Director: Robin Hardy
Screenplay: Anthony Shaffer
Starring: Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt and Christopher Lee
Country: United Kingdom
Running Time: 94 min (Final Cut), 88 min (Theatrical Cut), 99 min (Director’s Cut)
Year: 1973
Widely considered to be one of the greatest British films of all time, as well as one of the greatest horror films ever, Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man turns 50 this year. It’s influenced works like Ari Aster’s Midsommar, had a Nicolas Cage-led remake and contains some of the most iconic iconography in horror, period.
While The Wicker Man has had a tumultuous time from the get-go, having a truncated theatrical cut missing key scenes and numerous re-releases over the years, for its 50th anniversary, Studio Canal has restored the film in 4K with the best sources possible to give the feature its definitive release.
Prior to revisiting The Wicker Man for this review, I’d seen The Wicker Man once and I’ll be honest, wasn’t the biggest fan. It didn’t do a great deal for me, but I also had little context on how important it was for British cinema and after going through the hours of supplemental material included on this release, I can safely say I get it now. On my first viewing, I watched the Theatrical Cut, which was trimmed at the behest of the producers, and this time, I watched The Final Cut, considered to be director Robin Hardy’s definitive cut and it’s by far the best of the three. I also checked out the Director’s Cut to see the differences, as it’s included in this new release and while it’s nice to see it included, The Final Cut is the way to go.
From the opening minutes, the tone is set. In what feels like a precursor to Cannibal Holocaust of all things, with gorgeous vistas playing over the opening credits and beautiful music to support it, we follow Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward), who’s tasked with trying to find a missing girl on the island of Summerisle.
The locals are a lively bunch and Howie’s focused and committed attitude sticks out like a sore thumb on Summerisle. In an early pub scene, one of the most unique aspects is introduced and that’s the musical nature of the film. Music plays a crucial role in many of the most iconic sequences and that combination of Paul Giovanni and Magnet’s music adds an atmosphere that’s unmatched all these years later. As Howie continues his investigation, he notices a series of strange occurrences and without giving away too much for viewers who haven’t seen it before, results in a shocking and disturbing ending that rivals most endings today.
The Wicker Man is a horror film that doesn’t aim to scare, but unsettle the viewer and it succeeds at that. The uncanny and almost surreal nature of many of the actions taken from the island’s inhabitants are striking, memorable and well-directed. It’s a shame that Hardy only directed two other features, as The Wicker Man proves that he was a unique voice in British filmmaking that will be sorely missed.
Film: 
The Wicker Man releases on September 25th via Studio Canal on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray, as well as a steelbook release. I viewed the two Blu-ray discs and checked out all three cuts of the film. The following restoration information is included:
The Final Cut
This restoration was scanned in 4K by Silver Salt Restoration UK, from the original 35mm negative. A second generation 35mm intermediate positive produced in 1973 was used to replace a small section with unrepairable damage in the original negative. The additional footage is sourced from 35mm prints, which are the only known sources for this material. Colour grading and restoration were completed by Silver Salt Restoration UK who dedicated over 500 hours to fix physical damage to the 35mm negative, manually clean and remove dirt, sparkle and scratches. The colour grade used was previously approved by Robin Hardy and replicated here.
The Theatrical Cut
This restoration was scanned in 4K by Silver Salt Restoration UK, from the original 35mm negative. A second generation 35mm intermediate positive produced in 1973 was used to replace a small section with unrepairable damage in the original negative. Colour grading and restoration were completed by Silver Salt Restoration UK who dedicated over 500 hours to fix physical damage to the 35mm negative, manually clean and remove dirt, sparkle and scratches. The colour grade used was previously approved by Robin Hardy and replicated here.
The Director’s Cut
This restoration was scanned in 4K by Silver Salt Restoration UK, from the original 35mm negative. A second generation 35mm intermediate positive produced in 1973 was used to replace a small section with unrepairable damage in the original negative. The additional footage is sourced from a previous video transfer, as no film source, despite extensive searching, can be sourced for these segments. Colour grading and restoration were completed by Silver Salt Restoration UK who dedicated over 500 hours to fix physical damage to the 35mm negative, manually clean and remove dirt, sparkle and scratches. The colour grade used was previously approved by Robin Hardy and replicated here.
As with prior video releases of the Director’s Cut, the footage that’s sourced from a video transfer look extremely low quality and the difference between those sequences and the rest of the newly restored 35mm footage is night-and-day, although as explained in the restoration information, the additional footage was unable to be sourced from elsewhere, which is understandable. The other two cuts fare better and while there’s the occasional dip in quality, the film mostly looks magnificent. GIven the limitations that the team restoring this had, they did an excellent job and the Blu-rays look marvellous, so I can only imagine how great the 4K discs look.
English, French and German subtitles are included for all three cuts, alongside English 2.0 Mono LPCM audio for all three cuts, with a German 2.0 Mono LPCM track for the FInal Cut and a French 2.0 Mono LPCM audio track for the Theatrical Cut. The following extras are included:
– 64 Page Booklet with exclusive introduction from Justin and Dominic Hardy, plus brand-new essays from Ritual author David Pinner, Editor of Den of Geek Rosie Fletcher, and author of the upcoming THE WICKER MAN book John Walsh from Titan.
