The Wicker Man 50th anniversary (Vintage Classics) [Region A & B & C]

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British folk horror at its best – and rereleased again to become a gilt-edged classic” - Guardian ★★★★★ When the final rug-pulling takes place (spoiler alert, but the entire missing girl case has been staged by the community to lure the virginal Howie to Summerisle for a ritualistic pagan immolation) it remains After being made aware by an anonymous letter that young girl Rowan Morrison has gone missing on the isolated enclave of Summerisle, he is fierce and dogged in his pursuit of the truth, even as the eccentric locals (who have long abandoned traditional religion in favour of more hedonistic observances) stonewall him at every turn. I also liked seeing the echoes of films or TV series in the modern era, the early maypole moment felt very Wes Anderson, and being a kid growing up in Devon, I can confirm I did that once or twice. It’s impossible not to see the influence on the likes of Midsommar – although Ari Aster obviously ups the horror, plus the likes of Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass, the cult favourite The League of Gentlemen and even Hot Fuzz – with Woodward also starring in that one! Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

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.

The 2023 extra ‘ Robin Hardy’s Script – The Lost Ending’ with Tim Plester, and his thoughts on the cut monologues is one of the best though. His family not only have Hardy’s original script, but they also discuss why the director and writer either fought over the final outcome, or which monologues would be cut, and this gives you an excellent idea of how films come together, and some suggested decisions make sense once you’ve heard them. One of the masterstrokes of Hardy’s film is to embed us entirely with Howie’s increasingly harried point-of-view. Each step forward in his investigation – as Howie uncovers the heathen rituals overseen by Lee’s sybaritic Lord Summerisle, and becomes convinced that poor Rowan is to be the subject of a ritual burning on Mayday to revive a stalled crop cycle – feels hard-fought and hard-won. Plus! Joining us at the Duke of York’s Picturehouse for a special one-off show on Wed 21 June, we’re delighted to welcome director Robin Hardy’s sons, Dominic and Justin Hardy, who are currently making a documentary about their father and his cult film. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Studiocanal are proud to release a newly restored 4K version of the 2011 Final Cut of the film. Edith Bowman is an award-winning radio broadcaster, podcast host and television presenter. Her broadcasting career has flourished over more than two decades and now she is one of the most well-respected and sought-after personalities in the film, television and audio industry.

All three versions of the film; The Final Cut, The Director’s Cut and The Theatrical Cut, have been painstakingly restored and will be released in an exclusive 5-disc Collector’s Edition as well as a 4-disc Steelbook version. The Final Cut will also be available on Digital the same day. Posted by Phil on Jun 27, 2023 in All, drama, DVD/Blu-ray, fantasy, Film, Headline, horror, News, thriller | 0 comments But there is so much more to the story behind Sergeant Howie’s visit and stranger still are the rites that take place there. The May Day series seeks to explore the pagan heritage of the British Isles and Ireland through the medium of visual images and writing. The series includes material drawn from historical sources, personal interpretations, and fusions of the past and present eras of myth, folklore, and religion. The May Day series seeks to explore the pagan heritage of the British Isles and Ireland through the medium of visual images and writing. The series includes material drawn from historical sources, personal interpretations, and fusions of the past and present eras of myth, folklore, and religion. The series shows the influence of European and near eastern religions & cultures on the pagan traditions of Britain. The series forms a loose narrative, a connection between the past and present, using literal, metaphorical, and spiritual symbolism.These early moments set the tone for the unusual, and also a mention of Lord Summerisle ( Christopher Lee), who we will come to meet in full later on. The clues of what’s ahead are also here in these early scenes, the local shop undoubtedly has weird-shaped cakes and sweets in the window, there’s a firm nod towards something to do with hares and even the family of the missing child aren’t totally convinced she’s gone anywhere, or if they even know her. Elusive characters and mysterious games are almost knowingly afoot.