The Wicker Man - Portions Cut from the Short Version

PORTIONS CUT FROM THE SHORT VERSION

This section describes scenes that are present in the Long Version of the film (called "Extended Version" or "Director's Cut" on the DVDs and Blu-Rays) but absent from the Short Version ("Theatrical Version" on the DVDs and Blu-Rays).

Note that all grabs here are from a 4:3 "open matte" copy the movie and show the full extent of the picture captured by the original camera. The DVD and Blu-Ray versions are presented in 16:9, similar to the 5:3 which would have been seen at the cinema.

The Long Version opens with a dusk sequence involving Howie (Edward Woodward) and his deputy McTaggart (John Hallam):

(Howie's plane lands on the water. We cut to him climbing some stairs up to the dock where McTaggart is waiting to meet him.)

McTAGGART: Good evening, Sergeant.

HOWIE: 'Evening. Get your hair cut McTaggart.

(The two walk to their car and come across the words "Jesus Saves" in graffiti on a wall.)

McTAGGART: Ah now there's a message, Sergeant – a message for us all!

HOWIE: However, there is a time and place for everything. Get it removed.

(They get into the car. Mix to them driving along.)

HOWIE: Any serious problems while I've been away?

McTAGGART (grinning): No, Sergeant, nothing serious. Just the usual – rape, sodomy, sacrilege - you know.

(Howie gives him a strange look.)

The Long Version follows the car sequence, above, with a scene showing Howie and his fiancée (Alison Hughes) in church. They exchange smiles as they sing and then we see Howie reading from the Bible interspersed with shots of him receiving the Holy Communion. The minister is played by director Robin Hardy in a cameo role. In the Short Version of the film, portions of these sequences are used as flashbacks when Howie is in his room at the inn. The church sequence may have been longer originally, too – please see my Mystery Sequences page.

HOWIE (reading): I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you. And that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said: "Take, eat: this is my body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me." And after the same manner, he also took the cup, when he had eaten, saying: "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do you as oft as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this wine, you do show the Lord's death till he comes again."

The Long Version then continues with a scene describing the letter's arrival by the postman (Tony Roper). (The final line here sounds like it was shot outdoors and then later dubbed over the indoors footage. This line was probably originally part of the "two fishermen watch Howie depart" scene described in my Portions Filmed But Never Used page.)

(The postman rides along on his bike somewhat rudely scrutinising the letters he is about to deliver. One envelope is postmarked "Summerisle Apples" and is addressed to "Sgt. Neil Howie, West Highland Police, Ullwater". We cut to McTaggart and the postman talking inside the police station.)

POSTMAN: It's for his nibs – postmarked Summerisle. Got a bit of skirt over there, has he?

McTAGGART: What him? The only woman he's interested in is the Virgin Mary.

POSTMAN: Oh? I thought he was going steady with Mary Bannock?

McTAGGART: Steady's the word. In two years he hasn't so much as tickled her fancy. (Affected voice) He's keeping himself pure for the wedding day!

(They laugh. Outside, Howie is just arriving for work.)

POSTMAN: Ah poor old Mary! I don't know what she sees in him. Hey, when those two are married she'll spend more time on her knees in church than on her back in bed!

(More raucous laughter. Howie enters the room. The laughter quickly subsides.)

POSTMAN: Er... 'Morning all.

(The postman makes a hasty exit.)

HOWIE: 'Morning Hugh.

McTAGGART: Good morning, Sergeant.

(Howie starts putting his coat away in a locker.)

McTAGGART: Erm, there's an anonymous letter for you, Sergeant.

HOWIE: Read it.

McTAGGART (reading): "Dear Sergeant Howie. None of us have seen May Morrison's daughter Rowan since last year. She's only 12 and has been missing from her home for many months. She couldn't have left the island by herself – she's too young – and her mother won't say anything about it, just to mind my own business. Well I reckon it's all our business when a kid disappears – that's why I'm writing you this letter. Child lover, Summerisle. P.S. I enclose a picture of Rowan Morrison."

(We see the photograph of Rowan.)

McTAGGART: Will you go, Sergeant?

HOWIE: Aye, aye, of course. Have you ever been there?

McTAGGART: Er, no. I've tasted the famous apples, of course. But, er, it's odd, isn't it – I mean, all that fruit?

