townspeople that he would never understand Paganism. This does not mean that I condone the movie's ending (but what a brilliant twist it is) however it does clue you in to the thinking behind some literal ancient customs. Modern Pagans, forced to endure endless films promoting Christianity, should feel vindicated by the focus on the Pagan customs depicted here. If there are any Christians reading this - please don't get your knickers in a bunch - most people forget that during the actual Burning Times (roughly 1300-1600), the "good" Christians condoned the burning of so many women (many practising simple nature worship as this film depicts) that there were towns in Europe where there were no women left after the Christian inquisitors swept through! What was Christian about that? You get a definite sense of what it must have been like when Christianity forced Paganism to go underground - the Christians were the majority then, but the policeman in this film is not. Even so, I don't know one true Pagan who would do today what the townspeople do at the end - not in modern times (don't Pagans deal with enough persecution without this presumption! ) just as I don't know any modern Christians who would burn witches (although metaphorically some still do....). As many reviewers have pointed out, THE WICKER MAN presents the conflict between two belief structures and forces you to examine your definition of morality. So...if you are Pagan and haven't seen THE WICKER MAN, do whatever it takes to find the long version of this film. For anyone else on the search for something new and thought provoking, the WICKER MAN is the ultimate find. I hope the distributors of this film stumble upon ALL of these reviews and realize there is indeed a market for the re-release of this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Great idea, good script, bad try
Review: Luckily, I found a barely-used copy of the 101 minute version for five bucks when a video store went out of business. I enjoyed the idea of the movie so much I had a librarian track down the novel (a must read if you like the flick). That said, let's be honest with ourselves here: the film itself does look ameturishly made, and I don't see where all of the blame can be placed on the mindless re-editing done by those who didn't actually make the film (find a copy of CINEFANTASTIQUE, Vol. 6, #3, for the story). The actors give their all to the script, which Christopher Lee called the best one he'd ever read (not saying much, judging by most of Hammer's output...but I like and respect Mr. Lee VERY much). But even the longest existing version remains distractingly flawed; no matter what version you see, the accusations of inept execution are well-deserved (how else do you explain the cameraman's foot? Don't play dumb--YOU KNOW which scene I'm talking about! NO WAY post-release editing caused THAT!) But hey, if you're willing to overlook all that, the movie is as thought-provoking as they come. One last, minor point--over the years I've found pagans of all stripes who rally around this movie despite Lord Summerisle's admission that the island's entire pagan culture--despite his own devotion to and defense of it--is a SHAM invented by his grandfather for sheerly commercial purposes. Not jerkin' any chains...just wanted to point that out. So Wicker Man ain't the best movie one might watch (what is?). But it's worth seeing at least once...and I'm a fundamentalist Christian well to the right of Sgt. Howie! Hey, put those torches down, y'all...
Rating:
Summary: How do
Review: A classic thriller from a time when paganism and pastoral folk music were both relatively trendy in the UK (both Jethro Tull and Steeleye Span were big at this time), this is one of a handful of decent, low-budget independent British films. Furthermore, it has very little to do with the increasingly-camp series of Hammer Horror movies - it isn't even 'horror', really. It's a strange and unsettling semi-horror, semi-thriller, semi-pagan movie that was shamefully cut to shreds before release (with the original film cans being dumped in a ditch opposite the M1), and is long overdue for some kind of video release. The plot concerns a investigating into the disappearance of a young girl on a remote Scottish island, although that is quickly forgotten as our hero, policeman Edward Woodward, discovers that the island has rejected conventional Christianity for paganism. From then on it's strange and jarring, as our hero first attempts to solve the mystery and then escape and get help. Almost a British version of the standard Hollywood 'You ain't from around these parts' redneck horrors of the seventies (such as 'The Hills Have Eyes' and 'Deliverance'), it builds up to an unforgettable, extraordinary ending which I wasn't expecting the first time I saw the film. Apart from Woodward, the cast is very 'mid-70's British low-budget horror' - Christopher Lee is resplendent with enormous hair, and Britt Ekland allows her body double to appear nude (from the back). Legend had it that Rod Stewart, her then-boyfriend, tried to have the film withdrawn from release, but like so many legends this was completely untrue.
Rating:
Summary: Beware the 84 minute version
Review: Wicker Man is fantastic, if you get the 101 minute version. The more-recently released 84 minute version is a pale version of the original. I don't know why they issued this one. They kept the sex and violence, and eliminated the ambience which made the movie something special.
Rating:
Summary: Questions our underlying values
Review: This is surely one of the most interesting films to come out of Great Britain. It is very difficult to describe the plot without taking away something of the central interest. Suffice it to say that it is a most original idea, and one that will appeal to people who are interested in spirituality, as well as those with an eye for history. The film raises more questions than it probably answers, but that is, in my opinion, the point of good cinema. In so doing, it tackles a very difficult subject, that of religion, and does so in a most original way. Edward Woodward is a very fine actor and part of the effect of the film must be credited to his sterling performance as the police officer who has sufficient imagination at the end, to fall into the trap which is set. The film also deals with what I would call the question of destiny: the final act is somehow predestined and all that has gone before is but a necessary prelude to it. In a sense, the story unfolds in a pantomime-like manner, with the music helping us to understand each scene in its own way. The musical score lends itself very well to creating the atmosphere, which is at once old-fashioned and eccentric. Beyond the immediacy of the action itself, there is the added bonus of the setting, an island off the coast of Scotland (I'm not sure which one it is, although I think I once heard it was Fair Isle). So the scenery is at times very lovely, and the cultural setting is of interest in itself, as long as one can understand the accents of all the characters assembled at the pub. All in all, this is one of my favourite films and I highly recommend it.
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