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14 Apr 99 - 03:54 PM (#70933) Subject: music from the film 'The Wicker Man'? From: longshawnsilver@netscape.com I am looking to get a hold of the soundtrack from the film "The Wicker Man". I believe the band's name was "Loadstone". Any info on this band would be appreciated. In the film, they did some traditional songs like "Gently Johnny" and "Corn riggs and barley riggs"(I think that's the name--Robby Burns tune). Thanks, Shawn. |
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14 Apr 99 - 06:23 PM (#70956) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: katlaughing Shawn, I was just on the Internet a few days ago and found some great sites for this classic movie and I am pretty sure one had cd of music available. I am sorry I don't have the address, but if you just type in "wicker man" in your search box, I am sure you will find the same sites I did. If I come across it I'll post it. Good luck, katlaughing |
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19 Feb 03 - 11:29 AM (#893451) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Rick Fielding I was going to start a thread about this film, but fortunately found this one from FOUR YEARS AGO! Much water has gone under (and over) the bridge my friends, since then. Anyway.....why Do YOU find this film so unforgettable? I have a thread going now about renting from video stores and the respondents have brought this one up several times. It's certainly not rated highly by the "normal" film press. In fact, I suspect it was a real "quicky", when made. The actors, Edward Woodward, Diane Cilento, Brit Ecklund, and Christopher Lee, are all well known but not first line "stars". Nb. Woodward became a big TV star in the States later. So what's the appeal. Brit's naked cavorting has to be PART of it! Does it just appeal to the "folk music sesibilities" in us? All that fake Druid stuff? I looked at a few reviews before finishing this, and since it's become a cult film, the reviews have gotten MUCH better. Cheers Rick |
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19 Feb 03 - 11:41 AM (#893465) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: curmudgeon While I really like the film very much, I found the music to be an abomination. Only "The Highland Widow's Lament" was sung to the traditional tune. All the other songs were put to horrible tunes with no regard for the tradition. Actually, only the "Wicker Man" itself is derived from Druidic custom. The rest is a bit of a mish-mash of various English and Scottish Pagan practises both real and spurious. For those who like this film, a read of the book it was based on gives a lot of background the film leaves out. This is available in different lenghts on video, or at least was. The version I have is actually longer than what the books list as the uncut. Does anyone know if it's on DVD yet. -- Tom |
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19 Feb 03 - 11:44 AM (#893469) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: GUEST,FOGIE TELL YOU WHAT -I SAW IT AS A DOUBLE BILL IN A CINEMA IN BRISTOL WITH DON'T LOOK NOW IN ABOUT 1972-4-WHAT A COMBINATION I'LL NEVER FORGET THEM. |
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19 Feb 03 - 11:59 AM (#893488) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: manitas_at_work Try http://iancutler.com/main.html. Ian was the young fiddler in the film. |
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19 Feb 03 - 12:02 PM (#893490) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Peg The soundtrack has recently been released on CD; it is from the original masters and some tracks are slightly different from what you hear on the film soundtrack; that said it is infinitely better than the "taped from soundtrack" version that was available for years! You can order it from www.silvascreen.co.uk. I respectfully disagree with curmudgeon's comments; composer Paul Giovanni did indeed craft original tunes to go along with the traditional lyrics, for example the poem from Burns for "Corn Rigs." This was intentional, as the film depicts a community in the 1970s with links to ancient rites and folklore. But there is also some wonderful traditional music in it, including "Summer is a Cumen In" and a lovely version of "Willie o' the Winsbury." I find the original music composed for this film to be very haunting and unforgettable and beautifully-arranged and performed... The DVD that came out recently is the most "uncut" version now available. But that doesn't mean it's intact. The version released in theatres in 1974 was cut from 102 minutes down to 89 because distributors thought it too long! There is now a sequel in the works (with Christopher Lee and Ewan MacGregor) directed by Robin Hardy, based on a script idea partially penned by Anthony Schaffer before he died; there is also a "remake" being written and directed by Neil LaBute and starring Nicolas cage, set in the USA. Both should be out later this year. Rick there is a great deal of information available online about this film so you should look into it. It was no "quicky" and while there was a limited budget many critics consider this the "Citizen Kane of horror films" for