| THE WICKER MAN: 2 DISC EDITION |
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| Year: 1973 Starring: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland Region: 2 Price: �14.99 - �24.99 Director: Robin Hardy Running Time: 84 minutes (theatrical)/99 minutes (director's cut) Chapters: 20 Notes: Includes original theatrical version and director's cut with 15 minutes of restored footage |
| Often hailed as one of the greatest British horror films of all time, this eerie classic stars Edward Woodward as deeply religious Christian copper Sgt. Howie, Christopher Lee as the wonderfully entertaining Lord Summerisle and Britt Ekland as the impish, flirty landlord's daughter Willow. The story, based on real people, is set in the Scottish island of Summerisle (famous for apples apparently). When Howie recieves a note informing him a young girl has gone missing, he sets off from the mainland to investigate. When he arrives, he is confronted by a society that plainly doesn't like strangers, from the locals who keep silent on the issue of the girl's disappearance to the unusual pagaen rituals carried out on the island. As his investigations continue, Howie learns the young girl is in fact, already dead, but there is no body. His insistence on resolving the issue leads him to become a sacrifice himself, in one of the most horrific rituals of all...the wicker man. This film, although being 29 years old, still hasn't lost any of it's intrigue. The DVD master looks very sharp, except for the restored scenes which were lost for years. Fair enough I guess. A classic piece of film making that isn't so much horror as unsettling. Remember, this could happen to you...well, it's not likely but it might do. |
| EXTRA FEATURES The fifteen minutes of restored scenes really do make a difference to the story, when compared to the original version, also included here. Oddly, the theatrical version includes some brief scenes not seen in the extended cut...elsewhere, there is a lively, fact packed 35 minute documentary, where the back story of the missing footage can be heard from an angry Lee. The 25 minute interview with Lee and director Hardy has awful A/V quality, but is good in information content. On disc two, the longer cut of the film can be seen, as well as a superb commentary moderated by film critic Mark Kermode and featuring Woodward, Lee and director Hardy recalling anecdotes and tales about the making of the picture, not least of all coping with Arctic weather conditions whilst pretending it was the cusp of summer! The usual collection of trailers, TV and radio spots make up the rest of the extras, as well as nice animated menus featuring some of the lovely folk style music from the film. |
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