FILM  REVIEW:  THE  WICKERMAN  (1973)  DIR.  ROBIN  HARDY  

 Directed  by  Robin  Hardy    Produced  by  Peter  Snell    Written  by  Anthony  Shaffer    Starring  Edward  Woodward,  Britt  Ekland,  Diane  Cilento,  Ingrid  Pitt,  Christopher  Lee    Music  by  Paul  Giovanni    Cinematography  Harry  Waxman      SYNOPSIS  

The Wicker Man is a 1973 British film, combining thriller, horror and musical genres. The film is now considered a cult classic.

Inspired by the basic scenario of David Pinner's 1967 novel The Ritual, the story centres on the visit of Police Sergeant Neil Howie to the isolated island of Summerisle in search of a missing girl the locals claim never existed. Howie is a devout Christian and is appalled by a religion loosely inspired by Celtic paganism practised by the inhabitants of the island. [Wikipedia]

BBC  reviewer  Jamie  Russell  (2001)  points  out  that  the  film  has  a  lot  of  content:  ‘there's  a  paedophile  subplot,  lots  of  occult  rituals,  sexual  perversion,  Christopher  Lee  in  drag,  and  a  resolutely  downbeat  finale  that's  as  far  removed  from  a  happy  ending  as  it's  possible  to  get.  And  on  top  of  all  that,  it's  bloody  scary.”  

 

And  that  is  the  Wickerman  in  a  nutshell.    But  the  film  is  more  than  that  –  slow  moving,  the  tension  builds  up  without  the  pace  quickening.    As  the  end  draws  close  the  viewer  is  desperate  to  know  what  will  happen  –  and  then  feels  sickened  as  the  plot  twists  horribly  at  the  end.  Heath  describes  it  as  “Intense  in  a  muted  and  menacing  fashion,  sophisticated  in  its  rhythmic  structure  and  steadily  building  disquiet”.    Sargent  Howie  scrabbles  to  find  purchase  in  what  is,  to  him,  a  totally  alien  environment,  and  succeeds  in  alienating  both  the  islanders  and  the  audience.    Mackintyre  notes  that  “Contrary  to  the  usual  trajectory  of  horror  films,  Howie  is  not  blind  to  the  potential  danger  of  his  position.  A  deeply  spiritual  man,  he  sees  the  perils  posed  by  a  godless  society  who  adhere  to  the  laws  of  a  cruel  and  careless  nature.  Instead,  ironically,  it  is  we,  the  audience,  who  close  our  eyes,  seeing  the  sergeant's  intolerant  attitude  as  an  over-­‐reaction;  in  effect,  we  become  complicit  with  the  islanders'  crime.”  

 

Perhaps  this  complicity  is  why  the  end  is  so  sickening.    Howie  looks  over  our  shoulders  as  he  sees  the  Wickerman,  and  the  dread  on  his  face  is  real.    As  the  camera  turns  to  face  the  Wickerman  we  realise  for  the  first  time  the  scale  of  the  contraption,  but  right  to  the  end  we  hope  that  he  will  escape,  or  that  it  will  all  be  a  big  joke.    It  isn’t.  

REFERENCES  

Heath,  Roderick  (date  unknown)  online  at  http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=50  [accessed  on  20/12/11]  

Mackintyre,  Elaine  (date  unknown)  online  at  http://www.elainemacintyre.net/film_reviews/wicker_man.php  [accessed  on  20/12/11]  

Russell,  J  (2001)  The  Wicker  Man  online  at  http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/12/17/the_wicker_man_1973_review.shtml  [accessed  on  20/12/11]  

ILLUSTRATIONS    Fig  1  -­‐  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wicker_Man_%281973_film%29    Fig  2-­‐5  http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/11/25/the-­‐true-­‐nature-­‐of-­‐sacrifice-­‐a-­‐look-­‐back-­‐at-­‐the-­‐wicker-­‐man-­‐part-­‐two/