The Wicker Man (1973) DVD9 + DVD5 Theatrical Version and Extended version, download for free

May19

The Wicker Man (1973) DVD9 + DVD5 Theatrical Version and Extended version

by movieworld on May 19th, 2016 at 17:54

Posted In: .Other movies, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Strictly devout and slightly priggish, Police Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) uses a small seaplane to visit the many scattered islands in the North of Scotland. He goes to balmy Summerisle to check a report of a missing child, Rowan Morrison, and lands in the middle of a situation that both outrages him and warps his judgment. The privately owned Summerisle is wholly Pagan, in the old Celtic sense. Its society centers on the concept of fertility and appeasement of the sun God, so as to guarantee a good crop of famous Summerisle apples. Bawdy songs in mixed company are one thing, but the straight-laced Howie sees couples having sex in public, teachers teaching blasphemous sex education in the schools and naked children jumping through fires and dancing around Maypoles. Even though Rowan Morrison is listed in school records, the locals either deny her existence or infer that she's been transformed into a Hare. The cheerfully boorish Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) counters Howie's protests with a calm defense of his religion, backed up by his casual lover, schoolmarm Miss Rose (Diane Cilento). And the local strumpet Willow (Britt Ekland) further confuses Howie with an attempted seduction that may be aided by drugs, or magic. When Howie finds a dead rabbit in the missing girl's grave, he becomes convinced that Rowan Morrison has been kidnapped to await Pagan sacrifice on May Day.

Director: Robin Hardy
Cast: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Britt Ekland, Ingrid Pitt, Lindsay Kemp
Country: UK
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Drama

The first disc is the shorter abridged version shown theatrically in the United States. The second disc is called 'extended features,' although it contains the recommended original version of the movie.

The improvements start right at the beginning. A new pre-credit sequence on the mainland introduces Sgt. Howie and establishes our attitude toward him before he investigates the Rowan Morrison disappearance. Important new material elaborates on Lord Summerisle's role in the community, such as a weird scene where the nobleman brings an adolescent to be 'tutored' by Britt Eklund's town prostitute. "The Landlord's Daughter." A couple of shifted scenes have been returned to their proper place in the continuity. Britt Eklund's erotic dance now occurs much later, when we're more prepared for it. The long version focuses our attention on Paul Giovanni's convincingly weird pagan folk music. A snail crawling in the moonlight is juxtaposed with a suggestive tune about losing one's virginity, creating a strange aura of 'social horror.'

Theatrical Version
DVD9 | NTSC 16:9 | 01:27:38 | 7.45 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English (Dolby AC3, 6 ch), English (Dolby AC3, 2 ch)
Subtitles: none

Extras:
• Documentary: "The Wicker Man Enigma"
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spot
• Radio Spots
• Talent Biographies
• Easter Egg: "Critic's Choice with Sterling Smith"