Tuesday, July 7, 2009

The Wicker Man

One of my all time favorite films, one of my all time favorite soundtracks. The Wicker Man pits paganism against piety, old timey religion against even old timier religion. When a stodgy protestant detective touches down on a tiny Scottish island inhabited by a community still immersed in heathen tradition, ideologies clash and ultimately faith is tested. Amazing performances from both Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee, and a smoking hot Britt Ekland. The soundtrack contains eerie folk, ribald sing-a-longs, and plenty of witchy pagan vibes that evoke the mists of Summerisle and it's strange inhabitants. Come, it is time to keep your appointment with the Wicker Man.


23 comments:

Graeme said...

Any information on the people who performed this? I know they went by the un-Googleable name Magnet, but I could never find out anything about them, whether they recorded anything else, whether or not they were a real band or something assembled for the soundtrack or what.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this one. A great film and a great soundtrack. So highly influential on the "neo"-Folk/Apocalyptic Folk scene, I think I must have at least 5 versions of the "Gently Johhny" song by various people. But alas what of the remake?! I suppose as little as can be said about that travesty the better.

MW

UncausedCause said...

An amazing film with a fantastic soundtrack. Talking of films with Christopher Lee in (well there are very many...) have you seen the Hammer film Dracula AD 1972? That soundtrack needs to be released immediately (unless it has already...), a total jam.

UncausedCause said...

Graeme - I believe it's Paul Giovanni

Aesop said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wicker_Man_soundtrack

Aesop said...

Sexy's comment wins.

Asa said...

OH GOD NO, NOT THE BEES

AAAGHGHHHH

THEY'RE IN MY EYES AHGHHHHGH

THRIPS said...

Yeah! best ending to a movie ever! I never saw the remake but i hear they ruined it.

Shelby Cobras said...

Dang. This one was on my "post soon" list. This is a great soundtrack that's been haunting my thoughts for years. AWESOME.

Kevin Gan Yuen said...

YESSS! thank you.

ifdead said...

Corn riggs and barley riggs!

Anonymous said...

It's shameful of me but I haven't seen this movie... yet.
Cheers!

Anicon said...

That montage of the first three songs is my favorite, one of my all time favorite films. It's always surprising to me that this movie isn't as well known as The Omen or Rosemary's Baby.

BradethQ said...

Deadly! Now I gotta go dust off the movie. Thanks.

Jon said...

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

. said...

Very fitting that I've only heard about this movie because of Agalloch's "The White". Made me really want to see the movie, but I've yet to do it unfortunately. The little bits of the soundtrack I've heard sounded great too.

Todd said...

I've definitely lifted a few vocal melodies from this soundtrack, and one of my favorite movies. What a combination.

Coreopsis said...

Dracula 1972 AD is f**kin' great. So is this. Thanks again, Aesop.

mantoe said...

YES! What a buddy! This movie is really great and the soundtrack is top notch, in my humble opinion.

meltedrubbersoul said...

This movie was so badass it killed my friend's TV. It wouldn't eject the tape afterward, and then the TV itself stopped working--it was one of those little tvs with a built in tape deck.

The only thing that would have been cooler is if it burst into flames right as they torched the Man (in both senses of the word) at the end.

Thanks for the soundtrack--I look forward to frying my harddrive.

D.M. said...

One of my all-time favorites, not to mention the soundtrack is the perfect score to all of my autumnal perversions.

nice one!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much, this is one of my favorite records and my hard-drives all recently shit the bed.
I hear that lable Finders Keepers (who released the essential Valerie and her Week of Wonders ost) have put out a comp of Wicker Man influences. All old English folk that shaped the sounds in the film.
Thanks again,
Corey J Brewer

AstralReality said...

Amazing. One of my favourite movies of all times and the soundtrack's just as grand.