The Wicker Man

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: Skivee
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 01:00 PM

"Curse Of The Wicker Rabbit"?????

" Grommit, It's getting a bit warm in here... I think I'll remove my sweater"

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: Purple Foxx
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 12:30 PM

Guest,Janine I have been unable to locate this book,sorry.
Punkfolkrocker agreewith you re superiority of the director's cut.
McGrath if the remake currently in production is as bad as I fear
I might prefer Sid James myself.
Have this afternoon finally caught up with "The Curse Of The WereRabbit" & think at this precise moment that may be my all time favourite British Horror flick.

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: Cats
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 08:54 AM

I think it really is a horror film in the complete sense of the genre as there is no 'safe home' at the end and endless 'personal identifiers' in it. A superb film. I'll have rummage around and see if I can find anything out about the music. It seems to have phrases from every folk song or tune you have ever heard, which is another element of horror genre - the audience being able to identify with key elements, in this case the music and the traditions which go along with them.

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 08:53 AM

..she's just got back from the newsagents..

its the shorter edited dumbed down 84 min version..
butchered to satisfy the mentality of 1970's yank drive in movie audiences !

years ago i saw that and wondered what all the fuss was about.
i failed to get why anyone considered this a significant movie..???

but when i finally watched the longer [almost] director's cut..
then i was completely capitvated by one of the most deliriously bonkers,
wickedly entertaining films that ever sneaked out of the backdoor
of mainstream british film making..



make yer own minds up..


at least you get a free guardian with todays dvd..

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 08:52 AM

I don't think Christopher Lee ever said it was his finest film but he's certainly said it's his favourite - there is a difference.

I think the horror aspect is beautifully played, a lot more terrible than the blood, guts and gore that we usually associate with Mr Lee... and from a generation brought up on the 'good guy always wins in the end', it is genuinely shocking; I can see why so many people of both Pagan and Christian traditions find it a very disturbing film.

LTS

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 08:44 AM

Now with Sid James in the Christopher Lee part...

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 08:18 AM

best british comedy pagan horror musical ever

already own and enjoy the cd & dvd..

but still might send the mrs down to the local newsagents anyway..

at least she'll get a copy todays guardian out of it

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: GUEST,J C
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 07:50 AM

Did anybody notice that the villain, Christopher Lee was uncannily like Maddy Prior on speed

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 07:41 AM

I agree about that McGrath, I really can't understand why Christopher Lee considered it his finest film.

eric

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 07:31 AM

Well, I wouldn't buy it, but I'm quite glad to have a free copy. Only time I saw it it struck me as a Carry On film that had been re-written as a horror movie. Recast it with Kenneth Williams and Sid James and company it could have been the best of the series.

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: GUEST,Billy
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 07:13 AM

Ian Cutler, one of our leading fiddlers, is the fiddle player in the film. I think he was about 20 at the time.

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: GUEST,Janine
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 04:39 AM

Yes Fullerton, the best British horror film ever made! A lot of material was cut from the released version (so at times it didn't always quite make sense) but some of this has been restored in the CD version. Beautiful photography and music - especially the aerial shots of the Islands in the introduction.
There is a book, which Christopher Lee refers to in his comments on the CD - called Return of the Wicker Man (or similiar) in which the main characters including the police sergeant reappear somehow. I've never been able to find any into on this; does anyone know?
Janine

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: Purple Foxx
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 04:19 AM

Sorry Fullerton we posted at the same time. My last posting refers to jc not you.

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: Purple Foxx
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 04:17 AM

Thanks for that.
I'll put you down as a "Don't know" then.

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: Fullerton
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 04:16 AM

Best British horror film ever.
Paul Giovanni's music (for which he was never paid) is superb.
Christopher Lee continued to work on the film even when he knew he wasn't going to get paid because he considered it the best script he'd ever been offered.
The theme was sung by one of the local "extras."
I hope its the director's cut which they are given away today - it contains quite a few extra scenes including 10 mins which are set on the mainland.
Britt Eckland's greatest moment!
To me, the greatest mystery of the film is why the music from the Wickerman is Giovanni's only widely known work.
The music seems to "fit" the film so well.

Subject: RE: The Wicker Man
From: GUEST,big jc
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 04:10 AM

The film itself falls into the "so bad its almost good" catagory. Badly filmed, a laughable script, and with more wood in the acting than in the wicker man itself. As for the music - it's nothing more than the usual wishy-washy, pseudo-celtic stuff that gets passed off as folk on the cheapo cds.
Hugely enjoyable, though....especially Britts song and Lynsey Kemp as the most unrealistic barkeeper in the whole history of film!

J.

Subject: The Wicker Man
From: Purple Foxx
Date: 25 Feb 06 - 03:37 AM

Today's Guardian has a free DVD copy of "The Wicker Man" as an insert.
Now, forget about Britt Eckland's Boobs,Bush & er,Somebody else's Botty. What I'd genuinely like to know is how highly or otherwise do people rate the music of this grossly underated film.
Any answers?