its innovative design and story. It has attained cult status now because when it was released it was essentially buried, put on a double bill with Nic Roeg's film Don't Look Now, and then promptly forgotten. It was unavailable for many years. Allan Brown wrote a book that came out two years ago called Inside the Wicker Man. Very much worth reading if you're interested in this film. Curmudgeon, which book do you mean? Ritual by David Pinner? The last I knew this book was only a very bare-bones basis for the story...if you mean the novel The Wicker Man, this was written after the film was made.. This summer will be the second Wicker Man Music Festival in Scotland (last year's was mostly new music but I hear this year they want the spirit of the fest more in keeping with the film's soundtrack and era); and nearby at the University of Glasgow will be the first ever academic conference devoted to the film. I have been asked to present a paper and I hope to attend but unfortunately it falls smack dab in the middle of my summer retreat plans... peg |
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19 Feb 03 - 12:03 PM (#893492) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Thomas the Rhymer Maybe it is representitive of the struggle between the community spirit and the 'establishment' that seeks to modernize it and break it up... Pagan based communities carry a torch that many people still respect... especially when you contrast them with the modern American 'Shopping Mall' Christian... It is also fun to watch a snooping and suspicious cop 'doing good'... and you get the sense that he really does feel righteous... being led, by what the community would feel are blasphemous suspicions, to the joyful public ritual of his firey demise... But really... for me, the shock appeal of the sexual 'initiation' with the full support and encouragement of the downstairs session is substantive and profoundly educating. Mind blowing. You dig? ttr |
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19 Feb 03 - 12:05 PM (#893494) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Coyote Breath Ahhh Curmudgeon! I agree completely about the music. "Wicker Man" and "Dead Man" were both films that were made less attractive by their sound tracks. I wonder if it is just beyond commercial film makers' abilities to grasp history properly or do they think of having a sound track well before they have a film and just don't care. I liked BOTH films (for various reasons) and felt let down by the music. "The Longriders", "The Ballad of Little Jo", "Matewan", and "Ride with the Devil" all have appropriate music if not "period correct". (My only criticism of Longriders would be the "ballet of breaking glass" at the end, it takes place in slo-mo and the sound track is slowed down as well. It sounds almost as bad as the track for "Dead Man") sorry for the thread creep! CB |
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19 Feb 03 - 12:26 PM (#893515) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Peg I liked the soundtrack for Dead Man immensely. Different strokes for different folks, I guess... It has long been a conceit of film scoring that the music need not match or even be inspired by the time period the film's narrative is set in...that said, since The Wicker Man was set in the 1970s, why should it have a purely "traditional" soundtrack? This defies the logic of both arguments. |
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19 Feb 03 - 12:29 PM (#893523) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Thomas the Rhymer I must admit, with all due respect to the lovely brilliance of Peg's fine countenance and spirit, that the music in the 'Wicker Man' was/is a real turn off for me. Though the essence is there of what role music can play in the pagan communitarian sense, the hippyificationalization of the music definitely compromised the impact of the movie for me. For me. ttr |
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19 Feb 03 - 04:39 PM (#893767) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Liz the Squeak I've never really thought about Britt dancing nekkid - and it wasn't even her, she had a 'stunt bum' but the film did stick in my mind for one reason.... the cavalry never came. You keep expecting the cavalry to come over the hill and rescue him, but they never do.... it was one of the first films to show that Christianity didn't win every battle. Plus I adore Christopher Lee...... those eyes......! LTS |
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19 Feb 03 - 04:46 PM (#893771) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Rick Fielding Well Liz I DID think about Brit dancing naked! Many times actually. But what's this about a 'stunt bum'? What's your authority? Were there "stunt breasts"? I COULD rent it again just to see how the shots were set up, but it wouldn't be the same as it was when I was thirty! Cheers Rick P.S. Coyote breath. How'd you feel about a "chromatic" sound comin' out of a "Marine Band" harp, in Matewan? Drove me nuts! |
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19 Feb 03 - 05:29 PM (#893801) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: GUEST,Chairman of MVC I saw the CD in MVC - Bedford UK, branch at Christmas in the film soundtrack section |
