50 years after its release and filmmakers, including Ari Aster, Mark Jenkin, Ben Wheatley, and Robert Eggers, continue to draw direct inspiration from Robin Hardy’s folk horror freak-out The Wicker Man. To celebrate its half-a-century milestone, the film has been given a 4K restoration and will hit theaters in the U.S. beginning on July 7. Ahead of the release, a new trailer has now arrived for the film starring Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, and Britt Ekland.
This restoration was scanned in 4K by Silver Salt Restoration UK, from the original 35mm negative. A second-generation 35mm intermediate positive produced in 1973 was used to replace a small section with unrepairable damage in the original negative. The additional footage is sourced from 35mm prints, which are the only known sources for this material. Colour grading and restoration were completed by Silver Salt Restoration UK who dedicated over 500 hours to fix physical damage to the 35mm negative, manually clean and remove dirt, sparkle and scratches. The colour grade used was previously approved by Robin Hardy and replicated here.
Here’s the synopsis: “After receiving an anonymous letter about a missing 12-year-old girl, devout Christian and dedicated cop Neil Howie (Woodward) travels by seaplane to a remote Scottish island to investigate. But the islanders welcome neither his badge nor religious devotion, for laird of the isle Lord Summerisle (Lee) and his devoted followers worship only the pagan gods of old — and those gods demand a sacrifice. Howie fears for the missing girl’s life and follows every possible lead to find her — despite the islanders’ interfering machinations — before she becomes a human sacrificial lamb.”
See the trailer and poster below. And if you’re in the U.K, all three cuts of the film will be arriving in an epic 5-disc box set this fall––one which will hopefully get a U.S. release soon.
The Wicker Man 4K restoration opens at IFC Center on July 7 and will expand.