The Wicker Man (1973)

A puritan Police Sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl who the locals claim never existed.

Director:

Robin Hardy

Writer:

Anthony Shaffer (screenplay)

Stars:

Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward Woodward	...	Sergeant Howie
Christopher Lee	...	Lord Summerisle
Diane Cilento	...	Miss Rose
Britt Ekland	...	Willow
Ingrid Pitt	...	Librarian
Lindsay Kemp	...	Alder MacGreagor
Russell Waters	...	Harbour Master
Aubrey Morris	...	Old Gardener / Gravedigger
Irene Sunters	...	May Morrison (as Irene Sunter)
Walter Carr	...	School Master
Ian Campbell	...	Oak
Leslie Blackater	...	Hairdresser
Roy Boyd	...	Broome
Peter Brewis	...	Musician
Barbara Rafferty	...	Woman with Baby (as Barbara Ann Brown)

Storyline

On Sunday, April 29, 1973, Sergeant Neil Howie with the West Highland Constabulary flies solo to Summerisle off the coast of Scotland. He is there to follow up on a letter addressed specifically to him from an anonymous source on Summerisle reporting that a twelve year old girl who lives on the island, Rowan Morrison, the daughter of May Morrison, has long been missing. The correspondence includes a photograph of Rowan. Upon his arrival on Summerisle, Howie finds that the locals are a seemingly simple minded lot who provide little information beyond the fact that they know of no Rowan Morrison and do not know the girl in the photo. Mrs. Morrison admits to having a daughter, seven year old Myrtle, but no Rowan. As Howie speaks to more and more people, he begins to believe that Rowan does or did live on the island, but that the locals are hiding their knowledge of her. He also begins to see that the locals all have pagan beliefs, their "religion" which centers on procreation as the ...

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Plot Keywords:

paganism | religious sacrifice | folk horror | ritual killing | disappearance | 

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Taglines:

The 20th Century never touched Summerisle, where pagan fertility rites-and blood sacrifice-live on!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R16

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anthony Shaffer: The screenwriter was present during the filming of the final scenes and is said to be amongst the villagers.

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Goofs

When Lord Summerisle shows Howie the photographs, a close-up shows him starting to pick one up. It then cuts to a longer shot and Summerisle's hands are on his hips.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sergeant Howie: [yelling] Will you send a dinghy, please?

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Crazy Credits

[Short Version only] A message from the producers thanks "The Lord Summerisle and the people of his island" for co-operating in the making of the film. This is despite both the lord and the island being totally fictitious.

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Alternate Versions

A dual DVD set in a burnt wooden box was released in 2001 by Anchor Bay. It has the standard 88 (or 87) minute Theatrical Version. It also has a 99 minute Extended Version. This also has the events in chronological order (unlike the 88 min version). Unlike the 95 minute version it does have footage prior to Sgt. Howie's arrival on Summerisle, including him as a Preacher.

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Connections

Referenced in Iron Maiden: Visions of the Beast (2003)

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Soundtracks

The Landlord's Daughter
(uncredited)
Written by Paul Giovanni
Performed by Roy Boyd, John McGregor, Ian Campbell, Walter Carr, John Young, Donald Eccles, Lindsay Kemp, Russell Waters and chorus

User Reviews

A quite unique Pagan-mystery-horror-thriller

A quite unique and very creative mystery horror.

Superb acting from Edward Woodward as the prim Seargant Howie, and Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle. Fascinating from start to finish and a real twister of a plot that keeps you hooked right until the final twenty minutes, what appears at first sight to be an innocent search for a missing girl turns into a fascinating exploration of pagan rituals on a remote and sex obsessed Scottish island.

One of the best elements of the film is the classic early 70's folk soundtrack which gives indication of how the era in which this was filmed influenced the subject matter.

Definitely not a 'horror' in the true sense of the word, but more mysterious and chilling than any gore-fest. A quality piece of cinema!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Rialto Pictures [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 December 1973 (UK)

Also Known As:

El culto siniestro

Filming Locations:

Logan Botanic Gardens, Port Logan, Nr. Stranraer DG9 9ND, United Kingdom

Box Office

Budget:

$810,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,493, 29 September 2013

Gross USA:

$60,891

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$98,201

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Lion Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 99 min (extended) 94 min (final cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1