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Summary: "Wicker Man" an eerie, erotic delight!
Review: "The Wicker Man" is proof that movies were more daring and provocative in the early 1970's than they are today. This phenomenon certainly had much to do with the fall of the production code in the late 60's, and the rise of young filmmakers such as Cassavettes, Polanski, and Friedkin, as well as Schaeffer. This film is sort of a macabre variation on "Lost Horizon" with the protagonist venturing into a world of seeming tranquility and peace as only the pagans could create. However, under it all is a dark, sinister force at work, which is made all the more disturbing by the bouyant and frivolous manner in which the community lives. In fact, the viewer will never look at the festival of the May pole in quite the same way again. This film is a real treat and should be watched again and again for the complexity of its simplicity in setting and performances.
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Summary: STILL AN INCREDIBLE FILM!
Review: There has been a great deal of go-round about the video and DVD versions of this film, all of which is amply and somewhat wistfully explained in the very well produced featurette which is included on the disc. This is still an incredible film, very much a product of it's time yet able to provoke strong emotions in an audience 30 years after it was made. For the record: The "Theatrical Version" disc is minus the entire opening segment and the sequence which introduces Christopher Lee's character early in the film (and contains one of his best lines as he watches two snails copulate). Britt Ekland's famous nude dance is intact, but moved forward in the editing which creates a continuity error in the films narrative. The short "morning after" scene between Ekland and Edward Woodward which follows the nude dance is only in this version and not the expanded one. The "Expanded Version" returns all the sequences to their proper places and is a much more coherent and understandable print. Even though the "missing footage" was culled from other sources, I found very little drop in image or sound quality on the DVD and frankly it is so wonderful to finally be able to see clearly a film I have loved for decades that I really didn't care. Unfortunately the Expanded Version is only available as part of the boxed set which is a bit pricey for most, but this film is well worth having and I was completely satisfied with the transfer to DVD.
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Summary: Truly the best and unique film ever made
Review: The Wicker Man takes you on a journey to a fantastic island where sexual orgies exist, naked women leaping over bonfires, and a beautiful Britt Ekland singing and dancing naked--a strange scene but beautiful to watch. What you have is a film that is a musical, horror, drama, mystery--it is everything. And it contains a surprising ending that will fool the first time viewer the same as how the protagonist was fooled in the film. This limited edition DVD is definitely worth the money. If you are a true film lover, then you will not be disappointed with your viewing of The Wicker Man.
Rating: 
Summary: worth watching
Review: The extra scenes don't fit in terms of film quality, and harm the flow, but are fun to watch. Watched it again after about 2 years, and the 2nd time was diminished, (I already knew the ending), and by the observation that it was more obvious than I had remembered it.
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Summary: Very, very different--
Review: A friend brought this film to my attention in the mid-80s by declaring it was the "greatest film ever made." I'd soon realize he'd developed a habit of saying that every time he liked a movie, but in this case I'm tempted to say it myself. The reason is that it's so utterly different that differences of opinion on its impact or likability are nearly irrelevant -- I'd praise it to the skies simply to honor those who had the courage to make something intelligent and thought-provoking. In other words, something that obviously wasn't going to have multitudes lining up to see it. For the DVD, the special-edition wooden box is nice in its way but unnecessary. I've heard complaints from those who found the re-included scenes on the extended version jarring for their obvious contrast with the rest of the film, but while it's possible I like the film too much to criticize any part, I still believe the story is better told with these scenes even if their image quality is unmistakably at variance with the whole. This is why I recommend the special edition, even if most of us have trouble figuring out where to store it.
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Summary: Corn Rings
Review: Leonard Maltin is correct - this is not a horror film. In fact, it is very hard to classify; I can best describe it as a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Being a huge fan of unique films I love the Wicker Man, it is a superb example of storytelling, with not a line of script wasted, a startling performance by Woodward, and a near un-paralleled sense of dread, particularly towards the end. Special mention should go to the hypnotic songs - they add to the atmosphere immensely.Now, on to the disc. I own the previous version of this DVD and the first disc in the package is that very same disc. The extended version is what I bought the package for. The film itself is complete - the extra footage frames the movie wonderfully; it is not just a case of scenes re-inserted, it is edited slightly differently too and the extra scenes make the film seem complete and even better than before. It is not quite 102 minutes (though it is closer to 100 than 99), but there are a few seconds missing that are contained in the theatrical release, so I don't know whether these were part of the original print (though I'm not sure whether they would fit the slightly different story-line properly). The main problem is the quality - when the new scenes are taking place the picture quality really is extremely bad, and so blindingly obvious I personally can't help but feel they should have kept the same poor quality all the way through. That might seem silly but it is such a distraction when the new bits come on, at least if the quality remained the same the film would appear to be in it's original state rather than a tampered version, and you would ignore it eventually. Still, this is an excellent film that fans should pick up - when it's all said, it still is the best version you can currently get of this magnificent film.
