The Wicker Man Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

The Wicker Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 23, 2022

Robin Hardy's "The Wicker Man" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features provided on this release include original trailers; various exclusive new and archival interviews; making of featurettes; documentaries; vintage promotional materials; and a lot more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for all three versions of the film. Region-Free

A letter brings self-righteous police sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward, Breaker Morant) to a remote Scottish island looking for Rowan Morrison (Geraldine Cowper), a beautiful young girl who has disappeared without a trace. Howie promptly meets May Morrison (Irene Sunters, A Sense of Freedom), a local post office worker who mailed the letter to the mainland, but is told that Rowan never lived on the island and that her only daughter is Myrtle (Jennifer Martin).

Seriously confused, Howie attempts to talk to the local residents, but after a few short conversations he realizes that everyone is lying to him. Later on, he also witnesses a number of strange rituals which confuse him even more. When he eventually meets the wealthiest and most respected man on the island, Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), Howie is stunned to learn that the rituals are in fact part of everyday life.

Determined to find the missing girl and make sense of everything he has seen since his arrival on the island, Howie embarks on a dangerous mission and eventually makes a shocking discovery.

What makes Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man so fascinating to behold is the fact that it effortlessly blends elements from different genres into what is essentially a cinematic puzzle whose key pieces can be arranged in a number of different ways. This allows The Wicker Man to be just as effective as a thriller as it is as a horror film.

The film’s observations about religion, its purpose and use by people living in closed communities also feel remarkably modern. During the final act, in particular, there are many truths about the dangerous vacuum which religion is capable of creating in such communities.

Some of the unusual rituals remind of the group scenes in Peter Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock. They look utterly surreal, as if they have been extracted from a bizarre dream at a moment when everything in it somehow made perfect sense. The difference here is that it is easy to sense that they were inspired by an evil force.

Paul Giovanni’s music score is also very unusual. At times the music is calm and relaxing, even seductive, and other times grotesquely intense. It certainly has an identity of its own which is as misleading as that of the actual film. (Listen to Giovanni’s Gently Johnny and Magnet’s Sunset).

The cast is great. Woodward is very convincing as the perplexed sergeant who comes to realize that no one on the island can be trusted. Lee looks and sounds appropriately authoritative. Britt Ekland and Ingrid Pitt, two classic European beauties, also have small but memorable roles in the film.

The Wicker Man was lensed by cinematographer Harry Waxman (John Gilling’s Fury at Smugglers’ Bay, Basil Dearden’s Sapphire, Blake Edwards’ The Pink Panther Strikes Again).

The Wicker Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Wicker Man arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

This three-disc set features three different versions of the film. The screencaptures that are included with our review are taken from these cuts and appear in the following order:

1. Screencaptures #1-10 are from The Final Cut.
2. Screencaptures #15-21 are from The Director's Cut.
3. Screencaptures #24-30 are from The UK Theatrical Cut.

The content on this release is sourced from StudioCanal, which was the party that restored The Wicker Man in 4K nearly a decade ago. In 2013, we reviewed this Region-B release which was the first to introduce the 4K restoration of The Wicker Man.

The other night I ended up revisiting The Theatrical Cut of the film and then did a few direct comparison with the Region-B release that is referenced above. Quite predictably, I could not see any meaningful discrepancies to bring up in this article because the underlying master is the same. I think that the film looks really, really good now, very healthy too, so the only way it could look better is if it was transferred to 4K Blu-ray. (Yes, there is some room for minor encoding adjustments, but I don't believe that they would make much of a difference). There is a major difference in the presentation of The Director's Cut of the film, which is offered in high-definition. Standard definition inserts are still present -- for example, the prologue is in standard definition -- but on the Region-B release that I have in my library this version of the film is in standard definition from start to finish. How does it look? Well, the high-definition inserts are on par with the restored content, so I assume that this is simply a very careful reconstruction that was prepared by the folks at Via Vision Entertainment. The color balance is identical as well. To sum it all up, you get solid organic presentations of all three versions of the film, with The Director's Cut now being offered in high-definition/as a hybrid version. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Wicker Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Each of the three versions of The Wicker Man can be viewed with an English LPCM 2.0 track. Optional English SDH subtitles are included on each version.

The audio is clean and very healthy, boasting a strong range of dynamic nuances as well. Obviously, on The Director's Cut, which is a reconstruction job, some minor unevenness can be spotted between the standard definition and high-definition content, but this is to be expected. I viewed The Theatrical Cut in its entirety and did not notice any issues to report in our review.

The Wicker Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE - THE THEATRICAL CUT AND THE DIRECTOR'S CUT

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic/historian Kim Newman and author Sean Hogan and is available on The Theatrical Cut of The Wicker Man. There is an abundance of excellent information here that addresses Anthony Shaffer's screenplay and all versions of the film, not only The Theatrical Cut, as well as the visual style, atmosphere, and lasting appeal of the original material. There are some pretty good comments about the film's wicked sense of humor.

