“Come. It is time to keep your appointment with the Wicker Man”.
Christopher Lee claimed THE WICKER MAN (1973) was the greatest film he was ever part of. For good reasons, as this is one of the most unusual and original cinematic masterpieces ever brought to screen and an absolute must-see for everybody interested in movies. The unique greatness of THE WICKER MAN combines elements from a variety of genres; Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Fantasy, Drama, and even Musical, but it cannot really be limited to one particular genre. Scottish police sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) is called by an anonymous letter to investigate the disappearance of a young girl on the remote Scottish island Summerisle. Upon his arrival, nobody seems to have ever heard of the girl. The deeply religious Sergeant Howie, however, is shocked to find out that the residents of the island, above all the sophisticated but mysterious Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), are practicing pagan customs and free sexuality as they await their next human sacrifice…… The final moments of THE WICKER MAN must rank amongst the finest ever committed to film. As Christopher Lee leads the crazed inhabitants of Summerisle in a chorus of ‘Summer Is A Comin’ In,’ Edward Woodward’s cries of anguish and frantic prayers are intermingled with the death throes of the sacrificed animals. The moment when Woodward first casts eyes on the giant Wicker Man of the title never fails to send a chill down the spine. If Robin Hardy has directed nothing but THE WICKER MAN, who would still go down in cult movie fame, and he really did little else cinematically. There was THE FANTASIST in 1986 and a Quasi/spiritual sequel to THE WICKER MAN in 2010 called THE WICKER TREE. He wrote several novels, the most successful being “The Education Of Don Juan”. He founded Hardy & Sons, a production company that specialized in historical dramas, which was eventually headed by his son, TV director Justin Hardy. Robin Hardy died July 1st at age 86.
From THE BBC NEWS:
“Film director Robin Hardy has died at the age of 86, a family friend has confirmed. He was best known for cult British film The Wicker Man, starring Sir Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward. The 1973 film told the story of police sergeant Howie, played by Woodward, who was sent to search for a missing girl on the fictional island of Summerisle. Hardy, who went on to make follow-up The Wicker Tree in 2011, died on Friday, the friend said. Last year, Hardy said he wanted to make a third Wicker Man film as a tribute to Sir Christopher……”
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