Sleepy Hollow Review
by Eugene Novikov (eugene47 AT my-deja DOT com)November 26th, 1999
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Reviewed by Eugene Novikov
http://www.ultimate-movie.com/
Member: Online Film Critics Society
Starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Casper Van Dien, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Mark Pickering. Rated R.
There are a lot of words that signify praise in the dictionary. If I used them all, it wouldn't do Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow justice. Some movies go beyond the grasp of the English language. I probably can't give you a satisfactory description of this one, you have to see it for yourself. I'll try, but listen: if what you read about this movie here doesn't sound particularly intriguing to you, see it anyway.
It is an adaptation of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," but it's the Tim Burton version of the classic horror story. The general plot (especially the ending) has been tinkered with to accomodate Burton's glorious stylistic eccentricities. It is, of course, the legend of the Headless Horseman, the mysterious entity that terrorizes the small town of Sleepy Hollow, chopping off citizens' heads at will. Or, that is what the superstitous village folk suspect and are not too eager to be dissuaded from in favor of something less fantastic.
Enter Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp). A cynical, fancy-schmancy, rather girlish investigator from New York City, he is called in to investigate the beheadings in Sleepy Hollow. Of course, he doesn't believe the Headless Horseman tales for a second; he is convinced that the murderer is human and is determined to find him. He receives what seems like a warm welcome, but he can't help but notice something afoot; the town's prime citizens seem to be plotting something and concealing important details from him.
He does eventually have an encounter with the horseman himself and is immediately persuaded of his supernatural existence. What he is not sure about, however, is his independence. Certain clues lead him to believe that there is someone behind the horseman, controlling him and determining his victims. Since nobody in the town is particularly keen on going into the woods and seeking out the murderer, Ichabod and a child of one of the murdered are to go it alone.
Meanwhile, Ichabod falls for the daughter of one of the prime suspects (Christina Ricci) and the two star off an eccentric relationship, neither of them willing to take it to the next level. She is, of course, destined to play a vital role in how the rest of the story unspools.
At the risk of making an overly encompassing, generalizing statement, Sleepy Hollow is probably the most beautiful movie I have ever seen. Every shot, every frame is nothing less than a work of art, something to study and admire. Ordinary is obviously not a word Burton (who, incidentally, directed stuff like Batman, Ed Wood and, my personal favorite, Mars Attacks!) is not familiar with. All visual elements -- the trees, the sky, the fog, the town itself -- look and feel like they are from some twisted gothic fairy tale; the result is the epitome of gorgeousness. I have yet to see the film another time, but I plan to do that as soon as possible; one viewing is unsatisfactory if one wants to pick out all of the film's visual intricacies. If I don't see an Art Direction nomination from this, I will be, pardon the colloquialism, bitching.
Aside from being aesthetically stunning, Sleepy Hollow is exciting, engrossing and fast-paced. The prevalent horror scenes are staged with thought and panache. Every sequence is executed flawlessly; the editing if perfect and the gore, while abundant, doesn't seem excessive or get in the way of the action. Visually adept movies can't merely be pretty; the camerawork has to serve the plot and the staging has to work impeccably. In Sleepy Hollow, everything works.
I think Johnny Depp, a Burton veteran, sheds his pretty boy image here, if only temporarily. His Ichabod is awesome. He's like the anti-hero. There's a scene somewhere in the middle of the movie where he and a young boy are walking into what seems to be a witch's lair. Ichabod, frightened, actually walks into the cave protecting himself with the boy pushing him in front and "covering" him with a firearm. There's another where Ichabod sees a spider and, with a girlish scream, hops on a stool. The beauty about scenes like those is that Depp, of all people, makes us believe them without eliciting disdain for his character.
Sleepy Hollow takes a conventional story and turns it into something wholly extraordinary: a mainstream work of art. I have no doubt in my mind that mass audiences will get a kick out of this and yet it is much more than a crowd pleaser. It is simple in plot but endlessly complex in execution. Heads Will Roll and Sleepy Hollow is perfect.
Grade: A
©1999 Eugene Novikov
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