Inside the "Wicker Man" Book

Early in his fascinating account of this British horror classic, Allan Brown points out that despite being "a film with uncomfortable things to say about the cult mentality", The Wicker Man has inspired a considerable cult following. He can hardly be unaware that, while he is keen to distance himself from "The Wicker Man militia", this book can only add to the already considerable mythology surrounding the film. In fact, Inside The Wicker Man is a fan's delight, exhaustively researched and achieving a near-perfect balance between history, trivia and serious analysis.With very little exaggeration, Brown describes the filming and distribution of The Wicker Man as "a textbook example of How Things Should Never Be Done". The omens were bad from the start, when there were wranglings over an alleged "source" for the screenplay, but from there things just got worse. Studio politics meant that the film, firmly set around May Day, actually went into production in late autumn--so fake blossom was placed in trees, and actors were often forced to put ice-cubes in their mouths to prevent their breaths from showing on film. Arguments were rife on location in Scotland, leading to verbal and physical confrontations involving both cast and crew.After the production wrapped, the film was unsympathetically edited into a shadow of its former self and much of the original footage was lost by a studio which hated the film and barely distributed it. Despite very mixed reviews on its release in 1973, a longer version of the film was later revived in the USA and today The Wicker Man finds favour with critics and fans alike, as a serious--if flawed--piece of cinema. Brown expertly guides readers through conflicting accounts of this convoluted history, attempting along the way to explain the film's enduring fascination, and providing interviews with most of the key figures in the story--many of whom still have an axe to grind, and some of whom still harbour plans for a sequel. --John OatesRead More