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The Wicker Man, a review by goodguy

The Wicker Man (UK 1973) Written by: Anthony Shaffer Directed by: Robin Hardy Starring: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland DVD: R2-UK Optimum (3-Disc CE, 2006) My rating: -

Cover blurb: Since its release in 1973, The Wicker Man has held an enduring fascination for audiences, commanding a devotion that most films can only dream of. A unique and bona fide horror masterpiece, the film can now be seen in its original theatrical version and Director's Cut including 15 minutes of footage that was thought lost for decades!
When a young girl mysteriously disappears, Police Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) travels to a remote Scottish island to investigate. But this pastoral community, led by the strange Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) is not what it seems as the devoutly religious detective soon uncovers a secret society of wanton lust and pagan blasphemy.
Brilliantly scripted by Anthony Shaffer (Sleuth, Frenzy) and featuring an astounding performance by the legendary Christopher Lee, director Robin Hardy's atmospheric use of location, unsettling imagery and haunting soundtrack gradually builds to one of the most terrifying and iconic climaxes in modern cinema.

This is the second time this year that a much-hailed masterpiece of British '70s cinema falls a little flat for me. A few months ago, I watched "O Lucky Man!" (also made in 1973) for the first time and was similarly underwhelmed. But I digress.

All my warning bells should have gone off as Jon called this the "Citizen Kane of horror movies" in his recent LTROI review. They didn't, because Jon turned that phrase into praise for LTROI, and I happen to agree with him on that.

First of all, The Wicker Man isn't really a horror movie. It's a thriller that goes a bit on the weird side, but isn't overly imaginative. A bit folk-singing, lyrics with corny sexual subtext, a bit nude dancing - those wacky pagans! The main problem: all of this is more funny than poetic and remains so as the creepiness is supposed to slowly increase. Still, Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee give mostly solid performances and I suppose I shouldn't complain about Britt Ekland being naked (although there is a body double involved in addition to her being dubbed).

Anyway, I was amused for about the first half of the movie and I got a bit bored during the second half as it became pretty clear where this would all end. As for the ending itself, I didn't found it terrifying as so many have claimed, just again a bit silly.

I'm not sure why this movie is regarded so special. It lacks the haunted and poetic atmosphere that, for example, Picnic at Hanging Rock has. It lacks the true weirdness and beauty that you can find in Czech surrealist movies of that time, for example Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. It might be an improvement over the usual Hammer horror stuff Christopher Lee was doing at the time, but seriously, that's not a big achievement.

DVD Notes

I watched the two documentaries included in this release (The Wicker Man Enigma and Burnt Offering) and found the production history more interesting than the movie itself. I didn't bother with the Lee/Hardy interview or the commentary.


(From goodguy's Watch Log on October 27th, 2009)

Johnny English, a review by Tom

Title: Johnny English
Year: 2002
Director: Peter Howitt
Rating: FSK-6
Length: 84 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1 , English: Dolby Digital 5.1 , German: DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English, German

Stars:
Rowan Atkinson
John Malkovich
Natalie Imbruglia

Plot:
Johnny English, a British secret agent who dreams of rising beyodn his menial job within the MI-7 organization, is hired to protect the Crown Jewels after all the other agents are bumped off. When the jewels are stolen, he eventually uncovers a plot to replace England's monarch with what the British fear the most: a French king.

Extras:
Deleted Scenes
DVD-ROM Content
Featurettes
Interactive Game
Scene Access
Trailers

Edward Blackadder meets James Bond. It is a decent James Bond parody. Not as over the top as similar parodies (like the Leslie Nielsen one). Rowan Atkinson does fit well in the role. Sadly the screenplay is rather average. This movie could have been much more.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on November 2nd, 2008)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Weißblaue Wintergeschichten (1994/Germany) IMDb Euro Video (Germany) Length: 704 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

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Weißblaue Wintergeschichten
Season 1.01 Folge 1
Writer: Rolf-René Schneider (Writer)
Director: Peter Weissflog
Cast: Gerhart Lippert, Karin Kienzer, Andrea L'Arronge, Nicola Tiggeler, Martin Halm, Michael Fitz, Svenja Pages, Peter Weck, Rosel Zech, Karl-Heinz Vosgerau, Hans Clarin, Oliver Grobeer, Kathrin Strauss, Andreas Schwaiger, Gerd Fitz, Hans Bergmann, Bernd Helfrich

This is a kind of spin-off of Weißblaue Geschichten. The stories told here are all set in the winter. Mainly in skiing locations. I never saw this series before. I liked the first episode, but not as much I enjoyed watching "Weißblaue Geschichten".

Rating:


(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on November 14th, 2012)