Atheist made this movie - The Wicker Man (1974) Discussion

[–] OldSamVimes 10 years ago

Who gives a crap?

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[–] mdjpeace 9 years ago

I do- and the producers, director, screen-writer, actors and crew etc. probably did too- or they wouldn't have bothered making the film in the first place; thought-provoking as it is- it only requires that you have some brain-cells to interpret what they proffer in this exceptional 'work of art'(for want of a clearer definition). You obviously don't.

Will somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?!

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[–] ElectricWarlock 10 years ago

Yes, it does seem that way but I thought this was a fascinating, creepy film anyway.

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[–] f2039 10 years ago

there's no need to seperately promote christianity, as it already depicts pagans in a very negative way

as a horror film, it's great (atmosphere, suspense etc), but it's just one of those thousands of films where pagans are depicted as cruel murderers

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[–] Hammerfanatic46 10 years ago

The O.P. correctly summarises the point made at great length in other posts, including my own.

Gordon P. Clarkson

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[–] number9-4 10 years ago

I think this movie is a litmus test for one's views on religion. Some seem to see it as mocking Christianity, some see it as pro-Christian and others see it as an atheist message on the folly of religion in general.

Personally, I don't possibly see how anyone could think it's supposed to be pro-Pagan, since they are portrayed rather sociopathically. It's not even like they were remorseful about Howie's sacrifice and just believed they had to do it for the greater good - they taunted him and seemed to delight in his anguish, much like the crucifixion of Jesus is often portrayed in films. Frankly, I think Howie comes off looking pretty darn good, compared to the islanders, even though some people say he's supposed to look bad because he's intolerant of their religion. He was business-like, but still generally civil to the islanders until he began to seriously suspect that they were planning a murder, which I think is a pretty valid excuse for being a little rude. Not to mention, would most people really not be a little weirded out by seeing an orgy in a cemetery and a woman passed around a bar like an inanimate object?

But at the same time, I don't believe it's supposed to be a pro-Christian film, either. Howie is portrayed as a little too stuffy for that.

So maybe it is supposed to be an atheist message about religion leading to death and destruction. I just like that it's open for interpretation, either way.

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[–] Lokisgodhi 9 years ago

Then you need to radically expand your field of vision.

Howie appears to Pagans the same way that a Soviet NKVD man looked to the people of the Ukraine whose population they were starving and murdering 1/3 of in the Holodomor of 1932-3. He appears as a Nazi Schutzstaffel Einsatzgruppen trooper going house to house looking to Jews to take to their deaths who were hiding for their lives. Both the aforementioned would cheerfully celebrate their nemsis' death and revel in it.

The crimes of Christianity against humanity are legion and still on-going today.

number9-4 wrote:

Personally, I don't possibly see how anyone could think it's supposed to be pro-Pagan, since they are portrayed rather sociopathically. It's not even like they were remorseful about Howie's sacrifice and just believed they had to do it for the greater good - they taunted him and seemed to delight in his anguish, much like the crucifixion of Jesus is often portrayed in films.

Howie comes off looking like the utter piece of garbage that he is. A policeman who ignores the laws and people's rights because he can get away with it.

number9-4 wrote:

Frankly, I think Howie comes off looking pretty darn good, compared to the islanders, even though some people say he's supposed to look bad because he's intolerant of their religion. He was business-like, but still generally civil to the islanders until he began to seriously suspect that they were planning a murder, which I think is a pretty valid excuse for being a little rude. Not to mention, would most people really not be a little weirded out by seeing an orgy in a cemetery and a woman passed around a bar like an inanimate object?

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[–] FirstBlood1982 9 years ago

"The crimes of Christianity against humanity are legion and still on-going today."

Meanwhile, Christians are responsible for more charity than any other single group in the history of the planet, Christians travel to parts of the world with abhorent living conditions to devote their lives to helping those that live there far more so than anyone else, and if one lacks any belief in God whatsoever, they're far more likely to see nothing wrong with stealing, raping, killing, or doing whatever else they feel that they stand to benefit from, since there is no objective sense of right and wrong to begin with.
Without God, the term "crime" itself is strictly subjective.
Look up the effects of secular communism on the world if you want to talk about ideologies that have caused a "legion" of crimes against humanity.

