Introducing The Wicker Man 50th Anniversary 4K restoration release complete with steenbok and lots more goodies around this iconic horror classic.
To celebrate the 50thanniversary of the folk-horrorclassic, STUDIOCANAL is delighted to launch a new poster and trailer to accompany the release of the first-ever 4K restoration of The Wicker Man: The Final Cut.
The poster was created by artist Richey Beckett. In the 50 years since its original release, The Wicker Man has achieved true cult status as one of the most revered horror films in cinema history, despite a difficult production and heavily cut original theatrical release.
The search for the fabled missing scenes has only added to the myth surrounding a film that still inspires filmmakers to this day.
Directed by Robin Hardyandhasa cast featuring Edward Woodward,Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland and Diane Cilento. The film tells the chilling story of a puritan Police Sergeant who arrives ona remote Scottish Island in search of a missing girl only to find the Pagan locals claiming she never existed.
The Wicker Man also much celebrated for its soundtrack, composed by Paul Giovanni and overseen by Gary Carpenter, featuring haunting reworkings of traditional British folk songs.
To celebrate the film’s iconic soundtrack, acclaimed record label Heavenly Recordings have produced an exclusive 7 track EP featuring new versions of some of the film’s most memorable music, performed by Katy J Pearson and friends, including Broadside Hacks and H.Hawkline with remixes by Richard Norris and Stone Club.
Katy J Pearson said:
Strangely, I heard The Wicker Man soundtrack way before I watched the movie. I remember my dad playing me Willow’s Song and I found it hypnotic and it started being a song I listened to a lot. The version I did for the record was a kind of psychedelic/ kraut rock version so having the opportunity to work with my friends Broadside Hacks on a traditional cover which they put together so beautifully has been really brilliant. I’m such a fan so it’s an honour to be involved in the 50th anniversary of The Wicker Man.
PRE ORDER HERE
STUDIOCANAL have restored all 3 cuts of THE WICKER MAN in honour of the 50th anniversary. All three versions of the film; The Final Cut, the Director’s Cut and the Theatrical Cut, will be released in an exclusive Collector’s Edition and on 4k UHD for the first time on September 4th.
The 5-disc Collector’s Edition will also include an exclusive EP from Heavenly records, a 64-page booklet with brand new essays, 3 ‘Postcards from Summerisle’ and 2 posters of the new and original artwork.
The film will also be released as a Steelbook and on Digital.
THE 4K RESTORATION
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.
This project was brought to you by STUDIOCANAL and supervised by Jahanzeb Hayat.
Along the same lines you can check out a book written by John Walsh in conjunction with StudioCanal which gives you the official story of The Wicker Man in a solid hardcover deep dive into one of the worlds most infamous horror movies. CLICK HERE to pre-order yours today!
