[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

yesterday i watched THE WICKER MAN in glorious blu-ray!!!

 

loved the restoration and upon rewatch i'll have to concur with demonrail that this is no mere "b-movie." this is something else.

like-- a musical, among other things. i found myself laughing because i didn't remember that they'd suddenly break into musical numbers. the pub songs were awesome. the hobbits have nothing on these people.

also, this time it wasn't scary to me AT ALL. if anything it was rather joyous. the only time my wife covered her ears was when the animals started screaming. otherwise, we both sided 100% with the natives.

maybe it's a decade of living among the injuns that made me look at the copper as a fucking intruder. a violent one too-- beating people, breaking doors, threatening everyone's way of life, disrespectful and arrogant. go fuck yourself copper, you got what you deserved.

the other thing is that the acting is mostly spot-on. the villagers are great in their roles. christopher lee as lord summerisle is great. the cop is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. i mean he's got the stiff face but also the mannerisms make for a great character and his voice is just incredible.

the weak moment for me was at that little bedroom dance at the inn. britt ekland wasn't the strongest actor here, and though she was great to look at it was also easy to see the body double and... that sequence was just a bit meh-- no the significance though, the significance (an the chance to escape maybe as a non-virgin?) was essential, but that was the weakest moment for me, i almost started laughing.

costumes and props were GREAT though! the animal masks, the jars at the pharmacy, the sweets. excellent!

seriously a beautiful movie. joyful even. scary only if you identify with the copper which i did the first time. so... maybe i'm a pagan ha ha ha.

eta: this version contains the explanation of the island's history by summerisle--which i appreciated, as it adds ambiguity to his character. is he 100% or just improving employee morale? i think he's full-into it though he knows the other perspective.

I side with Summerisle until the final scene, in part because I don't think Summerisle does believe in the religion but rather the power it secures him. That scene you mention, where he discusses his ancestors with Howie seems pretty clear on that point. So however arrogant, prudish, narrow minded, etc, Howie is, what Summerisle ultimately does to him isn't just barbaric but cruel and cynical. Whereas by the end Howie is at worst just a fool. That's part of its genius for me, the way it manipulates your sympathies, plays games with you the way the islanders play with Howie - something the remake misses entirely. Apects of it remind me a bit of Peter Greenaway films like Drowning by Numbers. That sense of a game within a game. It may not be the scariest horror movie ever, but it's definitely one of the cleverest.

I love the bedroom scene! Even putting aside its significance to the plot it just reinforces the strange atmosphere of the whole thing. for all its faults I'm so glad it's in the film. And what a great song!

But regardless of how we respond to or interpret it, or whichever films we try and compare it with, it is something else. It's its own thing. A genuine one off.