+++by His wounds we are healed. - Isaiah 53:5+++

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[–] Lokisgodhi 9 years ago

Búllshìt. It's only charity if it's given without strings attached. Christian 'charity' is always given with strings attached. As well as being withheld in order to force needy desperate people to join their hate cult in order to survive.

That's not charity that's just part of the usual Christian crimes against humanity and decency.

FirstBlood1982 wrote:

Meanwhile, Christians are responsible for more charity than any other single group in the history of the planet, Christias travel to parts of the world with abhorent living conditions to devote their lives to helping those that live there far more so than anyone else,

Stealing, raping and killing are the modus operandi of Christians.

Stealing other peoples indigenous religions away from them through threat and violence.

Raping the environment and as a tool in their kit of violent acts against non believers in order to break down their resistance.

Killing those who won't join their revolting hate cult.

FirstBlood1982 wrote:

....they're far more likely to see nothing wrong with stealing, raping, killing, or doing whatever else they feel that they stand to benefit from, since there is no objective sense of right and wrong to begin with.

So many of the Communists had their training and learned their trade in seminaries.

Christianity also provides the model which with Communism is built upon.

There would be no secular Communism without Christianity. It's one of Christianity's bastard children.

Firstblood1982

Look up the effects of secular communism on the world if you want to talk about ideologies that have caused a "legion" of crimes against humanity.

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[–] carolina_1992 8 years ago

Dear mr Lokisgodhi,

As of now you have a PM. There was so much I wanted to say in response to your uhm...response but since I believe that imdb is not a place to hold theological discussion (I'd rather discuss the movies' storyline and quality and I can't imagine many people ready and waiting for a full-on theological discussion here) I figured I'd just send it to you personally, where not everyone will be bothered by it.

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[–] Lokisgodhi 8 years ago

I don't respond to my public posts in PMs.

If you have something to say, say it here.

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[–] Satan2016 8 years ago

You are one of those atheist fundamentalists. You posts are hate speech.

The crimes of Christianity against humanity are legion and still on-going today.

This is psychosis (look it up), considering the rise of Islamic State and actual crimes against humanity.

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[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Lokisgodhi 8 years ago

Moron, I'm NOT an Atheist. That should be extremely obvious from my screen name.

As I consider Islam and Christianity to be the same religion, I feel the same about either. Neither is a religion.

Christianity (and Islam) is nothing but an Antisemitic hate cult with delusions of grandeur. Just ritualized mockery of Judaism, nothing that rises to the level of an actual religion.

Islam came about because a few hundred years after Christianity was being forced down the throat of the people of Asia Minor, Mohammad came along and essentially said, I like this Antisemitic hate cult but it's not quite batshït crazy enough for me. Let me tweak it a little bit and pretend to be a messenger from god.....

LordObama wrote:

You are one of those atheist fundamentalists. You posts are hate speech.

This is psychosis (look it up), considering the rise of Islamic State and actual crimes against human

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[–] gargarie 10 years ago

it seems like the person who made this movie had some complicated thoughts to express about the nature and meaning of sacrifice, regardless of their personal convictions.

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[–] ososment 10 years ago

Indeed. Howie sacrificed everything for what he saw as the greater good, sexually, personally and in regards to his faith.

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[–] muzilon 9 years ago

I have no idea about the religious beliefs of director Robin Hardy or Edward Woodward, but the screenwriter Anthony Shaffer was actually Jewish. On the DVD commentary Christopher Lee (an Anglo-Catholic) tells the story of how he was talking to a group of pastors who saw the film during its US release. They assured Lee they did not find the film "anti-Christian."

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[–] MooseNugget 9 years ago

I didn't see the film as anti-Christian at all. Howie was the protagonist and he seemed like a moral guy. I can't think of any example of him having a negative light on him. He might seem intolerant but the reality is the islands was full of nut jobs, the end of the film being a clear example of that.

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[–] nimmy1 8 years ago

People might be desperate for a Christian bashing film, but if it is an attack on any religion, it isn't Christianity, but the pious hollier than thou attitude of some Christians.

Only those with no valid argument pick holes in people's spelling and grammar. 

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