The Wicker Man Review
by [email protected] (dnb AT dca DOT net)September 7th, 2006
THE WICKER MAN
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 2006 David N. Butterworth
** (out of ****)
A policeman investigating the disappearance of a young girl travels to a remote northern isle where he becomes embroiled in a potage of erotic--and possibly barbaric--paganism.
"Come. It is time to keep your appointment with the wicker man." Words to die by, those.
Speaking as one who has seen the original 1973 British Lion production of The Wicker Man several times in its various theatrical (88 min.), reissued (95 min.), and extended (99 min.) versions I approached the Nicolas Cage-headed remake with some trepidation. Would it prove to be yet another travesty of horror justice, much like the 2004 rehash of "Dawn of the Dead," for example? Or would it have more in common with, say, the 2005 redo of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," i.e., a surprisingly decent reconstruction founded on an unmistakable respect for the original?
Those are the questions inevitably asked of a spurious remake and in the case of the PG-13 rated "'Wicker Man" the answer is a bit of both. While sections of the film could be viewed as both a loving homage and a canny update--moving the action from the Scottish Isles to Puget Sound; having our hapless hero a California cop summoned to the private, secluded community of Summersisle (previously Summerisle) by an old flame (Flightplan's Kate Beahan); replacing Christopher Lee in a fright wig with a bee keeping Ellen Burstyn, etc.--other parts could just as easily be seen as a weak-at-the-knees cop-out.
There are less of the predatory sexual overtones of the original, no landlord's daughter slapping her naked body against the adjoining bedroom walls, no fornicating on gravestones, no navel skins. Instead, the film goes for shocks of a more traditional kind: car accidents, hallucinations, yet another diminutive red-cloaked figure unwisely pursued. Edward Woodward, who played the chaste, devout Sergeant Howie in the original, was perfect in the lead; Cage (who plays mainland sheriff Edward Malus) is simply adequate. The residents of Summersisle seem more creepy than scary and the preponderance of women over men is insufficiently explained. That, and the build-up to the ominous rendezvous with the titular effigy is less foreboding this time around (a shocking scene that has long been weakened by images on video boxes and movie websites; the 1973 version was rated X, incidentally). Lastly Angelo Badalamenti's score, while serviceable, cannot touch the playful corn rigs and barley rigs of Paul Giovanni's unnerving folksongs.
One of the biggest surprises, however, is that the man behind this new version is Neil LaBute, the writer/director of such ugliness-of- human-nature dramas as "In the Company of Men" and "Your Friends & Neighbors." "The Wicker Man" is a radical departure for LaBute and not the best of choices, perhaps, to bolster his meager, mean-spirited resume... although the filmmaker is obviously a big fan of the original- -some nice touches include renaming Rowan Morrison, the subject of Malus's investigation, Rowan Woodward with Willow (Britt Ekland's character in the original) now Rowan's mother's name.
The Anthony Shaffer-penned/Robin Hardy-directed/British Lion- butchered "'Wicker Man" has long been a cult favorite for its unique blend of bloodless, psychological horror accented by authentic Celtic music, open eroticism, and historical accuracy. For all its good intentions Neil LaBute's unnecessary remake is equal parts tame, lame, and significantly less of the same.
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David N. Butterworth
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