HOWIE: Aye. Well the whole place apparently is odd. To start with, they have no licensing laws – singing and dancing on a Sunday. Oh, aye, doubtless that would appeal to a heathen bloke like yourself, McTaggart. However, this is still in theory a law-abiding Christian country, however unfashionable that may seem.

(Howie picks up his life jacket and headphones.)

HOWIE: Well, I'll call there on this patrol. Will you call in at Mary's house? Tell her I'll be away overnight.

We then see Howie's plane taking off as per the start of the Short Version. (As filmed, there was probably other material sandwiched in between – please see my Portions Filmed But Never Used page.)

The titles in the Long Version have some differences. John Sharp and John Hallam are credited (see below still). The music (which is the same in all versions) is credited to "Lodestone" rather than "Magnet"* (apparently, the name "Lodestone" was found to be in use by another outfit), with an additional credit for Gently Johnny* (a song which isn't in the Short Version). The background images are also slightly differently edited, with both the Long and the Short Versions having unique shots.

* On all StudioCanal-sourced copies (i.e. all DVD/BD and download copies) for some reason, the Long Version does not reflect these differences and uses the Short Version equivalent (i.e. "Magnet", and no credit for Gently Johnny) instead. You'll need an old VHS copy to see the "Lodestone"/Gently Johnniy credit. (The Sharp/Hallam credit is correct on the StudioCanal copies, though).

(Note that the credits at the end of the film, however, remain the same across all versions, and include characters not seen in any finished version of the movie.)

During the first scene in the pub, the ribald song (The Landlord's Daughter) the locals sing has an extra verse (indicated below in red), during which the innkeeper, Alder MacGregor (Lindsay Kemp), plays along with spoons on his optics! Out of interest, another unused verse of the original song – almost certainly never filmed – is shown in blue.

HARBOUR MASTER: Much has been said of the strumpets of yore,
Of wenches and bawdy house queens by the score,
But I sing of a baggage that we all adore,
ALL: The landlord's daughter.

(O, her lips are as rose as her wine is a treat,
Her whisky is good and her figure is neat,
And while she is serving her bitter she's sweet,
The landlord's daughter.)

ALL: You'll never love another,
OAK: Although she's not the kind of girl,
To take home to your mother!

BROOME: Her ale it is lively and strong to the taste,
BAKER: It is brewed with discretion – never with haste,
SCHOOLMASTER: You can have all you like if you swear not to waste,
ALL: The landlord's daughter.

ALL: And when her name is mentioned,
LENNOX: The parts of every gentleman,
Do stand up at attention!

ALL: Now there's Jane of the Blossom and Doll of the Crown,
Pretty Kate of the Garter and Star down in town,
Fat Dolly who keeps the Red Heart of renown,
But I'll take the landlord's daughter.

ALL: O, nothing can delight so,
LENNOX: As does the part that lies between,
FISHMONGER: Her left toe...
LENNOX: ...and her right toe!

Also during the first sequence in the pub, when Howie enquires about the missing harvest photograph, we see a shot of MacGregor looking at the empty place on the wall, casually blowing cigarette smoke at it.

The Long Version of the film includes this major extra sequence for the first night on the island (Willow's dance being the second night as originally intended) which introduces a character, Ash Buchanan (Richard Wren), not seen in the Short Version. Lord Summerisle's (Christopher Lee's) animals speech is based on a poem by Walt Whitman.

(In the inn the locals start to sing a song, Gently Johnny.)

SONG: I put my hand all on her knee,
And she says, "Do you want to see?"
I put my hand all on her breast,
And she says, "Do you want a kiss?"

(Up in his room, Howie is writing in his diary. Down in the garden of the pub, half obscured in the gloom, stand Lord Summerisle and Ash Buchanan.)

SUMMERISLE: Willow MacGregor...

(Willow, also up in her room, comes to the window.)

SUMMERISLE: Willow MacGregor, I have the honour to present to you Ash Buchanan.

WILLOW: Come up, Ash Buchanan.

(Ash leaves the garden to go up to Willow. Hearing the exchange, Howie looks discreetly out of his window to see what is going on below.)

SUMMERISLE: Another sacrifice for Aphrodite, Willow.

