The legend of Sleepy
Hollow is one of America’s best-known folk tales.
The story of meek schoolteacher Ichabod Crane, who is haunted
by a mysterious headless horseman, is a staple of American
literature. What better pairing for an update of one of
America’s most beloved tales than with one of the
world’s most beloved filmmakers, Tim Burton, and
the (until recently) long underrated actor Johnny Depp?
Tim Burton’s 1999 film, “Sleepy Hollow,” is
a retelling of the classic legend with a revisionist’s
takes on the character of Ichabod, now Constable Crane,
a squeamish detective out to prove his theories on forensics
in a town living in fear of a mysterious force that goes
around randomly beheading its victims…
Penned by “Se7en” scribe,
Andrew Kevin Walker, “Sleepy Hollow” plays
out almost like a modern crime drama, only with better
décor. It includes many analogies to problems that
we as a society are dealing with in the present, including
the problem of over-crowded prisons, police brutality,
as well as the threat of new technology that may disrupt
procedures that are entrenched in a society. The film makes
many intelligent insights into its subject matter all the
while weaving a terrific story and scarring the hell out
of us in the process. The marriage of the material and
the director was perfect; Burton’s love for the classic
Hammer horror films he first saw as a young movie lover
gave him more than enough inspiration to build his visions
for the film upon.
The film is without
question Burton’s most atmospheric yet. The stark,
almost monochrome saturation of the images created by cinematographer
Emmanuel Lubezki lends to the feeling of death and despair
that is so prevalent in the townspeople. The use of sets
for many exterior shots and force perspective backgrounds
gives the film a unique texture that would have been lost
had it been shot conventionally. Danny Elfman’s work
on the music for the film is impressive to say the least.
It features all the hallmarks of a typical Elfman score,
only grander and more ominous. And of course, who can forget
Johnny Depp’s turn as Constable Ichabod Crane, a
hero who seemed to have a fear of everything, except standing
up for truth and justice.
