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The Wicker Man (2006 film)
Encyclopedia
The Wicker Man is a 2006 American remake
of the 1973 British film of the same title. It was written and directed by Neil LaBute
, based on a screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, and stars Nicolas Cage
and Ellen Burstyn
.
The film was poorly received by critics, and Robin Hardy
, co-creator and director of the original British film, disassociated himself from it.
), an American policeman, receives news from his ex-fiancée, Willow Woodward (Kate Beahan
), that her daughter, Rowan (Erika Shaye Gair), is missing. He gets a pilot (Matthew Walker
) to take him to the island off the coast of Washington, U.S. where a group of neo-pagans live. The island is led by Sister Summersisle (Ellen Burstyn
), an elderly woman who is treated like a goddess. The economy of the island relies on the production of local honey, which Malus learns has been down recently.
Malus asks the villagers about Rowan, but they give him evasive answers. He later sees two men carrying a large bag that appears to be dripping blood, then he finds a fresh, unmarked grave in the churchyard. The grave turns out to only contain a burned doll, but Malus finds Rowan's sweater in the churchyard.
At the village school, teacher Sister Rose (Molly Parker
) tries to prevent Malus from seeing the class register. When he sees that Rowan's name has been crossed out he becomes enraged at the teacher's and Rowan's classmates' lies. Rose demands Malus to talk outside and after a short discussion of the island people's view of death and, Rose explains that Rowan is "not missing". Malus askes how Rowan died and Rose tells him first that "she'll burn to death". When Malus catches the tense she uses, the "she'll", Rose corrects herself quickly and rushes herself back to her class.
On the day of the ritual, Malus frantically searches the village for Rowan. He attacks Sister Beech (Diane Delano
), who has a bear costume for the ritual. Malus steals her costume and joins the parade led by Sister Summersisle.
The parade ends at the site of the festival. Rowan is tied to a large tree, about to be burned. Malus rescues Rowan and they run away through the woods, but Rowan leads him back to Sister Summersisle. Sister Summersisle thanks Rowan for her help, and Malus realizes that the search for Rowan was a trap. The villagers attack Malus and overpower him (in the "alternate ending" version, the scene is extended, showing the villagers as they break his legs and place a mask of bees on his head). The women carry him to a giant wicker man
and shut him inside. Rowan sets fire to the wicker man and Malus is sacrificed. The crowd chants "The drone must die!", believing that Malus's sacrifice will restore their honey production.
The last scene is shown with Willow and Sister Honey (Leelee Sobieski
) going into a bar and talking with two male police officers (James Franco
and Jason Ritter
). The women invite them to go home with them, presumably in hopes of luring them just as Malus was. Screaming from Edward Malus can be heard as the film fades into dark (both scenes are absent from the DVD release).
, had expressed skepticism over the Hollywood remake, and had his lawyers make Warner Bros.
remove his name from the remake's promotional material. According to Hardy, he was given writing credit for the screenplay, when he had not received any for the original.
Christopher Lee
, who played Lord Summerisle in the original film, said about the remake: "What do I think of it being played by a woman, when it was played by a man in 1972, as part of a Scottish pagan community, and now it's played by a woman with the same name? What do I think of it? Nothing. There's nothing to say."
Upon release, the film received mainly negative reviews from film critics; the film holds a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. On At the Movies, the film received two thumbs down from Richard Roeper
and Aisha Tyler
.
The film garnered five Razzie Award nominations, for Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Cage), Worst Screenplay, Worst Remake, and Worst On-Screen Couple (Cage and his bearsuit).
However, a few film critics, such as Owen Gleiberman
of Entertainment Weekly
, saw the film in a more positive light, with Gleiberman saying that director Neil LaBute brought some "innovation" over the original film. Robin Shelley is of the opinion that this is one of the best movies of 2006.
Cage himself acknowledged that the movie was "absurd." He remarked in 2010: "There is a mischievous mind at work on The Wicker Man, you know? You know what I mean? And I finally kind of said, 'I might have known that the movie was meant to be absurd.' But saying that now after the fact is OK, but to say it before the fact is not, because you have to let the movie have its own life."
making it financially unsuccessful as its costs totalled $40,000,000.
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the 1973 British film of the same title. It was written and directed by Neil LaBute
Neil LaBute
Neil N. LaBute is an American film director, screenwriter and playwright.-Early life:LaBute was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Marian, a hospital receptionist, and Richard LaBute, a long-haul truck driver. LaBute is of French Canadian, English and Irish ancestry, and was raised in Spokane,...
, based on a screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, and stars Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
and Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn is a leading American actress of film, stage, and television. Burstyn's career began in theatre during the late 1950s, and over the next ten years she appeared in several films and television series before joining the Actors Studio in 1967...
