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“StudioCanal contacted me last year in their search for the original materials that have been missing…. I’m very pleased to announce that StudioCanal have been able to find an actual print of The Wicker Man, which is based on my original cut working with Abraxas, the American distributors, all those years ago… They plan, and this is the exciting bit, to actually release it. This version has never been restored before, has never been shown in UK theatres before, has never been converted to Blu-ray before.”


"The Wicker Man: The Final Cut will be released in the U.K. on September 27, 2013 in theaters and on October 14, 2013 on DVD and Blu-ray. A U.S. release is not planned as of yet but I wouldn’t be surprised if we were able to keep our appointment with the Wicker Man soon after the U.K. bow."

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Word is, this new version is based on Hardy's original cut of the film (which was later pared down for its initial run). The theatrical version was originally screened as part of a double bill and runs 88 minutes. Hardy's version ran 102 minutes, so we're looking at quite a bit of new footage.

The negatives were originally stored at Shepperton Studios, but have long since disappeared. Until now. Earlier this year, Studio Canal embarked on a world-wide search for any surviving footage. I'm excited to hear that their efforts have paid off.

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To all The Wicker Man fans, you’ll be very pleased to know the Blu-ray will include the UK theatrical cut, The Directors Cut (with seamless branching into extra scenes) and of course The Final Cut, plus lots more - now there's a reason to celebrate! Keep following The Wicker Man for more details

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Even though sadly, we were unable to locate the original negative – We are very excited to be able to present to you a version of the film that is true to Robins Hardy’s original vision and that isn't marred by inconsistencies, most importantly in respect to the quality of sound and image from scene to scene. This is the first proper HD restoration there has been, and this will allow us to release the longest cut ever before seen in UK cinemas! We’d say that deserves a high five!

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Hello Wicker Man fans, just to let you know that The Final Cut will be available on both DVD and Blu-ray through Amazon, we will let you know when it is ready for pre-order, which will be very soon! We want to give you more information on the release including the extras, which will be announced shortly. Keep following The Wicker Man for more details!

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Rialto Pictures Will Release the FInal Cut of 'The Wicker Man' In the States!

New York-based distributor Rialto Pictures has announced the U.S. release of The Wicker Man – Final Cut, the definitive version of Robin Hardy’s thriller of pagan worshippers on a remote Scottish island. Seen for decades only in mutilated copies, the new Studiocanal restoration is the culmination of a long search (conducted via Facebook) for the complete director’s cut. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the cult classic.

Rialto will roll out the restored version beginning September 27 at IFC Center, New York City, with runs in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington and other cities throughout the fall!

“After receiving an anonymous letter about a missing 12-year-old girl, devoutly Christian cop Edward Woodward travels by seaplane to a remote Scottish island to investigate. But the islanders welcome neither his badge nor religious devotion, for laird of the isle Christopher Lee and his devoted followers worship only the pagan gods of old – and those gods demand a sacrifice. Woodward fears for the missing girl’s life and follows every possible lead to find her – despite the islanders’ interference – before she becomes a human sacrificial lamb.“

Starring Edward Woodward (Breaker Morant, TV’s “The Equalizer”), horror film legend Christopher Lee, stalwart Hammer vampiress Ingrid Pitt, and Swedish blonde bombshell/Bond Girl Britt Ekland (Man With The Golden Gun, After The Fox, Get Carter), Wicker Man is a quintessential 70s thriller, with the search for its integral version one of cinema history’s great detective hunts.

Butchered by its doomed UK distributor to fit on double bills, with its original camera negative apparently lost, The Wicker Man has gathered a devoted fan base over the past four decades, with the complete version their Holy Grail. Some missing scenes were recovered from an obsolete one-inch broadcast tape, but over the years there were rumors of complete 35mm prints floating around.

Earlier this year, the search intensified when worldwide rights holder Studiocanal initiated a Facebook campaign to recover the missing 35mm material, resulting in the discovery of a 92-minute 35mm release print at the Harvard Film Archive. This print was scanned and sent to London, where it was recently inspected by director Robin Hardy, who confirmed that it was the same cut he had put together for its American distributor in 1979. This culminated in a digital restoration of the complete U.S. theatrical version, which director Hardy recently anointed as “the final cut.”

Hardy, now 83, has said of this restored version, “It fulfills my vision.”

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