The Wicker Tree
Encyclopedia
The Wicker Tree is a 2011 film by British director Robin Hardy
. The film contains several similar elements to the 1973 film The Wicker Man which was also directed by Hardy, but is neither a sequel nor a remake of that film. It is due for wide release in 2011, having premiered in July at the Fantasia Festival
in Canada.
pop star turned gospel singer, Beth (Brittania Nicol) and her cowboy boyfriend, Steve (Henry Garrett), both devout evangelical Christians from the church Cowboys for Christ, sent on a mission to spread the word of God to the people of Scotland
.
singer and a devout evangelical
Christian
from Texas
, USA. She and her fiance Steve both wear purity rings, and belong to a group known as the "Cowboys for Christ", who travel to "heathen areas" of the world to preach Christianity
. They travel to Glasgow
, Scotland
, hoping to save some souls once there. However, they are shocked when they receive a very negative reception, Beth even being set upon by a large dog.
After performing a concert at a local cathedral, the duo are approached by Sir Lachlan Morrison and his wife Delia, the laird
of the small village of Tressock in the Scottish lowlands. They invite Beth and Steve to come back with them to preach, but
intend them for a more central part in Tressock's May Day celebration.
Meanwhile, detective Orlando is sent to Tressock, posing as the local police officer, in order to secretly investigate reports
of a pagan cult. Orlando discovers that the people of the village worship the ancient Celt goddess
Sulis
.
Beth and Steve decide to begin their preaching at the May Day
celebrations in the village. In an attempt to impress
the locals, they agree to becoming the local Queen of the May and the Laddie for the festival not realising the consequences of their decision and not knowing what awaits them.
. While filming the newest Hammer Production The Resident in New Mexico
he injured his back after tripping over power cables on set. Although extremely disappointed, Hardy cast the actor who was originally playing Beame (the Morrisons' butler), Graham McTavish
in Lee's role, with actor Clive Russell
now filling the part of Beame. Lee will still be in the film, with his role being rumoured to be that of Lord Summerisle from Hardy's earlier film, The Wicker Man.
, Gorebridge
, Midlothian
and Dallas.
The Wicker Tree had its premiere at the Fantasia Festival
in Montreal in July 2011. Anchor Bay will handle U.S. distribution, but no wide theatrical release date has been announced yet.
As of September 2011, the film has not been released widely
.
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...
. The film contains several similar elements to the 1973 film The Wicker Man which was also directed by Hardy, but is neither a sequel nor a remake of that film. It is due for wide release in 2011, having premiered in July at the Fantasia Festival
Fantasia Festival
Fantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996...
in Canada.
Synopsis
Based on Hardy's own 2006 novel Cowboys for Christ, the film focuses on TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
pop star turned gospel singer, Beth (Brittania Nicol) and her cowboy boyfriend, Steve (Henry Garrett), both devout evangelical Christians from the church Cowboys for Christ, sent on a mission to spread the word of God to the people of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Plot
Beth is a successful popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer and a devout evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA. She and her fiance Steve both wear purity rings, and belong to a group known as the "Cowboys for Christ", who travel to "heathen areas" of the world to preach Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. They travel to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, hoping to save some souls once there. However, they are shocked when they receive a very negative reception, Beth even being set upon by a large dog.
After performing a concert at a local cathedral, the duo are approached by Sir Lachlan Morrison and his wife Delia, the laird
of the small village of Tressock in the Scottish lowlands. They invite Beth and Steve to come back with them to preach, but
intend them for a more central part in Tressock's May Day celebration.
Meanwhile, detective Orlando is sent to Tressock, posing as the local police officer, in order to secretly investigate reports
of a pagan cult. Orlando discovers that the people of the village worship the ancient Celt goddess
Celtic polytheism
Celtic polytheism, commonly known as Celtic paganism, refers to the religious beliefs and practices adhered to by the Iron Age peoples of Western Europe now known as the Celts, roughly between 500 BCE and 500 CE, spanning the La Tène period and the Roman era, and in the case of the Insular Celts...
Sulis
Sulis
In localised Celtic polytheism practised in Britain, Sulis was a deity worshipped at the thermal spring of Bath . She was worshipped by the Romano-British as Sulis Minerva, whose votive objects and inscribed lead tablets suggest that she was conceived of both as a nourishing, life-giving mother...
.
Beth and Steve decide to begin their preaching at the May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
celebrations in the village. In an attempt to impress
the locals, they agree to becoming the local Queen of the May and the Laddie for the festival not realising the consequences of their decision and not knowing what awaits them.
