Gather round the maypole as Corinne, Polly, and Tim journey to scenic Summerisle to keep an appointment with The Wicker Man from 1973. We'll discuss this chilling suspense film's depiction of belief systems in conflict, comment on the power of its unforgettable ending, and lament the twin crimes of film location vandalism and bad remakes. Warning: Contains explicit language, spoilers, and a frog in the throat. Also, due to some microphone issues, the sound mix on some portions of this episode is a little wiggy. We hope this doesn't detract from your enjoyment of the program.
Subscribe to our podcast here.
Listen to us on Stitcher here.
Interested in getting more from this movie? Check out supplemental material for this episode here.
Want to give us a sermon and damn us with hellfire? Care to explain your parthenogenic fire-leaping technique? Do you pity the poor Fool? Leave a comment below and keep the discussion going.
I would probably include this one on a list of "pro-Christianity" movies. Ultimately, the protagonist was trying to save a life and the cult was trying to take a life. Whatever his faults, there could be no equivalence. Sad to hear that editing and distribution problems marred its theatrical release. Kudos to Lee for making a game promotional effort.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on your point-of-view. I think the filmmakers try to be even-handed, but I definitely agree that however abrasive Howie might have been toward the villagers with his views, in the end he's a guy trying to rescue a little girl and it's hard not to be on his side.
DeleteI'm not the most spiritual person but I do think in attempting to convey a Christian message, filmmakers are better off sliding it into an entertaining movie than making a giant thesis statement out of it as some religious films seem to. I often wonder if layering these ideas into movies like The Blues Brothers and The Exorcist does more to bring religious ideas to secular viewers than something like God's Not Dead would.