The Wicker Man [SOUNDTRACK]

Michael Cole (Performer), Paul Giovanni (Composer), Gary Carpenter (Conductor, Performer), Thomas the Rhymer (Performer), Wicker Man Ensemble (Performer), Andrew Tompkins (Performer), Paul Giovanni (Performer), Peter Brewis (Performer), Ian Cutler (Performer), Christopher Lee (Performer), Diane Cilento (Performer), Lesley Mackie (Performer), Rachel Verney (Performer), Sally Presant (Performer), Walter Kerr (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Michael Cole, Gary Carpenter, Thomas the Rhymer, Wicker Man Ensemble, Andrew Tompkins, et al.
• Conductor: Gary Carpenter
• Composer: Paul Giovanni
• Audio CD (September 24, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Silva America
• ASIN: B00006GOF7
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,260 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Extraordinarily literate and thoroughly compelling, The Wicker Man has often been called the Citizen Kane of horror movies. Writer Anthony Shaffer and director Robin Hardy built their contemporary (1973) English murder mystery/thriller upon gothic Druid underpinnings and wisely gave songwriter-composer Paul Giovanni (whose first and only film score this is) the freedom to create music of a piece. The score remains one of the most unusual in the entire genre: a collection of original, well-researched folk songs and instrumental underscore that evoke a rare, eerily discomfiting sense of displaced time and place--'70s folk-pop informed by ancient forces of nature and superstition. Long a holy grail among soundtrack aficionados, this lavishly packaged and annotated release has been prepared from recently discovered master tapes with a clarity and presence that gives the late Giovanni's haunting music the gratifying showcase it's so long deserved. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "labor of love serves up this unedited thriller score", October 6, 2002

By	J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The year was 1974, director Robin Hardy, screenwriter Anthony Shaffer and their co-star producer non-other than Christopher Lee came up with an unusual suspense thriller with twists and turns, still as fresh today as it was then. Take for instance the cast each an individual in his or her own right ~ Edward Woodward (Sgt. Neil Howie), Britt Ekland (Willow), Diane Cilento (Miss Rose), Ingrid Pitt (Librarian) and Christopher Lee (as Lord Summerisle). Lee gives one of his best performances as sacrifice and supernatural events are surfacing.

Time and patience to bring the complete soundtrack composer Paul Giovanni intended but never made it to the presses has finally arrived. Thanks to Silva we have the ultimate and complete score and songs from Summerisle ballads of seduction, fertility and ritual slaughter ~ followed by the incidental music from the film conclusive on 16 tracks. All nicely wrapped into one unforgettable package, gotta love it!

The album itself is a highlight...each track paints a picture of psychological intrigue as clues are absorbed within each spilling over with music. A must have for all "film-score-buffs", even if you've never seen the film. This CD stands on it's own two "wicker-feet"...collection of music for missing persons is brought on by the composers unusual and unsettling themes "FIRE LEAP" and "WILLOW", as an island populated by missing girl's is surrounded by pagan rituals. One can only hope this will open the doors of more to come within the vaults of Silva. You must admit, this is a film collectors cup of tea!

Total Time: 39:42 on 16 Tracks ~ Silva SSD-1141 ~ (2002)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful music, I'm glad I found it!, July 31, 2004

By	BarleySinger (Australia) - See all my reviews

I first watched the Wicker Man many years ago, and loved the film. I believe the film credits lists the group "Lodestone" as having performed some of the music. The film itself has a few flaws, most especially that killing the police man would not actually have worked as a "sacrifice" for fertile fields (by old ideas) because the towns folk lost nothing by his death. But if it was not for the murder of the police man the film would not have been a horror movie at all. Regardless the music is wonderful.

It should be noted that according to official sources, when Robin Hardy was doing research into pagan rites he found the English folk song collection of a Victorian called Sharpe. They were in the right flavor for the movie but the old english words were a problems so Peter Shaffer stepped in and re-wrote the lyrics before giving them to Paul Giovanni. So, the lyrics were not (at least not all) by Paul Giovanni or even original to the movie. They were mostly taken from traditional sources.

One of these songs comes to us from the poetry of Robert Burns (Corn Rigs). Corn Rigs is obviously taken from "Robert Burns - 29. Song - The Rigs o' Barley - From Poems and Songs. The Harvard Classics. 1909".

- quotation from Burns -

Corn rigs, an' barley rigs,
An' corn rigs are bonie:
I'll ne'er forget that happy night,
Amang the rigs wi' Annie.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Movie and music are inseparable, August 2, 2006

By	G. Pruszkowski "bookworm_gp" (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I recently bought the dvd and was blown away - couldn't stop thinking about it. The music haunted me, especially the opening music, I wish it was longer. Movie and music are inseparable. When I play the CD I can picture every scene in the film.