– 3 x Summerisle postcards
– 2 x posters – New and Original artwork
UHD 1
FEATURE – THE FINAL CUT (91 min)
Plus:
Revisiting the locations of The Wicker Man – 11 min 49
The Wicker Man at 50 – 10 min 44
Robin Hardy’s Script – The Lost Ending – 10 min 44
Britt Ekland interview – 10 min 22
Worshipping The Wicker Man – 23 min
The Music of The Wicker Man – 16 min
Interview with Robin Hardy (2013) – 17 min
Interview with Robin Hardy & Christopher Lee (1979) – 25 min
New Trailer – 1 min
Behind the scenes stills Gallery
Burnt Offering: The Cult of the Wicker Man – 49 min
Wicker Man Enigma – 35 min
UHD 2
FEATURE – THE DIRECTOR’S CUT (99 min)
FEATURE – THE THEATRICAL CUT (84 min)
Plus:
Audio Commentary with Robin Hardy, Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward
Making of The Commentary – 16 mins
BLU-RAY 1
FEATURE – THE FINAL CUT (91 min)
Plus:
Revisiting the locations of The Wicker Man – 11 min 49
The Wicker Man at 50 – 10 min 44
Robin Hardy’s Script – The Lost Ending – 10 min 44
Britt Ekland interview – 10 min 22
Worshipping The Wicker Man – 23 min
The Music of The Wicker Man – 16 min
Interview with Robin Hardy (2013) – 17 min
Interview with Robin Hardy & Christopher Lee (1979) – 25 min
New Trailer – 1 min
Behind the scenes stills Gallery
Burnt Offering: The Cult of the Wicker Man – 49 min
Wicker Man Enigma – 35 min
BLU-RAY 2
FEATURE – THE DIRECTOR’S CUT (99 min)
FEATURE – THE THEATRICAL CUT (84 min)
Plus:
Audio Commentary with Robin Hardy, Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward
Making of The Commentary – 16 mins
Revisiting the locations of The Wicker Man – Newly produced for this release, Dominic Hardy, son of director Robin Hardy goes on a trail revisiting the locations where The Wicker Man was shot. It’s a fun location featurette that’s worth a watch.
The Wicker Man at 50 – Another newly produced featurette which sees director Robin Hardy’s son, Justin ask critics why the film seems to have stood the test of time. Opening with a series of archival reviews, as well as interviews with critics David McGillivray, Vic Pratt, associate musical director Gary Carpenter, Dr. Helene Neveu Kringelbach, Dr. Douglas McNaughton, Dr. Katy Soar, Dr. Wickham Clayton and Dr. Chris Nunn who all discuss the lasting legacy, the cult fanbase the film’s acquired and more. It’s another solid featurette.
Robin Hardy’s Script – The Lost Ending – A new featurette discussing Hardy’s original ending for The Wicker Man, with Tim Plester going through the differences to what was filmed. He sports a great Christopher Lee impression too!
Britt Ekland interview – A new interview for this release with actor Britt Ekland who plays Willow in the film. She’s open about her experiences on set, as well as her working relationships with director Robin Hardy and stars Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee. It’s a great interview and one of my favourite bonus features.
Worshipping The Wicker Man – An archival featurette with interviews from directors Eli Roth, James Watkins and Ben Wheatley that discusses The Wicker Man’s influence on filmmakers. It’s a fun watch and hearing the directors talk about the film is fascinating.
The Music of The Wicker Man – An archival featurette with associate musical director Gary Carpenter discussing the music behind the film. He discusses how he became attached to the project and more. Later into the featurette, Jonny Trunk is interviewed and discusses the release of the soundtrack. It’s an interesting featurette.
Interview with Robin Hardy (2013) – Carried over from Studio Canal’s prior Blu-ray release, this archival interview with Robin Hardy is a nice addition.
Interview with Robin Hardy & Christopher Lee (1979) – An archival interview from Critics Choice with Sterling Smith with Hardy and Lee. As it’s a TV recording from the late 70s, the quality isn’t superb but the interview itself is an good one. I could listen to Lee talk for hours and he’s a delight here, as is Hardy.
Burnt Offering: The Cult of the Wicker Man – An archival 50 minute documentary from 2001 hosted by Mark Kermode, who brings key cast and crew members together to discuss the legacy of the film. Interviewees include Christopher Lee, Robin Hardy, Anthony Shaffer, Edward Woodward, Peter Snell and many more. Kermode revisits the locations where The Wicker Man was filmed, and his presence as a host is delightful. The interviews included are insightful and don’t shy away from some of the troubles that plagued the production. A great little piece.
Wicker Man Enigma – Another archival 35 minute documentary from 2001 with similar interviewees and subject matter. There’s some overlap here with previous bonus features, but it’s a nice inclusion, regardless.
Audio Commentary with Robin Hardy, Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward – Moderated by Mark Kermode, this archival audio commentary is a delight to listen to. Kermode asks an array of interesting questions, such as how the project came to fruition, the differences between the separate cuts of the film (at the time, two) and the (then upcoming) remake of the film starring Nicolas Cage. A really enjoyable audio commentary. Note, this audio commentary is specifically for the Director’s Cut of the film.
Making of The Commentary – An interesting addition, maybe the first time I’ve seen behind-the-scenes footage of an audio commentary. Seeing Hardy, Lee, Woodward and Kermode converse with each other adds a whole new feel to the conversation. It’s a really neat inclusion.
A new trailer is included, as well as a behind-the-scenes stills gallery.
I wasn’t provided with the booklet, the soundtrack or any of the other physical goodies, unfortunately.
Studio Canal’s release of The Wicker Man is exactly what it sets out to be, the definitive release of an iconic film. With an impressive transfer given the limitations of some of the footage, audio that feels faithful and a solid array of supplemental content, any fan of The Wicker Man won’t be disappointed with this release.
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