Happy Birthday, Robin Hardy! Born today in 1929 as Robin St. Clair Rimington Hardy, this English author, actor and film director is best known for making only one film of note.
Hardy studied art in Paris, France. Post-graduation, he worked in the United States, where he made television dramas.
He was also a partner in a film company with English playwright, screenwriter, novelist, barrister and advertising executive Anthony Shaffer for thirteen years.
During his tenure with Schaffer, Hardy directed the film for which he is best known. This was the 1973 British horror/mystery thriller film 'The Wicker Man'. Shaffer also wrote the screenplay.
The film follows Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward), of whom arrives on the small Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate the report of a missing child.
A conservative Christian, the policeman observes the residents' frivolous sexual displays and strange pagan rituals, particularly the temptations of Willow (Britt Ekland), daughter of the island magistrate, Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee).
The more Sergeant Howie learns about the islanders' strange practices, the closer he gets to tracking down the missing child.
However, he fatally discovers that the mystery was just a wild goose chase, and that he had ultimately been summoned to the remote island as a sacrifice for the eponymous towering, flaming effigy. Hardy has an uncredited role, credited as Minister.
On a budget of £500,000 ($621,600), the film only grossed back $58,341 at the box office. Despite this, Variety wrote that Shaffer's screenplay "for sheer imagination and near-terror, has seldom been equalled."
American journalist Janet Maslin of The New York Times was more negative, calling it "handsomely photographed" with "good performances," but "something of a howl" even though "it seems to have been made in all seriousness."
American film critic Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "a witty work of the macabre" with "the splendid performances typical of British films."
British actor, producer, playwright, screenwriter and film critic David McGillivray of The Monthly Film Bulletin praised the film as "an immensely enjoyable piece of hokum, thoroughly well researched, performed and directed."
After directing 'The Wicker Man', Hardy returned to London, where he made television commercials. He later wrote historical novels, and was involved in creating historical theme parks in the United States.
Hardy also authored a horror/speculative fiction novelization of "The Wicker Man" in May 1978. This novelization expanded on the story and bearing the eponymous title, and was written by Hardy and Shaffer.
Initially, 'The Wicker Man' had moderate success. The following year, it won first prize in the 1974 Festival of Fantasy and Science Fiction films in Paris, but largely slipped into obscurity afterwards.
In 1977, Cinefantastique devoted a commemorative issue to 'The Wicker Man', asserting that the film is "the Citizen Kane of horror movies" – an oft-quoted phrase attributed to this issue.
Decades after its release, 'The Wicker Man' still receives positive reviews from critics and is considered one of the best films of 1973.
In late 2000s, Hardy wrote the 2006 ghost story horror fiction novel Cowboys for Christ: On May Day.
Published on May 1, it is a partial sequel of Hardy's previous film The Wicker Man, dealing with many of the same themes and ideas, namely the clash between paganism and Christianity.
Four months later, American playwright, film director, screenwriter, and actor Neil LaBute's 2006 American/Canadian horror/mystery film 'The Wicker Man' was released on September 1. The film starred Nicolas Cage as reclusive lawman Edward Malus.
On a budget of $40 million, 'The Wicker Man' failed to barely earn back its original production revenue by grossing $38.8 million at the box office. It currently resides on the IMDb Bottom 100 list.
Upon release, 'The Wicker Man' received mostly negative reviews from one hundred and seven film critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 15%.
The site's critics consensus states, "Puzzlingly misguided, Neil LaBute's update The Wicker Man struggles against unintentional comedy and fails."
On Metacritic, the film has a normalized score of 36% from nineteen critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". CinemaScore gave it rating of "F" based on surveys from general audiences.
Five years later, Hardy wrote and directed the 2011 British thriller/drama horror film 'The Wicker Tree'.
Based off of his Cowboys for Christ, the film tells of a born again Texan evangelical singer Beth Boothby (Brittania Nicol) and her fiancé Steve Thompson (Henry Garrett) who learn the real meaning of sacrifice when they run afoul of pagans in a Scottish village.
The film contains many direct parallels and allusions to the original 'Wicker Man', and is intended as a companion piece which explores the same themes.
Hardy had expressed interest in producing a finale to his loose Wicker Man trilogy. This would be the third and final installment, entitled 'The Wrath of the Gods'.
In 2015, a crowdfunding campaign was set-up to raise funds for the film's production, but ultimately fell short of its $210,000 target.
The following year, Hardy passed in Reading, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom on July 1, 2016. He was 86.
Hardy is survived by his wife, Victoria Webster, and eight children, most notably English film director Justin Hardy.
Hardy had been active from 1973–2011.
#borntodirect
#notthebees
@WickerManFilm
@BFI
@bbc
@imdb
@nytimes
@theguardian
@cinefantastique
@rottentomatoes
@Metacritic
@letterboxd
@getFANDOM
No comments:
Post a Comment