Continuity mistake: The protagonists are in the back of the post office to see Myrtle. She is using as model one of the chocolate hares. After the first close-up on the drawing, when her mum leaves, the hare is gone, and it is back at the next cut. (00:10:55)
Continuity mistake: While Howie is painting a hare with Myrtle, at the moment he says "Do you know Rowan?" There is a dark coloured paint brush standing in a pot, next to a red and green paint pot. Also there is a pencil under Myrtle's left arm. Seconds later the paintbrush has changed to yellow, there is a grey paint pot next to the red and green pots and the pencil under Myrtle's left arm has gone. (00:15:15)
Continuity mistake: When Howie is having his supper, watch how his grip on the beer glass changes from three fingers on the front of the glass, to holding the handle with all his fingers when he asks Willow for an apple and she replies "No apples" (00:21:00)
Continuity mistake: When Sgt. Howie inspects the register at the school the first shot of the Beltane Term page shows Rowan Morrison's address as 'The Tuck Shop', when it switches to a closer panning shot her address is changed to 'The Post Office'. (00:32:50)
Continuity mistake: Edward Woodward's Sergeant Howey is aroused by Britt Eckland's Willow on the other side of the wall and touches the wall and jogs a picture so that the bottom shifts rightwards so that the picture is not straight. Then the sergeant edges backwards and the picture is straight. (01:02:30)
Continuity mistake: Near the end when Howie is in the cage and praying, one shot shifts to the line of watching islanders. Summerisle walks towards them, turns and signals with his left arm. Cut back to Howie in the cage, then back to the islanders. The same sequence of Summerisle walking and signalling is then shown again.
Continuity mistake: When Sgt Howie is unable to start the plane, he calls the harbour master. While the harbour master is rowing back he calls out to Sgt Howie "what's the matter, won't she go?" Notice that when he begins this question he is nowhere near the plane, but as he is finishing the question, he is now alongside the plane.
Continuity mistake: When Sgt. Howie is in the classroom, he places the blackboard duster at an angle on the desk lid where Miss Rose sits, later when he goes to open the desk lid, the blackboard duster is now level at the top the desk.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Howie questions the Doctor about Rowan Morrison's death certificate, the Doctor is seen to open his front door and step partly inside. The shot cuts away, and when it cuts back to the Doctor his front door is shut. He opens it again and goes in.
Continuity mistake: While Sgt Howie is at the chemist shop he shows Lennox (who is mixing something with a mortar and pestle) a photo of the missing girl, notice how in between shots the photo goes from Howie's hand into Lennox's hand, without having been handed over.
Continuity mistake: When Sgt. Howie first goes to the Post Office, he walks through to where Myrtle is painting the hare. He puts down his leather case which then changes position a few times during the next few shots, until the scene ends.
Continuity mistake: In the finale, Willow and the librarian recite the identikit of the sacrificial lamb. When Britt Ekland says her lines in two close-ups, her hair is neatly arranged and immune to the wind that blows in every other shots.
Continuity mistake: During the ritual, the hobbyhorse wriggles before lord Summerisle. The swordsmen then gather around a stone; in the next shot they are standing on the stone, with the shadows that show that a disproportionate amount of time has passed.
Continuity mistake: Howie is inside the Wicker Man and stares at the sun while lord Summerisle pronounces the line "Accept our sacrifice." Howie's right hand is touching the bar at the middle of the door, but when the camera is on Christopher Lee, the position on the cage is different.
Continuity mistake: When Sergeant Howie is looking at what he believes to be the setting for the final sacrifice, the first torchbearer (the one wearing blue jeans) is simply standing in the wider shots, and has one knee raised in intermediate shot with a closer angle.
Continuity mistake: Lord Summerisle announces that it's time for the sacrifice to appease the gods of the earth. A horn is blown, and everyone turns towards it. In the shot from behind, everyone in front of Howie/Punch moved aside, but in the shot from the front, there's still a man with a flannel jacket and a badger mask.
Continuity mistake: Lord Summerisle is offering a tribute of ale to the god of the sea. Two villagers help him; in the close-up on them at the end of the wagon, the one on the left puts his hand on the barrel, but in the next shot his hand is on the cart.
Continuity mistake: When Christopher Lee in drag is leading the procession towards their mini-stonehenge, look at the dolmen the villagers go through; the shadows vary significantly direction in the space of a cut.
Continuity mistake: Howie had a whiskey and went upstairs to his room at the inn. As the innkeeper and his hot daughter conspire in front of his open door, the shadows on Edward Woodward's face change in close-up.
Continuity mistake: Sergeant Howie is giving chase to the man wearing the hobbyhorse costume. The guy stops at the end of an alley to be followed. In the next shot, he's standing in a different alley, with different pavement and background.
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.
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