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Inside the Wicker Man: How Not to Make a Cult Classic
Author(s): Allan Brown (Author)
- Publisher: Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited
- Publication Date: 1 May 2010
- Language: English
- Print length: 272 pages
- ISBN-10: 1846971446
- ISBN-13: 9781846971440
Book Description
‘Inside The Wicker Man’ is a treat for all cinemagoers, exhaustively researched and achieving a near-perfect balance between history, trivia and serious analysis. Allan Brown describes the filming and distribution of the cult masterpiece as a ‘textbook example of How Things Should Never Be Done’. The omens were bad from the start, and proceeded to get much, much worse, with fake blossom on trees to simulate spring, actors chomping on ice-cubes to prevent their breath showing on film, and verbal and physical confrontations involving both cast and crew. The studio hated it and hardly bothered to distribute it, but today it finds favour with critics and fans alike, as a serious – if flawed – piece of cinema. Brown expertly guides readers through the film’s convoluted history, attempting along the way to explain its enduring fascination, and providing interviews with the key figures – many of whom still have an axe to grind, and some of whom still harbour plans for a sequel.
Editorial Reviews
Review
‘A book about The Wicker Man? I would think you’d need an encyclopaedia’ –Christopher Lee
‘A stunning examination of one of my favourite films by one of my favourite journalists’ –A A Gill
About the Author
Allan Brown is a writer and critic with the Scottish edition of The Sunday Times. He lives in Glasgow.
