The Wicker Man 50th anniversary (Vintage Classics) [Region A & B & C]

Reviews

MR DEAN FLETCHER

The original theatrical version is 88 minutes long and in full 4k lovingly restored with deep HDR blacks and vibrant colours the maypole scene being a good example. All in all a good release and something for every fan of this brilliant British movie.

1 sound option but other than that the mono soundtrack is clean and crisp. Shame it wasn’t also done as a 5. With the original dvd release from 2004 although obviously noticeable it’s not such a drop in quality when compared to this 4k release. Let’s start with the 4k Directors cut disc-This ultimate version reinstating all available material from 3 different sources so includes all original 88 mins of the original + 6 minutes of the Final Cut and then the extra 7 minutes for this version.

The Final Cut is 94 minutes long and the reinstalled cuts are of 35mm as per the original theatrical version but from a different source and as so not of the same quality like comparing 16mm to 35mm film and again you can notice the difference but not enough to spoil the viewing experience otherwise the 4k is impressive. Fortunately most of the directors cut material is at the very beginning which includes the scenes at the police station when they receive the letter about the missing girl so that’s not too bad when viewing the poor quality of the source material which is of a very poor vhs quality but when the odd small insert appears elsewhere in the film it’s so very noticeable and distracting spoiling the natural flow and feel of the movie. I already have the 2004 Directors cut on DVD and the 2013 40th anniversary steelbook blu ray Final Cut versions so was looking forward to see what the 4k restoration treatment would bring. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️