2006 in film

The following is an overview of events in 2006 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.

Highest-grossing films

Events

Awards

2006 Wide-release films

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Films released in 2006

Notable deaths

Notes

References

The Wicker Man

A wicker man is a wicker effigy used in human sacrifice by the ancient Gauls, according to Julius Caesar.

The Wicker Man or Wickerman may also refer to

See also

The Wicker Man (novel)

The Wicker Man is a 1978 horror novel written by Robin Hardy and Anthony Shaffer. It was based on the 1973 cult horror film The Wicker Man, directed by Hardy and written by Shaffer. The novel includes a foreword by Allan Brown.

The novelisation was written primarily by Robin Hardy, the director of the film, but Anthony Shaffer is credited as co-author, as Hardy re-used much of Shaffer's dialogue verbatim. Hardy has said that he began writing the novel before Shaffer had even finished the screenplay. The first edition of The Wicker Man was printed in the US by Crown Publishers in May 1978. Hamlyn followed with the UK edition in October 1979. At the time these hardback editions were printed, the newly restored version of the Wicker Man film was being shown in the US.

Plot

The Wicker Man novelisation follows the plot of the film closely, but also expands upon the original story, incorporating additional backstory and new material that would have been unable to fit in the film. Some of the novel's scenes were originally shot for the film, but were cut to reduce running time and have not been seen since the loss of the film negative. For example, the character of Lord Summerisle's gillie is restored, and the reader learns of Howie's interest in bird-watching.

The Wicker Man (1973 film)

The Wicker Man is a 1973 British mystery horror film directed by Robin Hardy and written by Anthony Shaffer. The film stars Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Britt Ekland. Paul Giovanni composed the soundtrack. The story was inspired by David Pinner's 1967 novel Ritual and centres on the visit of Police Sergeant Neil Howie to the isolated island of Summerisle, in search of a missing girl. Howie, a devout Christian, is appalled to find that the inhabitants of the island have abandoned Christianity and now practise a form of Celtic paganism.

The Wicker Man is generally well-regarded by critics. Film magazine Cinefantastique described it as "The Citizen Kane of horror movies", and in 2004 the magazine Total Film named The Wicker Man the sixth greatest British film of all time. It also won the 1978 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. The burning Wicker Man scene was No. 45 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments. During the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, the film was included as part of a sequence that celebrated British cinema. In 2013, a copy of the original U.S. theatrical version was digitally restored and released.

The Wicker Man (2006 film)

The Wicker Man is a 2006 horror film written and directed by Neil LaBute and starring Nicolas Cage. The film primarily is a remake of the 1973 British cult classic The Wicker Man, but also draws from its source material, David Pinner's 1967 novel Ritual. The film concerns a policeman named Edward Malus who is informed by his ex-fiancée Willow Woodward that her daughter Rowan has disappeared and asks for his assistance in her search. When he arrives at the island where Rowan was last seen he begins to suspect something sinister is afoot with the neo-pagans who reside on the island.

The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews from film critics at the time of its release; critics pointed to the film's unintentional hilarity, weak acting, and poor screenwriting. The film was also a financial flop, grossing over $38 million against a $40 million production budget. Since release, it has developed a cult following as an entertaining unintentional comedy, particularly due to Cage's over-the-top performance.