Cast
- Graham McTavishGraham McTavishGraham McTavish is a Scottish television and film actor.He has played the character Warden Ackerman in Red Dwarf in five episodes of series 8. McTavish has also had many supporting roles in British dramas and films such as Casualty, Jekyll, The Bill, Taggart and Sisterhood...
– Sir Lachlan Morrison - Jacqueline LeonardJacqueline LeonardJacqueline Leonard is an English television, film and theatre actress.Best known for her appearances in long-running British television shows, she played Lorraine Wicks in the London-based soap opera EastEnders, and also appeared in the Glasgow-based soap River City as gangster's wife Lydia...
– Delia Morrison - Clive RussellClive RussellClive Russell is a British actor.Clive was born in Reeth, England and brought up in Fife, Scotland.He is a familiar face on British television and has appeared in numerous television series including Boys From the Black Stuff ,Hope And Glory, Neverwhere, Great Expectations, The Mists of Avalon,...
– Beame - Henry Garrett – Steve
- Brittania Nicol – Beth
- Honeysuckle WeeksHoneysuckle WeeksHoneysuckle Weeks is a British actress, best known for her starring role as Samantha Stewart in the British TV series Foyle's War, since 2002.-Background:...
– Lolly - Keith WarwickKeith WarwickKeith Warwick is a Scottish actor and musician. He is best known for the role of Trent Clements in the Royal Television Society award-winning series My Parents Are Aliens.-Early career:...
– Donald Dee - James Mapes – Reverend Moriarty
- Christopher LeeChristopher LeeSir 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...
– Old Man - David McGinty – Man in bar
- Keira McMillan – Morag
Casting
Originally Hardy wrote the part of Sir Lachlan Morrison for Christopher LeeChristopher 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...
. While filming the newest Hammer Production The Resident in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
he injured his back after tripping over power cables on set. Although extremely disappointed, Hardy cast the actor who was originally playing Beame (the Morrisons' butler), Graham McTavish
Graham McTavish
Graham McTavish is a Scottish television and film actor.He has played the character Warden Ackerman in Red Dwarf in five episodes of series 8. McTavish has also had many supporting roles in British dramas and films such as Casualty, Jekyll, The Bill, Taggart and Sisterhood...
in Lee's role, with actor Clive Russell
Clive Russell
Clive Russell is a British actor.Clive was born in Reeth, England and brought up in Fife, Scotland.He is a familiar face on British television and has appeared in numerous television series including Boys From the Black Stuff ,Hope And Glory, Neverwhere, Great Expectations, The Mists of Avalon,...
now filling the part of Beame. Lee will still be in the film, with his role being rumoured to be that of Lord Summerisle from Hardy's earlier film, The Wicker Man.
Filming
Filming was due to start in September 2007 but the film was delayed for financial reasons. It was later announced the film would shoot from April 2008 in Dumfries and Galloway. A week before the shoot, Dumfries and Galloway Council announced the filming had been stopped due to financial reasons. Filming eventually started in July 2009 in HaddingtonHaddington, East Lothian
The Royal Burgh of Haddington is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian, which was known officially as Haddingtonshire before 1921. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is Anglo-Saxon, dating from the 6th...
, Gorebridge
Gorebridge
Gorebridge is a former mining village in Midlothian, Scotland. The village gets its name from the bridge across the River Gore, a tributary of the South Esk. It was once the home of Scotland's first gunpowder mill, at the Gore Water, commencing operation in 1794.Gorebridge has an annual gala day....
, Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
and Dallas.
The Wicker Tree had its premiere at the Fantasia Festival
Fantasia Festival
Fantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996...
in Montreal in July 2011. Anchor Bay will handle U.S. distribution, but no wide theatrical release date has been announced yet.
Reception
Initial reviews from the premiere at Fantasia festival were polarized. The Fangoria review was mildly positive with misgivings: "even as a black comedy, Wicker Tree can’t match the impact of its predecessor. Still, for those fans of Wicker Man who can open their minds to viewing, as Monty Python used to put it, something completely different, the new movie can be appreciated as an entertaining variation on its themes." The Starburst magazine review was negative, remarking that "Sometimes cult films really should be left alone", and, "Prepare to have your hopes dashed however as The Wicker Tree is awful."As of September 2011, the film has not been released widely
Wide release
Wide release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing nationally . Specifically, a movie is considered to be in wide release when it is on 600 screens or more in the United States and Canada.In the US, films holding an NC-17 rating almost never have a...
.