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19 Feb 03 - 06:16 PM (#893825) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: BuckMulligan Neal Howie (the Woodward cop) was plainly a priggish, cricket-bat-up-the-bum "modern man" (modern in the sense of industrial revolution, science, christianity, blahblah) who gets sucked into his own destruction by his own conviction that he knew the right, and could do the right, and his inability to see past the end of his cop hat. I liked that. Still do. Wonderful movie. Before getting his wings in American TV, of course, Woodward went on to make another really fine movie in "Breaker Morant" - or was that before "WM"? I'm not really sure; I saw Breaker first, so maybe I've got the sequence reversed. Either way, these two movies dwarfed everything else he did, especially "The Equalizer" which - I thought - more or less sucked. |
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19 Feb 03 - 07:37 PM (#893910) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Bat Goddess The book is also called "The Wicker Man." Unfortunately, there are piles of stuff in front of the bookcase where it lives so I can't uncover the author. Makes much more sense than the film, which glosses over a lot of background information. Just did another quick on-line check -- the authors are Robin Hardy and Anthony Shaffer. Linn |
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19 Feb 03 - 11:39 PM (#894038) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Peg The Wicker Man screenplay was based on a novel by David Pinner called Ritual. And a bit of inspiration from Sir J. G. Frazer's The Golden Bough. After the film was completed, Hardy and Schaffer (the film's director and screenplay writer) collaborated on a novelization. It does indeed explain a lot of what the film leaves out, but mainly because the film version most people have seen had a lot of the filmed scenes edited out! So the book resembles the film as originally written/intended. |
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20 Feb 03 - 04:41 AM (#894136) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: rich-joy you'll find info about the "Wicker Man" music and a whole lot of other stuff on this site : www.theunbrokencircle.co.uk : which is to do with "wyrdfolk" music ... Cheers! R-J |
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20 Feb 03 - 04:52 AM (#894142) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: The_one_and_only_Dai Britt Ekland's stnt bum belonged to Christine Sanders, wife of the late Alex. Anyone remember him? Oh, and i have the DVD set - including the original cinematic release AND the 'director's cut' which extends the thing by a good 10 mins or so. And the CD of the coundtrack. And the book. And yes, i do get out occasionally ;-) BTW, Liz, have you taken to phoning Johnny Walker's radio show? |
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20 Feb 03 - 04:53 AM (#894143) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: The_one_and_only_Dai wtf is a 'coundtrack? |
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20 Feb 03 - 04:56 AM (#894144) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: The_one_and_only_Dai or a 'stnt bum'? |
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15 Apr 03 - 10:27 AM (#933946) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: red max The first time I saw this film the music struck me as a little cheesy, but given repeat viewings (and listenings) I'm convinced it was absolutely inspired. The eery nursery rhyme phrases during Howie's final search for Rowan and in the "chop chop" sequence are stunningly effective |
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15 Apr 03 - 12:17 PM (#934010) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: greg stephens Funny the change that time makes. yes, when I first saw the film I was struck by how awful the music was: it was so wetly performed, and didn't fit the concept of a dangerous pagan community celebrating wild orgiastic rites. Now that very awfulness is part of the period charm of the film that makes me love it to bits and watch it whenever I can. |
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15 Apr 03 - 04:22 PM (#934167) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: TheBigPinkLad I liked the film. When I read Bill Valgardson's short story "Blood Flowers" (also made into a film vignette) I thought for sure he's swiped the story from Wicker Man. But I later had Bill as a professor at university and he'd never even heard of WM. He based his tale, similarly, on the ancient tradition of the Green Man. Incidentally, the Green Man story is an enduring interest of folk musician Mike Harding, see here. |
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15 Apr 03 - 08:32 PM (#934357) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: GUEST,mej Doeas anyone know who the woman is who sang "The Highland Widow's Lament" which was played behind the opening credits? It was very well sung. |