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Summary: Great Movie - LOUSY DVD
Review: Wicker Man is a highly under-rated study in modern witchcraft. It is the most accurate representation of "the old religion" a.k.a. druidism and is the complete antithesis of WICCA. But onto the product itself. It is hard to believe that a Limited Edition of a DVD could actually be worse than the VHS version. In fact it is worse that seeing it on broadcast TV, circa 1970. How they could have trashed the video quality is beyond me. The "Limited Edition" includes a wooden boxed set of two DVDs. One containing a wide screen version, and the other is in broadcast TV format. Since the difference in formats is about 10%, it isn't worth the bother. Get the regular DVD, or even better, get the VHS. You certainly won't get a better product by spending more money.
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Summary: Why a cult film should stay a cult film...
Review: In the pompously titled "The Wicker Man Enigma," a "making of" documentary included on the DVD, a dull-eyed young woman speaks of watching "The Wicker Man" repeatedly, for extended periods, to the point where she can recite the dialogue along with the actors. I can only assume the film's rabid fans are kin to this odd creature. Though I quickly adjusted myself to the film's absence of suspense or fear, I could not let slide the fact that there was nothing in their stead. Not a thing. The film has no dramatic structure (man comes to an island, finds it a strange place, then something bad happens to him, The End,) the acting is silly (though Edward Woodward has his moments,) the director hasn't a clue how to create the atmosphere of "dread" that others claim to feel, and the musical numbers had me laughing. Clearly Anthony Shaffer and the production designer did their share of research into pagan rites (which, I suppose, is why some people find this film serious and thoughtful,) but they haven't, as I've noted, incorporated them into any dramatic structure. They're simply on display. Perhaps these problems are solved in the long version of the film, but I can't say I have any burning desire to watch it and find out.
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Summary: to Summersisle I did one day go
Review: This movie which I have seen many times now gets written up every Halloween as being one of the best horror films of all time and it is. This year the New York Times did a piece about it and sang its praises. If you haven't seen it don't read any further and see it before learning about all its secrets. I've been reading here about different versions of the movie and I agree with the person who said it doesn't matter which version you see. I rent it about once a year and even if the copy I get is old and has imperfections its still The Wicker Man. Christopher Lee as Lord Summersisle does what Christopher Lee always does better than any one else, he plays the Christopher Lee part, the kind of part he made famous. Equally memorable is Britt Ekland who is used exactly as Britt Ekland should be used, though it was revealed in the N.Y. Times article that its not really Britts bits we are seeing but a body double. Anyway she is earthy and innocent and beautiful and does a dance in the moonlight and any detective investigating a disappearance on a Scottish isle would fall for her. The island is gorgeous, the innkeepers daughter is gorgeous, the inn is well stocked, the rooms are quaint, and it just happens to be the time of year on Summersisle when certain traditions are observed. A good time of year to visit.
One of the best moments in the early going is while the detective is making enquiries at the inn and suddenly everyone breaks into song. A strange song he has never heard with strange lyrics that everyone knows, but him. Something is not right on Summersisle. The man to see is of course Lord Summersisle. The finale in the streets of the macabre village and on its gentle slopes overlooking the sea is like so much of this picture, easily recalled. You will make a ritual of watching this every year.
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Summary: Different kind of movie
Review: It's not too often I run across a movie that depicts the pre-Christian pagan lifestyle, except it's set in modern times. Often when you watch a movie dealing with paganism, witchcraft, or the occult, it's rather sensationalized depicting a rather inaccurate account of the lifestyle, making pagans to look bad or evil. The Wicker Man depicts a community on an imaginary island in Scotland called Summerisle (which was really filmed on the Scottish mainland, when you look at an atlas, you won't be able to find Summerisle anywhere) in which its inhabitants continue to practice the old Celtic pagan religion including the fire and fertility rites. A Christian police officer by the name of Sgt. Neal Howie was called to Summerisle to search for a missing 12 year old girl (Rowan Morrison). None of the inhabitants want to help the guy since they want to lure him to a wicker man for sacrifice because of their failed harvest the previous summer. In other words, this movie portrays neither Christianity nor Paganism in a favorable light, but it's great to see that the makers of the film put much more than a superficial attempt to portray the pagan lifestyle, even if they end up sacrificing a human in the end (real life pagans, luckily, don't sacrifice living beings, be it humans, or livestock). The music is folk, but often in modernized form, some of the songs are "Corn Rigs" (written by Robert Burns), "Willow's Song", "Fire Season", and one of my favorite, the Maypole Song. Some of it is great, some really cheesy (I think "Landlord's Daughter is awful, since the people singing it sounded drunk, but it was supposed to since it was set in the inn). I hear how much this movie was butchered, but there isn't much more I can add on that others hadn't said already. If you're looking for a great movie with pagan themes, look no further than the Wicker Man.
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