SLEEPY HOLLOW
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Casper Van Dien, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Ray Park

I just have to say that Tim Burton is the master of the macabre. Sleepy Hollow is a lesson in visual aesthetics. If it wasn't my last quarter in school, I'd probably go and see it a couple more times and do a full analysis of the film. But before I touch further on that aspect of it, here's what I think of it in general.

Burton takes Irving's story and adds a few twists. No longer is Ichabod Crane (Depp) a schoolteacher, but a New York constable who travels north to the small town of Sleepy Hollow. The town is experiencing murders where the victims are beheaded and the heads missing. They believe, as the notary (Gough) puts it, that they are the work of a headless horseman (Walken). Crane begins an investigation to find the truth behind the murders. In the process, he remembers childhood memories he tried to erase, falls in love with Katrina (Ricci), and discovers that not all things are proved by science.

The story works fairly well...a few moments lapse where Burton is forced to give story points, but can find no other way than to throw it at the audience in an awkward bit of dialogue. But it is a minor matter that doesn't detract from the film.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the visuals are superb and give the film that feel which Burton has done so well in the past with movies such as Edward Scissorhands, Batman, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. The black, white, and muddy grey colors with Ricci's wardrobe being the only true color (and in that, being yellows and oranges...reminders of the carved pumpkin heads) helps to enhance the atmosphere. Fog is also a constant visual throughout. And when the climax is over, all the colors return and the fog rolls away.

The other surprising factor for me was the action sequences. Once again, Ray Park (of Darth Maul fame) plays thankless role as the horseman's fighting double. He wields his sword and axe as easily as Darth Maul's double-bladed sabre. And just as surprising is Casper Van Dien's role as Ricci's boyfriend who squares off against the horseman with a pair of sickles.

Which leads me to my final comment. I actually felt a bit queasy with all the blood and and decapitations. Burton doesn't hold back in this field. There are quite a few decapitations, a couple bodies slashed in half, several heads rolling around, a lot of blood sprays (mostly in Depp's face), and a lot of camera shots aimed at the severed neck. It didn't help that everything is toned to blacks, whites and greys, and then to see this bright red oozing all over. So here's a warning for those who get queasy at the sight of blood. Even a tree bleeds at one point. All in all, it was a very entertaining movie (much more so than Bond), and I enjoyed it a lot.

-JoE-
©1999 JMR