Other mistake: During his conversation with the landlord of the pub he ends up staying in, Sergeant Howie makes it clear that he did not intend to stay on Summerisle overnight, that he had been delayed and so needed accommodation. Makes you wonder why he packed his pyjamas. He's wearing them when Britt Ecklund does her famous naked song and dance routine, and they are not new so we know he didn't buy them that day. When he arrived he didn't even think he'd be on Summerisle for more than a few hours - we don't see him with so much as an overnight bag.
The Wicker Man (1973)
Ending / spoiler
Directed by: Robin Hardy
Starring: Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Edward Woodward
The girl was never missing. It was all a ploy to get the pure, virginal Howie to the island, and they burn him in a gigantic wicker man as a sacrifice to their gods.
Fi
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Suggested correction: He didn't intend to stay in there but brought them just in case. A good policeman is prepared.
What, he wore his jammies under his uniform "just in case"? He isn't carrying an overnight bag.
Lord Summerisle: Do sit down, Sergeant. Shocks are so much better absorbed with the knees bent.
Trivia: Christopher Lee did this movie for free, and considers it one of his best roles ever.
Question: At the finale of The Wicker Man Howie/Edward Woodward is placed in a wooden cage high above the ground. The cage is set alight. When the cage began to burn and disintegrate, wouldn't he have fallen out of it onto the ground? As the cage burns, the wood must become brittle, so why can't he just force his way out? (Yes, he is surrounded by the islanders, but if anybody was being burnt alive, and they could get out of the flames, wouldn't the self-preservation instinct kick in?).
Answer: He would likely die from the heat or smoke inhalation long before the wood would deteriorate enough for him to fall out. The film also makes a point to show that Howie has given up trying to fight the villagers and has accepted his fate, so even if he could have forced his way out he no longer had the will to do so.