BLU-RAY DISC TWO - THE FINAL CUT

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by BFI film historians Vic Pratt and Will Flower.

• Burnt Offering: The Cult of The Wicker Man - in this archival program, director Robin Hardy, Christopher Lee, writer Anthony Shaffer, producer Peter Snell, writer David Pinner (Ritual), and historian Ronald Hutton, amongst others, discuss the history and cult status of The Wicker Man, some of the unique ritual dances in the film, the religious overtones, etc. The program is narrated by Mark Kermode. In English, not subtitled. (51 min).

• Worshiping The Wicker Man - in this archival program, director Ben Wheatley (Kill List), director James Watkins (The Woman in Black), director Eli Roth (Hostel), film critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, film editor Chris Tilly, and music and film critic Frances Morgan recall their first experiences with The Wicker Man and explain why it is considered a cult horror film. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• The Music of The Wicker Man - in this archival program, associate musical director Gary Carpenter and Johnny Trunk discuss the unique qualities of Paul Giovanni's soundtrack. There is also some very interesting information about the first ever release of The Wicker Man original soundtrack. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Interview with Robin Hardy - in this archival video interview, director Robin Hardy recalls how The Wicker Man came to exist, and addresses The Final Cut of the film. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Critic's Choice Interview with Robin Hardy and Christopher Lee - in this archival interview from 1979, director Robin Hardy and Christopher Lee discuss the pre-production of The Wicker Man, the shooting process, and the film's critical reception. The interview was conducted by critic Sterling Smith for the New Orleans TV show "Critic's Choice". In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Restoration Comparison - a look at the 4K restoration of The Wicker Man. Included here are select clips from the unrestored and restored versions of the film. With audio. (2 min).

• The Final Cut Trailer - trailer for 4K restoration of The Final Cut of The Wicker Man. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Theatrical Trailer - vintage theatrical trailer for The Wicker Man. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• U.S. Theatrical Trailer - vintage U.S. theatrical trailer for The Wicker Man. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

BLU-RAY DISC THREE - SPECIAL FEATURES

• Director's Cut - a presentation of The Director's Cut of The Wicker Man in standard definition. In English, not subtitled. (100 min).

• Audio Commentary - presented here is the original feature-length audio commentary that initially appeared on the UK DVD release of The Director's Cut of The Wicker Man. The commentary was done by director Robin Hardy, Christopher Lee, and Edward Woodward.

• Making of Commentary - this archival footage is from the recording of the audio commentary for the UK DVD release of The Director's Cut of The Wicker Man. The commentary was done by director Robin Hardy, Christopher Lee, and Edward Woodward (who plays Sergeant Howie). In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• The Wicker Man Q&A - this Q&A session was filmed on September 17, 2003 after a screening of the 4K restoration of The Wicker Man. Director Robyn Hardy discusses the production of the film and The Final Cut. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Folk Musicians Discuss The Wicker Man - in this short video piece, Stephen Cracknell (The Memory Band) discusses The Wicker Man. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• "EX-S: The Wicker Man" (1998) - this archival documentary, produced by the BBC, takes a closer look at the production of The Wicker Man. Included in it are interviews with Christopher Lee, Edward Woodward, and Robyn Hardy, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (31 min).

• "The Wicker Man Enigma" (2001) - another archival documentary that examines the conception and production of The Wicker Man. Included in it are interviews with writer Anthony Shaffer, Robyn Hardy, and various cast members. In English, not subtitled. (35 min).

• "Willow's Song & the Liberation of Eve" - presented here is an exclusive new video essay created by critic Kat Ellinger. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• "Forged Folklore: The Fakery of The Wicker Man" - presented here is an exclusive new video essay created by author Adam Scovell. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• The Music of The Wicker Man - in this new program, author and film music historian David Huckvale discusses in great detail the music that is heard in The Wicker Man. In English, not subtitled. (35 min).

• "The Golden Bough" - in this new program, author and film music historian David Huckvale discusses the symbolism of The Wicker Man. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Robert Reed on The Wicker Man - in this new program, musician Robert Reed recalls his first encounter with The Wicker Man and discusses the use of music throughout the film. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• "The Willow Song" - promo video by Robert Reed featuring Angharad Brinn. (6 min).

• TV Spot - a rare archival TV spot for The Wicker Man. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Radio Spots - a collection of archival TV spots for The Wicker Man. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Soundtrack - the original motion picture soundtrack for The Wicker Man is presented on a CD disc. 16 tracks. Total length: 39.38.

The Wicker Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Someone that is employed by Australian label Via Vision Entertainment really, really likes The Wicker Man and it is why this incredible box set exists. Honestly, it is one of the most comprehensive releases that I have seen produced for a classic film anywhere in the world. The amount of bonus content on it is simply overwhelming, and on top of this the release comes with a CD of the original soundtrack for the film. Also, The Director's Cut of the film is offered in high-definition with some standard definition inserts, which as far as I know is the first time such a presentation has been made available on disc. Fantastic. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.