WILLOW: You flatter me, your Lordship – surely you mean to Aphrodite?

SUMMERISLE: I make no such distinction – you are the goddess of love in human form and I am merely your humble acolyte. Enjoy yourself, and him, only make sure your are ready for tomorrow's tomorrow.

WILLOW: The day of death and rebirth!

SUMMERISLE: Yes, and of a somewhat more serious offering than tonight.

(Ash enters the front of the pub and it falls silent. After a pause, the customers then restart their song.)

SONG: I put my hand all on her thigh,
And she says: "Do you want a try?"
I put my hand all on her belly,
And she says, "Do you want to fill me?"
Gently, gently, gently Johnny,
Gently Johnny, my jingalo.
Gently, gently, gently Johnny,
Gently Johnny, my jingalo.

(In the garden, Summerisle bends down to study a leaf on which two snails are mating. He starts to indirectly address Howie – now on his knees saying prayers – through the open window, as giggles begin to emerge from Willow's room.)

SUMMERISLE: I think I could turn and live with animals – they're so placid and self-contained. They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins. They do not make me sick discussing their duty to "God". Not one of them kneels to another, or to his own kind that lived thousands of years ago. Not one of them is respectable... or unhappy... all over the Earth.

SONG: Gently, gently, gently Johnny,
Gently Johnny, my jingalo.
Gently, gently, gently Johnny,
Gently Johnny, my jingalo.

(Howie finishes his prayers and climbs into bed. The moans from Willow's room become more pronounced and Howie tries to shut them out of his head.)

(This scene, as filmed but before editing, probably went on a bit longer – please see my Portions Filmed But Never Used page.)

In the Long Version, an extra scene occurs the morning after the initiation episode. (This scene, as filmed, also probably went on longer; please see my Portions Filmed But Never Used page.)

(Willow is washing down a table outside the pub. Howie walks up.)

WILLOW 'Morning, Sergeant.

HOWIE: 'Morning.

WILLOW: Isn't it glorious?

HOWIE: Aye, aye – it's very nice.

WILLOW: I expect you'll be going home tonight?

HOWIE: Well, that depends. Where's the school please?

WILLOW (pointing): On the far side of the green.

HOWIE: Thank you.

The Long Version has two differences in the scene where Howie visits the ruined church. The initial shot of Howie entering the graveyard is longer, and there is an extra shot of Howie and the rowan tree after his meeting with the gardener (Aubrey Morris).

In the Long Version, Howie briefly has an unconstructive visit with the island's doctor (John Sharp) just before he visits the Public Records Office. (The role of the doctor, incidentally, was originally intended for Patrick Newell of The Avengers fame. Also note that, as filmed, this scene had more of an introduction; please see my Portions Filmed But Never Used page.)

(The Doctor is just about to enter his house.)

HOWIE: Doctor? Tell me – did you sign Rowan Morrison's death certificate?

DOCTOR EWAN: Rowan Morrison? Yes, I did. Why?

HOWIE: Could I see it please?

DOCTOR EWAN: You of all people should know that death certificates are kept in the Public Records Office. Now if you will excuse me...

HOWIE: Doctor, tell me, how did Rowan Morrison die?

DOCTOR EWAN: She was burnt to death... as my lunch will be if I continue here talking to you.

(The Doctor heads into his house and shuts the door firmly.)

The corrupt version of Greensleeves (called The Tinker of Rye) that Summerisle and Miss Rose (Diane Cilento) sing shortly before Howie bursts in with the dead hare has an extra verse in the Long Version, shown below in red. Out of interest, other, unfilmed, portions of the original song are shown in blue.

SUMMERISLE: There was a tinker lived of late,
Who walked the streets of Rye,
He bore his pack upon his back,
Patches and plugs did cry.
O, I have brass within my bag,
My hammer's full of metal,
And as to skill, I well can clout,
And mend a broken kettle.

MISS ROSE: A maiden did this tinker meet,
And to him boldly say,
For sure, my kettle hath much need,
If you will pass my way.
She took the tinker by the hand,
And led him to her door,
Says she, my kettle I will show,
And you can clout it sure.

BOTH: For patching and plugging is his delight,
(SUMMERISLE: His work goes forward, day and night.)

(At this point Howie bursts in with the hare. After he has left, Summerisle resumes the song...)