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16 Apr 03 - 02:06 AM (#934499) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Peg There is a credit that one of the young actresses who plays one of the sudents (Lesley Mackey, who played Daisy) sang the lead vocal, and also sang a version for LP of "Willow's Song." This hardly seems possible (the vocalist sounds more mature than that) so I assumed she was one of the background singers and that the actress who plays Miss Rose is the vocalist in question...but if the CD liner notes are to be taken as final authority (and I see no reason they should not) then it does indeed appear this young girl had one helluva voice! |
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16 Apr 03 - 11:47 AM (#934785) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: robomatic I'll never forget the sharp elbow I got from my girlfriend of the time, a fairly trad. Christian, for taking her to that movie. |
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17 Apr 03 - 10:33 AM (#935424) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: GUEST,noddy Never mind the music. Lets see if we can persuade Kim Howells to appear in a remake! |
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17 Apr 03 - 11:49 AM (#935493) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Peg there is a remake in the works. The only woman I know that has already been cast is Leanne Rimes... |
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14 Feb 04 - 03:01 PM (#1115957) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: GUEST,john c I´ve just been watching the dvd of this (the jury´s still out if its really THAT great), but I´m wiling to bet that its Ray Fisher singing the Border Widows Lament at the start. Can anybody confirm?? |
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14 Feb 04 - 03:32 PM (#1115976) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: GUEST,just a thought Is this Thread not about the Theme song from Wicker man as well?? :0) |
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14 Feb 04 - 08:05 PM (#1116076) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Dead Horse Try this for more info http://www.iancutler.com/main.html |
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14 Feb 04 - 08:15 PM (#1116079) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Dead Horse AND this link which gives the true dope on the "body double" bit http://www.garycarpenter.net/archive/wicker3.htm
-Joe Offer- |
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06 Dec 09 - 02:01 PM (#2782217) Subject: Music from The Wicker Man From: Mrrzy There is a lot of info here but what I was wondering was, what did Willy o'Winsbury have to do with what was going on in the movie when it was playing? It seemed very odd to me, somehow, that the one song I actually recognized was so out of context. For those of you who don't know the movie, it's a great film for atheists! Anyway, the movie was, I thought, great, while the music was excellent. |
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06 Dec 09 - 04:47 PM (#2782350) Subject: RE: Music from The Wicker Man From: Jack Blandiver See OTHER RECENT WICKER MAN thread for more on this, and (shock horror!) that the Willy O'Winsbury tune originally belonged to another ballad. Out of context? Everything's out of context in The Wicker Man - rather like the Folk Revival... |
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06 Dec 09 - 09:58 PM (#2782544) Subject: RE: Music from The Wicker Man From: Mrrzy But the thingie on the music of The Wicker Man states that it WAS Willie of Winsbury, and not something else to that tune, so again, what did W o'W have to do with chasing down your hare? |
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07 Dec 09 - 12:05 AM (#2782592) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: MGM·Lion I think the WoW [or the other ballad it originally belonged to pre-AndyIrvine which slips my mind for the moment] tune was used becoz it just sounds so good as a slightly sinister sounding march tune to begin that final parade which led up to the WickerMan climax. I have never felt it was intended to convey any further 'message' than that. To the poster right back there in 03 who expressed shock-horror at the idea of BrittE's bum-double, must have been a very innocent & unobservant fellow: it is evident straight off that the back nudie shots are of a taller, slimmer woman with straighter & slightly longer hair: not even a very good match for Ms Eckland. |
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07 Dec 09 - 02:48 AM (#2782629) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: Jack Blandiver WoW - it's just one of those tunes, and as MtheGM said in the other thread, it makes an effective brass band piece. The other ballad, BTW, is Fause Foodrage which is worth looking into. As for the other business, one legend has it that Britt Ekland insisted on on bum-double because she didn't like her own - apparently she described it as being like a ski-slope. |
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07 Dec 09 - 03:45 AM (#2782651) Subject: RE: music from the film 'the wicker man'? From: MGM·Lion Thanks, Sweeney. Re my last post, BTW; I have always liked the bum-double effect — two pretty bare ladies for the price of one, I always think as I watch that bit. |