When I discovered the 1973 original version of this film late last year, I already heard that also this film was up for a remake. I like the original, am no fond of remakes, heard some bad things about this remake, so I just went to see it out of curiosity. There is no use in telling where the remake differs from the original, it is almost an entirely different film. The note: “based on the screenplay by Anthony Schaffer” should be completed with the words “very loosely”. Where are the songs, why did Lord Summersisle become a woman, where is the Christianising character of Howie, what about the bees, what about the the Wicca and occult symbols that have nothing to do with paganism, what about this epilogue / cliffhanger for a sequel? etc., etc. In short: the story has been changed quite a bit. The new Wicker Man became just an average thriller, whereas the first had a nice atmosphere. Surprisingly enough, the climax did become even more fierce in the remake. All in all not convincing when you know the original and from the reactions from the cinema I understood that the rest of the audience wasn’t entirely convinced either.
4/9/06 -2-
Read the review of the original here.