SUMMERISLE: Fair maid says he, your kettle's cracked,
The cause is plainly told,
There hath so many nails been drove,
Mine own could not take hold.

(MISS ROSE: Says she, it hath endured some knocks,
And more it may I know,
I'm sure a large, large nail will hold,
If it was struck in so.)

(MISS ROSE: For patching and plugging is his delight,
His work goes forward, day and night.)

The end of the scene where Howie investigates the darkroom is different. Howie has an extra line in the Long Version: "Now, what does the Old Religion say about crop failure?" and a thought voice-over: "What if she's not dead?" Also included are two (visual) flashbacks to Howie's meeting with Summerisle; the Short Version has just one of these, and in voice-over only. Additionally, whilst Howie is laying in bed at the start of the next scene (which, in the Long Version, is Willow's dance) he thinks: "What if Rowan's not dead?"

Willow's famous erotic scene, where she dances naked around her bedroom to entice Howie, is different in each of the two versions of the movie. The significant differences are two extra portions of the song (shown below in red) which are only in the Long Version. In the Short Version of the film, the whole (shortened) dance sequence occurs earlier in the film, during Howie's first night on the island. (It should be noted that copies of the Long Version as released on DVD do not precisely reconstruct the exact editing of that version.)

Heigh ho,
Who is there?
No one but me my dear.

Please come,
Say how do,
The things I'll give to you.

A stroke as gentle as a feather,
I'll catch a rainbow from the sky and tie the ends together.

Heigh ho,
I am here,
Am I not young and fair?

Please come,
Say how do,
The things I'll show to you.

Would you have a wondrous sight?
Hmmm the midday sun at midnight.

Fair maid,
White and red,
Comb you smooth and stroke your head.

How a maid can milk a bull,
Hmmm and every stroke a bucketful.

In the scene where Howie goes to the local library to find out more about what happens to victims of pagan sacrifice, he reads rather more in the Long Version of the film. (Most of this whole scene is done as an over-dubbed thought voice, and there is evidence that the words Howie is "reading" were mostly scripted during post-production, and recorded during the ADR (Additional Dialogue Recording) phase. In particular, this scene includes information "transplanted" from a rather clumsy scripted-but-unfilmed sequence involving Miss Rose.)

HOWIE (thought voice): In some cultures it would be the king himself; in others their most beloved virgin, and very often he or she would be kept hidden for months preceding this ceremony, just as the sun is hidden from the Earth in winter. ... Methods of sacrifice differed.

During Howie's intense search of the island, there are two sequences unique to the Long Version. In the first, he is seen in the hairdresser's (Leslie Blackater) where the island's women are being fitted into a bizarre array of animal masks. Next in his search, Howie barges into a house and falls down a long flight of stairs, sending some half-clothed girls scurrying for cover.

(Unlike what we see today, in terms of what was actually filmed, the hairdresser's sequence probably had some dialogue – please see my Portions Filmed But Never Used page.)

In the Long Version, the second scene of Alder MacGregor struggling with his ropes is different. This features a blooper, with a uniformed leg stepping into shot at the end of the sequence (Howie has already left the inn at this point) and is almost certainly the reason it was changed. (There is another blooper just before this one, too. If you look at the second shot after the shot of the old lady in the coffin in the funeral parlour, you will see, at the extreme bottom-right corner of the screen, Mr Punch slipping into the May Day festivities. Presumably, this shot was originally intended for use later in the film, as Howie is still searching the island at this point.)

When Howie and Rowan emerge from the tunnels, the first cutaway shot in the Short Version is a long-shot of Howie and Rowan. In the Long Version, it is a shot of Summerisle, Willow and the Librarian.

In the Long Version, Howie has some more of the Bible to deliver to the assembled islanders, just after Summerisle gives the signal to start the fire. (Note that the DVDs of the Long Version repeat a shot of Summerisle taking his place with the islanders in order to try to smooth over the change in quality of the picture.)

HOWIE (shouting): Howl ye husbandmen because the harvest of your fields is perished. And the vine is dried up and the apple tree languisheth, even all the trees of the field are withered...

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Portions Unique To The Short Or Middle Versions

Portions Filmed But Never Used

The Plot, the Cast and the Crew

Versions Summary (.pdf)