“The Wicker Man” is an affectionate, detailed picture of an idyllic neo-pagan community. Rather than conducting occult rituals in the dead of night, the cheerful islanders practise their faith in broad daylight, whether they’re treating a girl’s sore throat by popping a live toad in her mouth or dancing naked around a bonfire.When king charles iii put a picture of a Green Man on the invitations to his coronation in May, there was much discussion of what the leafy-faced symbol might signify.Most royal-watchers agreed that His Majesty is probably just a lover of the great outdoors and had not succumbed to Wicker-mania.On one level, “The Wicker Man” may have been intended as a warning against indulging in arcane and prurient superstitions, but today it comes across as an advert for them: a welcoming beginner’s guide. Are people losing faith with religion ?

