Rating: 
Summary: Not exactly a movie review
Review: I know this to be a superb movie. But this isn't a review of the movie. It's a review of the packaging.I'm sure there are at least one or two other collectors out there that are as obsessive as I am about their collection looking neat and uniform on the shelf. I was hoping that the deluxe wooden boxed set would have a proper case with the dvds inside of it. I scoured lots of reviews on this box hoping for confirmation on this point but couldn't find any information related to the packaging inside the wooden box. I went out and bought the set anyways and risked it. The set doesn't contain a proper dvd case. The 2 dvds are in a case similar to what you would buy a CD in. However, the set does come with 2 cardboard sheets that work perfectly as covers for the set if you go out and buy a blank dvd case. I hope this helps any other collectors obsessive about the appearance of their DVD shelf.
Rating: 
Summary: a cult classic
Review: Some movies are so one-of-a-kind that critical review seems superfluous. I mean, how many times do you get to see modern day pagans represented in a good mystery story? (Actually, the whole thing is a little reminiscent of Green Acres, with Edward Woodward playing the uptight Oliver Douglas role, constantly abused by the druids of Hooterville Island.)
The good news to longtime fans of this movie is that the extended disc seems to have just about everything that was on the unedited version of the film that eventually came out on tape in the States, including Brit Ekland's memorably unabashed dance scene amongst the general mischief and cavorting.
If you're a midnight movie fan, check this one out.
Rating:
Summary: Quit the Quibbling!
Review: To start with, this is a great DVD, Anchor Bay are the best, and this is most likely the best DVD you're going to see of "The Wicker Man" (unless someone finds the lost, 'full-length' Roger Corman print). So buy it if you like the movie. To address the 'full length' vs 'truncated' debate we need first to recall the facts. There are 3 versions: 87 min/original theatrical version (UK and USA); 92-95 min version (Robin Hardy's subsequent US theatrical version, later also acquired by the BBC) that was reconstructed from the 103 minute print sent to Roger Corman; 103 minute version (original directors cut/length of Roger Corman print). I can't explain the difference between the 103 minute vesrion and what Anchor Bay have listed as 99 minutes - some have said that this is *precisely the same film* - my comments are altogether different. (1) The film that got great reviews and established the reputation of the picture was the 87 minute version (this is the only version that was seen in the UK until a BBC broadcast in the late 80's). (2) Robin Hardy did not include the early Howie sequences in his 'reconstructed' version (92-95 min) in the late 70's - *why?*, if they are so "essential" to the film? (3) Edward Woodward's performance is so great, I don't think the film *needs* the early Howie sequences (which are poorly acted and written) - we can see what he is about in every frame, PLUS, I actually find it more interesting to learn about Howie as we go than to see it all in exposition "up front" (4) Finally, as a film writer, director and editor myself, I refute those that say that the film is so altered across versions - a film as original and powerful as "The Wicker Man" can not be fundamentally changed by a variance of less than 10% of the footage at the pointd the variance occurs! The message is: get a life here - it's a great film in any version! The final quibbling about this DVD (not explained in the documentary) is the quality of the footage in the extended version. Well the fact of the matter is that the only known surviving element of the long version was the print sent to Roger Corman. This was used for the Magnum video release and is the Beta SP tape copy used by Anchor Bay. Where is the print itself? Nobody knows. It, too, is lost. So since the negative is destroyed, nobody knows where Robin Hardy's 92-95 minute theatrical prints are and the Roger Corman print is lost, all we have is a Beta SP videotape with this footage. Again, Anchor Bay have done a painstaking job of pumping this up to give the best possible image and integrating it with the better quality footage (from the theatrical release negative) so give them credit for doing the best that they could. I am personally glad to be able to see "The Wicker Man" again in such a great presentation and to make a choice between the "original theatrical" and "long" versions as I see fit.
Rating: 
Summary: Not like I remember it...
Review: It's a great movie, beloved among many of us modern non-jesus-worshipping types. So unless you're buying it blind, you probably know what you're getting. Beware though, this edition left a little out. An expository scene at the start of the movie, one which explains that the Inspector is a 30-something virgin (*eeew*) seems to be missing, which caused a bit of confusion among folks that had never seen it. You may want to spring for the deluxe edition, which may contain said scene.
Rating:
Summary: What is important?