.
The film was poorly received by critics, and Robin Hardy
Robin Hardy (film director)
Robin Hardy is an English author and film director. His most famous directorial work was The Wicker Man, and his latest project is a film adaptation of his book Cowboys for Christ, which has been retitled as, The Wicker Tree...
, co-creator and director of the original British film, disassociated himself from it.
Plot
Edward Malus (Nicolas CageNicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
), an American policeman, receives news from his ex-fiancée, Willow Woodward (Kate Beahan
Kate Beahan
Kate Beahan is an Australian film actress.Beahan was born in Perth. she appeared mostly in movies and TV series in Australia ....
), that her daughter, Rowan (Erika Shaye Gair), is missing. He gets a pilot (Matthew Walker
Matthew Walker (Canadian actor)
Matthew Walker is a film and television actor. He appeared in many Canadian television productions in the 1990s and 2000s. He played Father Mac in 22 episodes of the television series Hope Island, and Max Asher in 11 episodes of MythQuest...
) to take him to the island off the coast of Washington, U.S. where a group of neo-pagans live. The island is led by Sister Summersisle (Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn is a leading American actress of film, stage, and television. Burstyn's career began in theatre during the late 1950s, and over the next ten years she appeared in several films and television series before joining the Actors Studio in 1967...
), an elderly woman who is treated like a goddess. The economy of the island relies on the production of local honey, which Malus learns has been down recently.
Malus asks the villagers about Rowan, but they give him evasive answers. He later sees two men carrying a large bag that appears to be dripping blood, then he finds a fresh, unmarked grave in the churchyard. The grave turns out to only contain a burned doll, but Malus finds Rowan's sweater in the churchyard.
At the village school, teacher Sister Rose (Molly Parker
Molly Parker
Molly Parker is a Canadian actress, notable for her roles in Canadian and American independent films and the HBO television series Deadwood.Parker won a Genie Award in 1997 as Best Actress in a Leading Role for Kissed...
) tries to prevent Malus from seeing the class register. When he sees that Rowan's name has been crossed out he becomes enraged at the teacher's and Rowan's classmates' lies. Rose demands Malus to talk outside and after a short discussion of the island people's view of death and, Rose explains that Rowan is "not missing". Malus askes how Rowan died and Rose tells him first that "she'll burn to death". When Malus catches the tense she uses, the "she'll", Rose corrects herself quickly and rushes herself back to her class.
On the day of the ritual, Malus frantically searches the village for Rowan. He attacks Sister Beech (Diane Delano
Diane Delano
Diane A. Delano is an American character actress, sometimes credited as Diana Delano. Her best known roles might be "Bobbi Glass" as well as her twin sister nurse "Jessi Glass "on the 1999 series Popular and the recurring character "Barbara Semanski" on Northern Exposure...
), who has a bear costume for the ritual. Malus steals her costume and joins the parade led by Sister Summersisle.
The parade ends at the site of the festival. Rowan is tied to a large tree, about to be burned. Malus rescues Rowan and they run away through the woods, but Rowan leads him back to Sister Summersisle. Sister Summersisle thanks Rowan for her help, and Malus realizes that the search for Rowan was a trap. The villagers attack Malus and overpower him (in the "alternate ending" version, the scene is extended, showing the villagers as they break his legs and place a mask of bees on his head). The women carry him to a giant wicker man
Wicker Man
A wicker man was a large wicker statue of a human used by the ancient Druids for human sacrifice by burning it in effigy, according to Julius Caesar in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico...
and shut him inside. Rowan sets fire to the wicker man and Malus is sacrificed. The crowd chants "The drone must die!", believing that Malus's sacrifice will restore their honey production.
The last scene is shown with Willow and Sister Honey (Leelee Sobieski
Leelee Sobieski
Liliane Rudabet Gloria Elsveta Sobieski , known professionally as Leelee Sobieski, is an American actress. Sobieski achieved recognition in her mid-teens for her performance in the 1998 film Deep Impact...
) going into a bar and talking with two male police officers (James Franco
James Franco
James Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
and Jason Ritter
Jason Ritter
Jason Morgan Ritter is an American actor, son of the late actor John Ritter and actress Nancy Morgan. Ritter is probably best known for his role as Kevin Girardi in the television series Joan of Arcadia and as Sean Walker in the NBC series The Event.-Early life:Ritter was born in Los Angeles,...
). The women invite them to go home with them, presumably in hopes of luring them just as Malus was. Screaming from Edward Malus can be heard as the film fades into dark (both scenes are absent from the DVD release).
