(1973) Directed by Robin Hardy; Written by Anthony Shaffer;
Starring: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Britt Ekland and
Ingrid Pitt; Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Rating: ****½
“We wanted to create a 20th century pagan
society, and we wanted to make a treasure trove of clues in plain sight, so
that the aware audience could start to pick them up.” – Robin Hardy
“It’s more important to teach a new generation born on
Summerisle that here the old gods aren’t dead.” – Lord Summerisle (Christopher
Lee)
Horror films are at their most effective when they work on a
psychological level. Profuse levels of gore and jump scares pale in comparison
to the terrors the human mind can devise. Not to say that horrific imagery
doesn’t have a place – it can be a catalyst for nightmare fodder, but the most
enduring frights are the ones that dwell long after the final scene has
vanished from your retinas. Such is the case with The Wicker Man, a film that
manages to make theological differences terrifying.
Screenwriter Anthony Shaffer (Sleuth) and director Robin Hardy brought star Christopher Lee onboard,
but it was their intent to create something that was different in tone from his
many Hammer appearances. The filmmakers aimed for a more cerebral brand of
horror. According to Hardy, “The entire film is a game.” From beginning to end,
you’re never certain where many of the characters stand. The folk-infused
soundtrack has a light, jaunty feel, but there’s something sinister brimming
beneath the surface. Beyond the festive maypole dance and bawdy pub songs lurks
a darker purpose.
Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward), an uptight West Highland
police officer, is dispatched to a village on a remote Scottish isle* to
investigate a report of a missing 12-year-old girl named Rowan Morrison. The village
residents are less than helpful (even her mother disavows her existence), and he
finds their atavistic ways, compared to his devout Christian traditions, beguiling
and offensive. As he digs deeper, his search only yields more unanswered
questions, until he’s no closer to discovering whether Rowan is alive or dead.
Clues lead to the conclusion that she was (or will be) offered as a possible
sacrifice to appease their gods when the crops failed. Everyone in the village,
led by Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), participates in a conspiracy of
silence and obfuscation, intended to keep Howie ignorant of their true
intentions.
* Fun Fact #1: Although the events in the story lead up to
the May Day celebration, The Wicker Man
was shot on location in December. On account of the cool temperatures, the
actors were forced to speak with ice in their mouths in some of the outdoor
scenes, to prevent their breath from showing.
Woodward does a remarkable job as the obstinate,
authoritarian Sergeant Howie,* who wears his title like a shield. Because of
his status and rigid belief system, he feels empowered to impose his will and
version of morals on the townspeople. It’s only appropriate that he disguises
himself as a fool for their pageant. His arrogant disregard for the villagers’
customs only solidifies their resolve to defy his authority. And yet, we can’t
quite despise Howie, who’s attempting to do his job under trying circumstances.
Woodward endows his character with humanity and vulnerability. Despite his
pious appearance, Howie is only a man, with human failings. If only he had
given into temptation or had not been so insensitive to the villagers’ ways, his
fate might have been different, but his nature was too unwavering.
* Fun Fact #2: Lee wanted his frequent Hammer (and Amicus)
co-star, Peter Cushing, to star as the pious Sergeant Howie, but Cushing had
other engagements. Although it would have been a treat to see Lee and Cushing
together once more, it’s hard to imagine someone other than Woodward occupying
the role.
Christopher Lee, who was well versed in the study of ancient
pagan lore, plays Lord Summerisle (Lee counted this among his favorite roles), with
the necessary level of gravitas and authority. As the grandson of the village’s
founder, he serves as the community’s leader and spiritual compass. His
interactions with Sergeant Howie are amiable and superficially cooperative, but
like the rest of the villagers, his words and actions mask a hidden agenda.
The Wicker Man
features many memorable scenes, not the least of which, is the sobering ending.
The events that precede this, however, are all important pieces to the
elaborate puzzle the filmmakers have constructed. The innkeeper’s daughter
Willow’s (Britt Ekland) au naturel dance scene *is an attempt to seduce
Sergeant Howie, a test of his faith. The longer cut of the film includes a sequence
where Willow ushers a teenage boy into manhood. The remainder of the scene plays
offscreen, but we infer everything from a song in the pub. Howie drops in on
Miss Rose (Diane Cilento) as she explains the significance of the maypole and
its phallic origins to her class. When he questions her about Rowan’s presumed
death, she explains their theological orientation toward death (“death” has little
meaning), as if explaining it to one of her students, “We believe that when the
human life is over, the soul returns to trees, to air, to fire, to water, to
animals…”
* Fun Fact #3: Ekland was only filmed from the waist up… the
full-body shots featuring her character’s posterior were courtesy of a dancer
from a Glasgow nightclub.
As I re-watched The Wicker
Man, I realized how my point of view evolved over the years. After my initial
viewing, I thought good and evil, in the terms of the film, were clearly
defined. I sympathized with Sergeant Howie as an innocent victim, and viewed
Lord Summerisle and the villagers as the antagonists. But what if there isn’t a
clearly defined right and wrong? What’s sacred and what’s profane depends on your
point of view. Howie insulted their way of life, along with their belief system,
and presumed that he had power over them because of his position and his faith.
He didn’t deserve his awful fate, but he arguably reaped what he sowed.
There’s nothing explicitly supernatural in The Wicker Man, which appears to be by
design. Hardy and Shaffer leave the details vague. Will next season’s crops
thrive? Are the old gods real? We never see any evidence, beyond the villagers’
beliefs. On the other hand, we’re never certain that Howie’s beliefs are any
more valid. Paganism and Christianity stand on even ground, as the film neither
supports nor refutes either set of beliefs. Ultimately, the film’s conclusion
is a test of faith for both parties. The
Wicker Man stands the test of time as an example of genre film at its best;
unnerving, naturalistic and uncompromising.
