# I saw a really strange movie today (The Wicker Man) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2006, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116 "2006-06-17T23:46:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/1 "2006-06-17T23:46:14Z")
A movie I ordered from UK (Amazon) came in the mailbox today and I’ve just seen it. It was the British cult movie “The Wicker Man” from 1973 which is some sort of mix between horror-thriller-crime and even musical A truly strange and bizarre movie Have anyone else seen it? ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/2 "2006-06-17T23:52:07Z")
Never seen it, but from what I’ve heard, it’s considered somewhat of a classic. So much so that its being [remade](http://imdb.com/title/tt0450345/) ---
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/3 "2006-06-17T23:53:10Z")
> [@DxZero](#): > > Never seen it, but from what I’ve heard, it’s considered somewhat of a classic. > > So much so that its being [remade](http://imdb.com/title/tt0450345/) I’ve just heard it fans of the original must hate this ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/4 "2006-06-17T23:58:53Z")
I remember it mostly for the ending. A remake might not be a bad idea – at least they waited awhile. But they’d better not change the ending. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/5 "2006-06-18T00:21:01Z")
> [@Minotaurus](#): > > I’ve just heard it > > fans of the original must hate this Yeah, I dunno about a remake. Nicholas Cage? Not sure that works for me - the roll seems ripe for the sort of overacting he can be prone to and that might doom the film to campiness. I’m a big fan of the first, with its slow and studied build-up of an undertone of menace ( despite a complete lack of anything ostensibly scary ) and its rather ambiguous ending ( rather mocking of both faiths ). I believe Christoper Lee once claimed it was his favorite performance ( though he would have said this well pre-Star Wars or LotR ). - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/6 "2006-06-18T00:24:24Z")
Oh and by the way, I hope you saw the unedited version with the restored opening footage ( for example showing the officer at church and being mocked by his subordinates in his office ). Those few minutes set up his character much more completely. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Arch\_Trout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9f8e36/32.png) [@Arch\_Trout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arch_Trout)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/7 "2006-06-18T00:35:17Z")
A British classic. And it has the Equaliser himself, Ewar Woowar! It’s a yearly watch in my household. And one of my mates loves the soundtrack, especially the maypole song. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/8 "2006-06-18T00:37:11Z")
Hares don’t drink tea, silly. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/9 "2006-06-18T00:44:37Z")
> [@Minotaurus](#): > > A movie I ordered from UK (Amazon) came in the mailbox today and I’ve just seen it. It was the British cult movie “The Wicker Man” from 1973 which is some sort of mix between horror-thriller-crime and even musical > > A truly strange and bizarre movie > Have anyone else seen it? It gets shown on UK TV every so often. I agree it was very unusual. Sometimes when I go to remote country communities, I look at the villagers and wonder… ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/10 "2006-06-18T00:47:23Z")
Yeah, that was one of those great movies I just stumbled across flipping chanels. Looked dull at first but then kept sucking me back in. Wonderfully creepy. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/11 "2006-06-18T01:29:10Z")
I have seen it and enjoyed it a lot. A strange but fun movie. I saw it almost 20 years ago, so I do not remember it real well at this point but Ed Woodward was great and Britt Ekland {Sp} was extremely sexy in it from what I recall. Another solid, performance by my favorite Hammer Film actor, Christopher Lee. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/12 "2006-06-18T03:35:18Z")
> [@What Exit?](#): > > I have seen it and enjoyed it a lot. A strange but fun movie. I saw it almost 20 years ago, so I do not remember it real well at this point Ditto. I remember liking it, and I remember the ending of course. Been meaning to see it again for quite a long time. ---
**Author:** ![exastris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b38774/32.png) [@exastris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/exastris)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/13 "2006-06-18T05:17:24Z")
Loved it! Slow and bizarre, just the way I like it! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/14 "2006-06-18T07:57:33Z")
I love this one—I can’t, for the life of me, remember where I first heard of it, though. (It might have been from the cover of one of the soundtrack’s song performed by the Medieval Babes.) Speaking of which, great soundtrack, too—though a complete, “clean” version of a lot of the tracks would have been better. It has one of the most deliberately unlikable protagonists I’ve seen in a story, to boot. And he’s a cop. A _clean_ cop. Who’s trying to find a missing girl. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/15 "2006-06-18T10:45:50Z")
If you hadn’t already spotted it yourself, the rear view of Britt Ekland dancing provocatively in her skin in the room next to Mr Woodward is an obvious body double. ---
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/16 "2006-06-18T11:35:27Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Oh and by the way, I hope you saw the unedited version with the restored opening footage ( for example showing the officer at church and being mocked by his subordinates in his office ). Those few minutes set up his character much more completely. > > - Tamerlane the DVD contained two versions: the original 84 min version and directors cut running 99min. I saw directors cut ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/17 "2006-06-18T13:31:35Z")
I love the movie- when IFC showed it last Halloween, I was trying to show it to some church friends. thinking that a judicious use of the remote to edit any offensive material might work… it soon became obvious that was an effort to abandon, alas! My main objection to the remake… Christopher Lee’s Lord Summerisle becomes Ellen Burstyn’s Sister Summerisle! :eek: But Leelee Sobrieski is in it- in a role I think may be comparable to _sings_ The Landlord’s Daughter! And that might just make it all worthwhile! Nekkid Leelee? Yay! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/18 "2006-06-18T13:47:40Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I remember it mostly for the ending. A remake might not be a bad idea – at least they waited awhile. But they’d better not change the ending. If they don’t change the ending, it’ll be the only thing that hadn’t changed. My husband (a neopagan scholar of neopaganey things - that is, he’s both a practicing neopagan and studies and teaches at the college level on neopaganism) had several discussions two weeks ago with one of the technical advisors, herself a Wiccan. Turns out the director has gone all “Satanic witchcraft” and upside down pentacle happy. A far cry from an innocent (?) nature worshiping fertility cult. The ambiguity is apparantly gone, replaced with a clear Good (Christian) and Evil (Witchcraft). :rolleyes: I hope she’s wrong and it all gets worked out in editing. But I don’t have much hope. The original is simply HUGE in the neopagan community. I can sort of see why - it’s actually the most realistic portrayal of modern neopaganism I’ve ever seen on screen. But there’s that whole killing thing. People try to rationalize it, saying that the cop was warned away many times, making his sacrifice a willing self-sacrifice, to which I call bullshit. If that was informed consent, I’ll go elsewhere for treatment. Yes, they warned him away. They never warned him he might die. So, philisophically, I don’t like how they portray my people, but it is better than _The Craft._ ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/19 "2006-06-18T14:03:14Z")
Since the thread title doesn’t mention open spoilers, I’ve placed a spoiler box around the last paragraph in your post, **WhyNot** ; I know the movie is old, but it’s more of a cult favorite than a mainstream success, so the ending will be unknown to many. In addition, since a new version is coming out–whose ending might or might not be the same; I dunno–hopefully this will keep that version from being spoiled, too. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116/20 "2006-06-18T17:35:32Z")
Wonderful movie! Our college neopagan group always wanted to get together with the Campus Crusade for Christ and have a movie night around it. Daniel [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-really-strange-movie-today-the-wicker-man/361116.md?page=2)