The Wicker Man (1973) Wikia
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Order of scenes in "music" column of "camera man's" "editor's" script from Finan Coyle. (See also a version as a chart with different questions.)

I have transcribed this picture as best I can. (Songs in parenthesis) Each line in it is a line for a certain number of scene numbers and I have kept that arrangement here. Only a few numbers are not listed but that may or may not indicate actual scenes not being shot. May be more of a result of how the list was typed up.

Some other scenes not in the movie are not listed on this list so I don't know when this list was written. (Like, as Allan Brown mentions*, the gardens sequence (not sure if that is the extended "fruity lecture" mentioned below); the Howie/Willow massage sequence; the midget in the church sequence; the box-girder bridge sequence...) * This edited from a post he made elsewhere on Facebook.

I have a few questions and comments for each of the "footnotes" that I've added. I'd love to hear any comments or added  info about any of them. Thanks!

***

Evening (Day 1)

Howie rows ashore; McTaggart drives him, 

(Folksong) They clear pub(1); interrupt prostitute, K (2)


next day or flashback (Day 2)

(Battle hymn) Howie and fiancé spurned by butchers & all (3)


(the next day, we'll say Day 2)

Postman brings anonymous letter; Howie and McTaggart puzzled

Howie flies over Western Iles to Summerisle

Harbor master and locals uncooperative re: boat and photo (4)

Howie meets May & Myrtle , finds teenage clothes (5)

Howie rides to see Holly and Mrs G (6)

(Landlord’s daughter), Willow sends Howie up, Alder (7)

Howie has supper ; watches wrestling (8)

(Love-in song)(9) Howie disgusted collects key & retires

(I put my hand)(10), Lord Summerisle brings Ash,  Howie excited (11)


The next day (Day 3)

Willow and villagers greet Howie(12), he sees boys (Maypole dance)

Miss Rose and girls listen; Miss Rose says Rowan dead

Howie see Rowan’s grave and mother suckling; old gardener

May Morrison cures Myrtle’s frog; sends Howie to Dr Ewan

Lenox promises prints but doesn’t remember Rowan

Dr Ewan says she was burnt to death; Lennox gloats; Howie hears

(Children’s chant), Howie asks for public records officer

No record of Rowan; librarian identifies;  Howie reads

Alder and Gilie loading trap; Howie gets lift to castle

(Fire dance), Miss Rose and girls dancing

Lord Summerisle elucidates pagan Celtic inheritance for Howie

Howie gets fruity lecture (13)


evening/night

Old gardener digs up grave but Howie finds a hare

(Tinker’s song) Miss Rose & Summerisle unmoved by Howie

Howie breaks in to check negatives, montage town at night (14)

Willow with Alder serve Howie beer before he retires

(The Liar)(15), Willow teases Howie thumping on wall


the next day (Day 4, May Day)

Willow brings breakfast, embarrasses Howie

Harbor Master rows Howie to plane, won’t start, boats gone

Howie chases hobby horse, Lenox weasel looks on (16)

(Procession music A), rehearsal, Howie observes unseen

Mrs Morrison and Myrtle give clue to heathen sacrifice (17)

Montage: Howie unmasking villagers and searching

Howie questions all

Howie’s last idea leads to coffin & adult corpse

He drinks with Willow & Alder, overhears their plot

Hand of glory, he is sick, puts it out (18)

Howie knocks out Alder, steals Punch costume.

Procession gathered together, Punch behind Teaser

Procession music B, women lead, Lord Summerilse rebukes Punch


Evening

(P.M. C. (procession music C) Chop Chop), Holly and Miss Rose scare Punch

Rowan revealed, Punch fights and frees her, Rowan leads him to 

Wicker Man, Lord Summerisle reveals who is the sacrifice

(Unguent hymn) (19) Miss Rose & Willow strip then anoint him

Lord Summerisle spiels on (20), Howie taken to Wicker Man, put in by Oak

Lord Summerisle addresses Sun God, all unmask and kneel (21)

From his cage Howie pleads 

Lord Summerisle orders lighting, his doubt is Howie’s uncertainty (22)

FINALE – Summer is Icumin’ in?/flames/cries

a model of the Wicker Man’s flaming head falls in flaming sunset (23)

***

Takes place over 4 days.


1) Pub scene not in the movie. See various stills of this.

2) K?

3) Howie and fiance' spurned by butcher. I'll have to look this up. It doesn't sound familiar.

4) Uncooperative about boat?

5 & 6) Howie finding teenage clothes is not in the movie but there are stills of this and that lead to the trip to Holly Grimmond which is also not in the movie but stills exist of this.

7) Willow sends Howie up? And I guess the mention of Alder is what we see in the movie.

8) Howie watching Oak wrestling is not in the movie. I believe that stills exist of this. It would have made a nicer scene than watching Howie eating his dinner all by himself.

9) Love-In Song? There's some instrumental music but no song. I wonder what that would have been. 

10) I Put My Hand may have been the working title or just a shorthand way of describing it, for Gently Johnny.

11) Howie was excited? I guess so. 

12) In "long" version, Willow is about the only one to greet Howie in the morning as she scrubs the outside table.

13) fruity lecture! 

14) Would have loved to see a montage of the town at night. We see one in the movie versions more at the beginning, seeing couples making love in the graveyard, watering graves in short version, etc.

15) Willow's Song known as The Liar. That's an interesting title for it. Puts it in a new perspective.

16) Lennox doesn't watch in the movie and I love that he is costumed as a weasal! That adds a new level of depth to his otherwise to me, senile, character.

17) OK, so we all got that hint, right?

18) We don't see that Howie gets sick when he sees the Hand of Glory. More like gets mad.

19) Unguent Hymn is the Sleep close and fast Willow and Miss Rose sing to Howie as they anoint him.

20) Lord Summerilse spiels on, a humorous way to look at it. That and the fruity lecture, which went on MUCH longer than what we get to see in the movie. Personally, being a completest, I'd like to see all of it...

21) They don't kneel, do they?

22) "his doubt is Howie’s uncertainty", the intent of the screenplay, perhaps lost on the audience. A subtle point.

23) It looks like a model of the Wicker Man's head was going to be used for that final shot. Luckily the actual burning WIcker Man obliged by falling with the setting sun just behind it, giving us that great shot!

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