Review: See the movie. All this noise over which version is best, or which this one is, is irrelevant if you have never seen the movie before. This is a great story, with great acting, with a thought-provoking message, and a suprise ending. What are the foundations of your faith? How do you define right and wrong? What impact have our spoon-fed religions had over us as we shaped our beliefs and set our paths into motion? In the moment of truth... how will your faith manifest itself? Is neo-puritan rectitude (from a Christian point of view) more holy and desirable than a Pagan path? This movie will cause you to face these concepts, while entertaining you in the process. Ignore the quibbles about which version this is. It is a deeply provocative movie in any of its incarnations and worthy of your time.
Rating:
Summary: One man's cult movie is another man's 'huh?'
Review: The Wicker Man is one of those titles I have heard and read a lot about, but for one or reason or another haven't seen. Until now. I found WM to be an underwhelming film experience primarily due to Robin Hardy's very uneven direction. In the documentary available on the DVD, mention is made that Nicholas Roeg's Don't Look Now was also in production by WM's backers (British Lion)around the same time. I certainly think Roeg could have pushed the basic elements of WM further - Summerisle's isolation, the sexual uber-text, the tension between the repressed policeman and the liberated Lord Summerisle and his subjects, the underused locations, etc. I have admired and enjoyed Anthony Schaeffer's other screenwork, but found it hard to believe he labored on the WM to create the ultimate British horror film. While there is much to discuss about the film as a case-study in studio interference and for the presence of such cult film stalwarts as Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento and Ingrid Pitt, I am still mystified by the lofty status of this particular film. Granted there are some striking sequences - particularly the concluding sacrifice - but you have to wade through the cinematic equivalent of 'dead air' to get to these moments. But hey, I am not big on the Rocky Horror Picture Show either. Intriguing making-of documentary and promo spots with the extras, but I am holding out for the Don't Look Now DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Both Versions on Limited Edition
Review: What an odd movie. But very good! I only vaguely recalled it having seen it many years ago (probably on TV). So seeing it now was liking seeing it for the first time. It is a weird hybrid of horror, mystery, thriller and ... well, probably a few other things as well. It definitely has an early 70's look (just look at Christopher Lee!). For those who want the extended version, it's available on the Limited Edition DVD (where both versions are included). Frankly, I'm not so sure the additional minutes make that much difference.
Rating:
Summary: THE BOXSET HAS THE FULL LONGEST VERSION!
Review: The reviews saying the boxset does not have the full version are wrong. It has the full version. The 103 minute VHS video version is actually a timing error. It is the same length as the DVD extended version in this box set!
Rating:
Summary: Buy the boxset, not the single disc version!!
Review: Buy the boxset because it contains the full version of the film. The single disc version is chopped up. This film is a 5 star film in it's full length. One of the most unique movies you will ever see.
Rating:
Summary: A great release - and get over the running time issue!
Review: This is a delightful, long-overdue release from Anchor Bay. If you haven't picked it up, do so now. Christopher Lee has said this is his best film, and he may be right. Certainly it's one of the finest 'horror' films of the past few decades. In response to those who are quibbling over the running time of the extended version, please understand that you can't simply look at the timing stated on the box and assume that you're being cheated of 3 minutes of footage. There are three points to consider with regard to running times: first of all, they are only approximate, particularly with Anchor Bay. I passed up their 'uncut' edition of 'Mark of the Devil' for a long time because the box showed a running time of 90 minutes, and I knew the film actually lasts around 96 minutes. As it turns out, their print does last 96 minutes, so the running time on the box is just a misprint. (Not a particularly good film, and nowhere near the class of 'The Wicker Man', but you get the point, I'm sure.) Second, the running times listed in some production catalogs refer to prints that never make it into circulation at all. For example, many sources (including reel.com) give 'The Most Dangerous Game' a running time of 78 minutes - but this timing refers to a print that was never released. The extra footage was dropped after preview audiences found it too disturbing, and the fullest version ever released theatrically ran only 63 minutes. So you'd be foolish to pass up Criterion's excellent release of this film because you feel you're being 'cheated' of 15 minutes of footage! Lastly, there can be subtle differences between the projection speeds of movie theaters and those of video transfers, which in some cases may create a timing difference of up to 4 minutes per hundred. So a disparity between running times does not necessarily mean you're missing anything - although it certainly may. All of which is simply to say, lighten up. A couple of other reviewers have noted that there are no differences between the 102-minute videotape version and the present 'extended' DVD of the film -- one, in fact, noted that the DVD version is actually 13 seconds longer (!). I applaud the Running Time Quibblers on their arithmetic acumen, but unless they can identify missing footage that was actually part of the 'long' print (and not just the transcripts, which include a number of scenes cut by Hardy and Shaffer themselves, not by the Evil Studio Hacks), I think you can feel fairly safe that you're looking at the most complete print available. So get out there and pick up this set! You won't regret it.
| 
