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A Crime in Holland

Georges Simenon and Sian Reynolds

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A new translation of Georges Simenon's novel set in a tranquil town on the dutch coast, book seven...

Lucidity

David Carnoy

7.7 (3 Ratings) Rate It

Book

After his “gripping thriller debut” (Kirkus) Knife Music and sophomore “page turner”...

Summerland

Elin Hilderbrand

6.0 (2 Ratings) Rate It

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'A great beach read' - Every Little Thing She Does Book Blog On the night of high school...

Awix (3310 KP) rated The Wicker Man (1973) in Movies

Feb 18, 2018 (Updated Feb 18, 2018)

The Wicker Man (1973)

1973 | Horror, Mystery

7.5

(29 Ratings)

Movie Rating

British folk-horror film is part of the mini-boom in 'British civil servant travels by seaplane to sun-obsessed Christopher Lee's remote island in search of missing girl, discovers Britt Ekland waiting for him' movies that happened in 1973-4. Devout Christian copper (Woodward) visits Summerisle (off the Scottish coast) after receiving a tip-off about a vanishing schoolgirl, is appalled by what he sees as the immorality of the islanders. The lord of the place (Lee) assures him that there's nothing to be worried about, they just have different ethical standards (they're all Pagans), but Woodward is not convinced. Is something nasty lined up for May Day?

Books have been written about the tortuous distribution endured by The Wicker Man and its producers; rumours persist that the original much longer version is buried under a motorway somewhere in England. But all the available cuts are excellent, if not superb: the film is not particularly scary per se, more a queasy examination of how society, morality and religion intersect with one another; manages to make moral relativism seem more disturbing than devil-worship, somehow. Has one of the greatest non-endings in cinema history. Great performances, banging tunes, thoughtful and playful script; a film for all seasons, but goes especially well with a barbecue.