Cast
- Nicolas CageNicolas CageNicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
as Edward Malus - Ellen BurstynEllen BurstynEllen Burstyn is a leading American actress of film, stage, and television. Burstyn's career began in theatre during the late 1950s, and over the next ten years she appeared in several films and television series before joining the Actors Studio in 1967...
as Sister Summersisle - Kate BeahanKate BeahanKate Beahan is an Australian film actress.Beahan was born in Perth. she appeared mostly in movies and TV series in Australia ....
as Sister Willow - Leelee SobieskiLeelee SobieskiLiliane Rudabet Gloria Elsveta Sobieski , known professionally as Leelee Sobieski, is an American actress. Sobieski achieved recognition in her mid-teens for her performance in the 1998 film Deep Impact...
as Sister Honey - Frances ConroyFrances ConroyFrances Conroy is an American actress. She is best known for playing Ruth, the matriarch of the Fisher family, on Six Feet Under, which earned her a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award.-Early life:...
as Dr. Moss - Molly ParkerMolly ParkerMolly Parker is a Canadian actress, notable for her roles in Canadian and American independent films and the HBO television series Deadwood.Parker won a Genie Award in 1997 as Best Actress in a Leading Role for Kissed...
as Sister Rose / Sister Thorn - Diane DelanoDiane DelanoDiane A. Delano is an American character actress, sometimes credited as Diana Delano. Her best known roles might be "Bobbi Glass" as well as her twin sister nurse "Jessi Glass "on the 1999 series Popular and the recurring character "Barbara Semanski" on Northern Exposure...
as Sister Beech - Erika Shaye Gair as Rowan
- Aaron EckhartAaron EckhartAaron Edward Eckhart is an American film and stage actor. Born in California, he moved to England at the age of 13, when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Sydney, Australia, for his high school senior year...
as Truck Stop Patron - George MurphyGeorge Murphy (actor)George A Murphy is a British actor who has appeared in theatre, TV and films in the UK, Canada and America. He is best known for his role as the presenter of the 1950s training films in the children's TV series, M.I. High. M.I.High is aired on BBC1, BBC1 HD and on CBBC...
as The Head Villager - James FrancoJames FrancoJames Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
and Jason RitterJason RitterJason Morgan Ritter is an American actor, son of the late actor John Ritter and actress Nancy Morgan. Ritter is probably best known for his role as Kevin Girardi in the television series Joan of Arcadia and as Sean Walker in the NBC series The Event.-Early life:Ritter was born in Los Angeles,...
as Bar Guys
Reception and criticism
The original film's director, Robin HardyRobin Hardy (film director)
Robin Hardy is an English author and film director. His most famous directorial work was The Wicker Man, and his latest project is a film adaptation of his book Cowboys for Christ, which has been retitled as, The Wicker Tree...
, had expressed skepticism over the Hollywood remake, and had his lawyers make Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
remove his name from the remake's promotional material. According to Hardy, he was given writing credit for the screenplay, when he had not received any for the original.
Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
, who played Lord Summerisle in the original film, said about the remake: "What do I think of it being played by a woman, when it was played by a man in 1972, as part of a Scottish pagan community, and now it's played by a woman with the same name? What do I think of it? Nothing. There's nothing to say."
Upon release, the film received mainly negative reviews from film critics; the film holds a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. On At the Movies, the film received two thumbs down from Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper is an American columnist and film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and now a co-host on The Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM...
and Aisha Tyler
Aisha Tyler
Aisha N. Tyler is an American actress, stand-up comedian, and author, known for her regular role as Andrea Marino in the first season of Ghost Whisperer and voicing Lana Kane in Archer, as well as her recurring roles in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Talk Soup, and on Friends as Charlie...
.
The film garnered five Razzie Award nominations, for Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Cage), Worst Screenplay, Worst Remake, and Worst On-Screen Couple (Cage and his bearsuit).
However, a few film critics, such as Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman is an American film critic for Entertainment Weekly, a position he has held since the magazine's launch in 1990. From 1981–89, he worked at the Boston Phoenix....
of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, saw the film in a more positive light, with Gleiberman saying that director Neil LaBute brought some "innovation" over the original film. Robin Shelley is of the opinion that this is one of the best movies of 2006.
Cage himself acknowledged that the movie was "absurd." He remarked in 2010: "There is a mischievous mind at work on The Wicker Man, you know? You know what I mean? And I finally kind of said, 'I might have known that the movie was meant to be absurd.' But saying that now after the fact is OK, but to say it before the fact is not, because you have to let the movie have its own life."
Box office
As of November 16, 2006, the worldwide box office receipts totalled $32,259,395 with $23,649,127 of the receipts earned in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
making it financially unsuccessful as its costs totalled $40,000,000.