Filmed under the eye of producer Peter Snell for British Lion Films, The Wicker Man survived a troubled, weather-impaired shoot only to suffer at the hands of new Lion management when the company changed hands. Edited from 102 to 88 minutes and barely released in the U.S., the award-winning Wicker Man became an instant hit on the college and art-house circuit. Now, nearly 30 years later, the cult classic Christopher Lee calls "the best film I've ever been in" comes to DVD in a splendidly restored widescreen release, in both edited and extended-length versions.

Where Is Rowan Morrison?
Written by Sleuth scribe Anthony Shaffer, The Wicker Man follows the investigation of a Scottish mainland detective, named Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward, in a perfectly uptight performance), into the disappearance of a young girl from the offshore community of Summerisle. Upon arriving at the island, Howie is met with friendly but obviously uncooperative inhabitants who give evasive answers and seem intent upon misleading the determined constable. People who certainly ought to know the missing girl, Rowan Morrison, claim never to have heard of her.

Tensions build as the devoutly Christian Howie discovers the pagan underpinnings of the local religion and its focus on fertility rites. A virgin himself, Howie is deeply disturbed by the extent to which the island residents defy his own beliefs and revel in carnal activities — most outrageously exhibited in the sexual advances offered by the innkeeper's comely daughter, Willow (Britt Ekland). Intent upon reporting these "abhorrent" practices to Lord Summerisle himself (Lee), Howie is horrified to learn that the nobleman not only sanctions the proceedings but leads the required ritual events — including the forthcoming May Day festival.

A brilliant, hypnotic juxtaposition of sexual repression and carnality, The Wicker Man steeps the chaste Howie in an ever-widening circle of the erotic and fantastic, all marked by a palpable tone of danger implicit in the townspeople's apparent cover-up. Though the tale hints at possible supernatural elements, The Wicker Man is most terrifying because of the ordinary manner in which the villagers conduct such unusual behavior. Like the contemporaneous chiller Don't Look Now and the earlier Polanski classic Rosemary's Baby, The Wicker Man gradually builds tension toward a shocking finale.

And here, the setting becomes integral to that terror, thanks to the background research done by Shaffer, Hardy, and Shaffer's twin brother, Amadeus and Equus playwright Peter. Their investigation into Druidic practices, pagan rites, and the origins of the May Day celebration, as well as the rustic set locations, lend an easy authenticity that makes this story seem perfectly plausible. Also adding to the mesmerizing quality of the film is the score by Paul Giovanni, who appears in the "Sacrifice to Aphrodite" chapter as a guitarist delicately crooning as Willow "initiates" a young lad of the village.

Fertile Orchards
But other manner of thrills are also to be had from The Wicker Man. As ominous as it can be, Hardy's film is replete with humorous moments, as well. Seeing Britt Ekland naked, ripe and writhing (though Willow's backside belongs to a body double), both angelic and empowered as a modern-day fertility goddess, is simultaneously hilarious and sensual — a guilty pleasure nearly matched in amusement by the oft-fearsome Christopher Lee in a kilt and tennis shoes. Keen observers will also find a wealth of delightful details, such as the array of confections found in Mrs. Morrison's post office/general store, where cakes and chocolates come shaped like so many Venuses of Willendorf, erect phalluses, and the ever-present wild hares. And the May Day parade, while relentlessly tense, hearkens back to the whimsical creations of Monty Python and, in particular, George Harrison's "Crackerbox Palace" music video.

Let the Festivities Begin
One very important thing about watching any edition of The Wicker Man on DVD is that those who have not seen the film should NOT watch any of the special features first, even the trailer. One of the pleasures in watching Wicker Man for the first time is not knowing what, exactly, is coming, and all of the extra materials give away too much information.

This special edition release includes two discs. On the first is the 88-minute theatrically released version of the film, which looks simply magnificent. Any fan wearing out an old VHS copy will be astonished at this DVD, which reveals nighttime images barely visible in previous video versions, color where you never knew there was color, and clarity which belies the film's age. And Giovanni's score simply sings in Digital 5.1 or Digital Surround 2.0.

Also on disc one are: a lengthy television trailer, which has been restored and looks fabulous — a rarity in older promos; one TV spot, which is blurry and muddied, like all-too-many '70s ads; 14 radio spots; talent bios for Hardy, Shaffer, and Woodward; and a 35-minute documentary called "The Wicker Man: Enigma."

Rarely are bios and ads really illuminating or interesting, but here they're both worth investigating for the array of factoids included and the depth of the biographical content. Instead of the standard award-touting paragraphs, these bios are informative, from birth through the present, with specific details about each person's involvement in the Wicker Man production. These extras are visually as bare-bones as they come, but the material proves quite worthwhile, as well as entertaining. Here, and in the radio spots, you can learn such trivia as the fact that Rod Stewart tried to buy The Wicker Man to ensure that no one would see his then-girlfriend Ekland naked, and that Woodward had to endure being urinated upon by goats during a pivotal scene. The one problem with the radio spots is that the only option is to listen to all of them in order, which means that you cannot leap to a particular ad if you want to hear it a second time.

"The Wicker Man: Enigma" is a must for anyone interested in the troubled production and distribution history of the film, and it features interviews with Lee, Hardy, Shaffer, Woodward, Ingrid Pitt ("The Librarian"), and others.

Unclean Deeds and Unholy Places
The distinction between this special edition release and the far less expensive, standard, widescreen version of The Wicker Man is the inclusion here of a second disc, which features the original director's cut of the film, at 102 minutes in length. Otherwise, the standard widescreen release includes all of the features mentioned above, identical to disc one of this special edition. If you already own a VHS copy of the 102-minute version previously available from Media-Home Entertainment, then you've seen the disc two director's cut — though horribly inferior in image quality.

The real question for fans is, "Should I spend an extra $15 for those additional 14 minutes on disc two?" The extended version available in this special edition release is largely comprised of the same, restored footage that's on disc one. The additional scenes are of far lesser quality — understandable, as the cut frames were accidentally discarded with the original negative, a fact fully discussed in "Enigma" — and there are subtle differences in the sequence of the scenes offered. But, by and large, the impact of The Wicker Man remains the same. Though die-hard fans may want to purchase the pricey special edition specifically for the extra footage on DVD and the unimpressive, branded, pine-box case, one could as easily enjoy the splendid image on the standard release and pay $3.00 to rent a VHS copy of the extended version just to sample the additional scenes. As much as "pure art" warrants support and appreciation, it hardly warrants a doubling of the price. Aficionados and newcomers alike will fear The Wicker Man in either case.