Who's
In It: Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, Molly Parker, Leelee Sobieski, Frances
Conroy, Kate Beahan, Michael Wiseman, Diane Delano Who Directed It:
Neil LaBute
When Can I Buy It: NOW (Region 2), NOW (Region 1)
The
Wicker Man (2006) - Reviewed by: Paul Heath
Audio
commentary by director Neil LaBute, producer Norm Golightly and editor Joel Plotsch.
Edward
Malus (Nicolas Cage) gets an anonymous letter for from old flame Willow, summoning
him to the mysterious, secluded island of Summersilse, positioned off the coast
of Washington State. Concerned, and even a little curious, Edward travels to the
island to meet with Willow and upon doing so discovers that he has a daughter
with her. However, said daughter is missing and Edward then embarks upon a journey
to try to find out what happened, along the way running into a series of mysterious,
and frankly strange individuals, all women, who bow to the watchful Sisters Summersilsle,
here played by Ellen Burstyn.
Let
me throw it out there right away and say that I only managed to watch, in full,
the original Wicker Man on the special three disc edition DVD just a couple of
months ago. I had heard of its cult status, the superb writing, and the unconventional
eerie feel of the movie. Oh, and 'that ending'. I loved. I loved Christopher Lee's
and Edward Woodward's performances in that movie, and I loved the steady build
of tension, the strange songs scattered throughout and the naked form of Britt
Ekland (even though she used a body double in one of the scenes). About a week
after viewing the original 1970's Wicker Man, I got to go to a screening of this,
the Neil LaBute remake. I was expecting the worst. And that was my problem.
If
I had gone into this picture thinking with a clear head, maybe not having seen
the original movie, then maybe my opinion of the movie would be slightly different.
It was my own fault, and like many things, if I go into a film expecting to hate
it, really, really wanting to hate it, the chances are that I will hate it. I
came out of the screening disappointed. Disappointed that the film did not live
up to the quality and sheer genius of the original. Disappointed that there was
no songs. Disappointed that it had lost most of what was good about the 1970's
version. Disappointed that considering that there were so many woman in the film,
we did not get to see one naughty lady part. Okay, so I'm joking about that last
point. It was a let down.
Now,
if I had seen Neil LaBute's film a week earlier, then this review would have a
very, very different opening. The fact is that you have to look at the 2006 version
as a different movie. Here, LaBute is taking you on a completely different journey,
albeit one that ultimately has the same conclusion, but nearly everything is different
along the way. For a start, Cage's character is quite obviously not a virgin (Woodward's
character in the first movie was, and this was a major plot point). Here, he is
searching for his own daughter, one that he didn't know he had, and that's a very
different emotional attachment to that in the original. Woodward's character was
very much a more angry being, Cage's isn't. The new film is more of a battle of
the sexes, something that it featured in almost every previous Neil LaBute film.
There are hardly any men in this film. Something again, very different to the
original. So, I missed the point, and I missed the point of the film until I spoke
with Neil LaBute himself on the phone during an interview last week. So I revisited
it on DVD. Why remake The Wicker Man? Why not in the words of the man himself.
There
is though a major difference to what was screened in cinemas to what is on this
DVD. A bit problem for the cinematic release was the issue with the rating. The
filmmakers had to deliver a PG-13 movie, and knowing the content in the original,
this was always going to be a problem bringing any new version of The Wicker Man
to the big screen. With the DVD, it has been released unrated in the US, and as
a 15 in the UK, so we have a few more added scenes on the release compared to
what was screened in cinemas. The major thing with the DVD is that the original
intended ending is restored and the movie ends with the Wicker Man, and not with
that ridiculous sequel suggesting, cameo ridden add on that we saw in cinemas.
It ends like the original.
Upon
viewing this film for the second time, I'm going to say that while it wasn't my
favourite film of the year, it certainly wasn't my least. Sure, compared to the
original it's vastly inferior, but as a stand alone feature it isn't as bad as
some reviews have made out. I liked the way that LaBute has tried to come up with
a vastly different take, and I admire the fearlessness of him and Cage for taking
on such a cult classic.
For
first timers, one's that haven't seen the seventies classic, it's well worth the
effort to go and rent. Friends that have recently seen LaBute's version have said
that they really liked it. Granted those were people that hadn't seen the first
film, but that's the point. This is a different film with the same outcome. Die
hard fans of Wicker Man mark one are going to be hard to win over, but really,
try before you you're your judgement, and don't simply dismiss. Give it a go.
The
only extra besides the scene selction is a rather informative commentary from
director LaBute, producer Norm Golightly and editor Joel Plotsch. LaBute talks
about his reasons to remake the film, the involvement of star and producer Nicolas
Cage and the comparisons between the new version and the original. There's also
a little behind the production and the nods to the original like the wanted poster
for Edward Woodward in the police station at the start of the movie, and the suit
worn by one of the producers on a video cassette box in the roadside cafe in the
opening scene (it's the same suit style as worn by Christopher Lee's character
in the original film). Also, look out for LaBute regular Aaron Eckhart in the
same scene, who I totally missed until LaBute pointed him out in the commentary.
Who's
In It: Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, Molly Parker, Leelee Sobieski, Frances
Conroy, Kate Beahan, Michael Wiseman, Diane Delano
