Sleepy Hollow
USA/Germany 1999
Reviewed by Andrew O'Hehir
Synopsis
Our synopses give away the plot in full, including surprise twists.
New York, 1799. Ichabod Crane, a young constable, is sent to the upstate village of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of mysterious beheadings. Leading citizens, led by landowner Baltus Van Tassel, tell Crane the killings are the work of the Headless Horseman, a Hessian mercenary beheaded during the Revolution who has come back from the grave. Crane does not believe this until he sees the town magistrate killed by the Horseman. Shocked, he collapses, and is nursed back to health by Van Tassel's daughter Katrina with whom he falls in love.
Guided by a mysterious witch, he and Katrina discover that the Horseman emerges from the roots of a tree that seems to be a portal to hell. Crane suspects Van Tassel is behind the killings, then, after Van Tassel is killed, suspects Katrina of witchcraft and decides to leave Sleepy Hollow. Learning from a book she has given him that Katrina's spells are meant to protect him, Crane turns back just in time to save her from her stepmother Lady Van Tassel, the evil witch behind the Horseman. His missing head restored, the Horseman takes Lady Van Tassel to hell. Crane, Katrina and an orphaned village boy Masbath leave for New York City.
Review
No longer a prodigy at age 41, Tim Burton has now become a problem; I still find myself watching his movies with bemused tolerance, thinking surely he'll be a great director when he grows up. Although it's loaded with pseudo-ghoulish detail and imbued with a distinctive atmosphere - both of which, as usual, seem drawn from a 70s teenager's comic-book and album-cover collection - Sleepy Hollow suffers from terminal vagueness and clutter. Its plot is a complicated skein of unrelated fairy-tale elements and coincidences, punctuated occasionally by balletic beheadings, its characterisation almost entirely haphazard.
There have been several previous film and television versions of Washington Irving's short story 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' (familiar to generations of American schoolchildren), and if nothing else Burton definitively captures its mood of wilderness paranoia. His opening scene, in which Martin Landau becomes the Headless Horseman's quarry as he drives a deserted stretch of road, is a classic of gothic terror. As the heads severed by the Horseman twist through the air, we always glimpse in them a moment of horrified comprehension - death (or something that may be worse) has come for them on the lonely edge of this dangerous continent.
Even Burton's vaunted visual sensibility gets him into trouble at least as often as it rescues him. His early vision of Ichabod Crane's Manhattan as a grey, fetid city crawling with crime and fever - where the authorities abuse miscreants and throw them into horrible dungeons with scarcely a gesture in the direction of justice - is so fascinating one feels disappointed when the film abandons it. There's a wonderful moment after Crane arrives in drab, severe, and dead silent Sleepy Hollow, throws open the doors to the inn and enters a crowded party pulsing with colour and gaiety. We understand at a single stroke that terror has driven the town's social life indoors. Burton never returns to this theme either.
Johnny Depp's Ichabod Crane is a man of many parts, never conclusively adding up to a whole. Depp's willingness to push his characters in unsympathetic directions is always engaging, and he plays Crane as a Clouseau-like incompetent, his face a mask of involuntary tics and twitches. His scientific aspirations are portrayed as foolish and grotesque; his bizarre toolkit seems borrowed from Jeremy Irons' mad surgeon in Dead Ringers; his goggles make him look like a demon from the Hellraiser series. Yet, as we learn in a series of tedious flashbacks, Crane is also another of Burton's damaged naifs, a survivor who finds inner reserves of strength and wins Katrina's love, despite the fact that he is entirely wrong about her, the Horseman and everything else.
Of course Depp and Christina Ricci (resplendent in a lovely blonde wig) make a charismatic pair, smashingly done up in period costumes by Colleen Atwood, and audiences are likely to swallow almost any narrative strategy that sees them united by the film's end. Andrew Kevin Walker's screenplay, which bears little relationship to Irving's story, doesn't offer Katrina much to do beyond gazing at the bumbling Crane with what is meant to be a knowing, tolerant affection. Still, she's better off than Miranda Richardson as Lady Van Tassel, who scarcely appears in the film before being revealed as the wicked stepmother behind it all - and delivering a lengthy Dr Evil-style disquisition on her motives and methods. Similarly, such irreproachable actors as Michael Gambon and Jeffrey Jones make little impression against the scattershot story and Rick Heinrichs' alluring production design. Christopher Walken cuts a fine, fearsome figure in his cameo as the medieval-looking Hessian mercenary, his teeth sharpened to vampiric points.
As ever, Burton quotes from his favourite films - there's an elaborate restaging of the burning-windmill climax in the 1931 Frankenstein. Maybe there's something perversely honourable about this; Burton certainly isn't serving plot or character at such moments, just referring to a cherished memory for no particular reason, like a patient free-associating on a therapist's couch. Ever since Pee-Wee's Big Adventure in 1985, Burton has been all potential and no delivery (with qualified exceptions for Ed Wood and the first Batman film). Even with an almost mythic story at its foundation, Sleepy Hollow doesn't seem like the work of an eccentric visionary, as Burton has long been labelled. It's more like the good-natured mess produced by a shallow sentimentalist, an undisciplined imitator with a keen sense of style.
Credits
- Director
- Tim Burton
- Producers
- Scott Rudin
- Adam Schroeder
- Screenplay
- Andrew Kevin Walker
- Screen Story
- Kevin Yagher
- Andrew Kevin Walker
- Based on the story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
- Director of Photography
- Emmanuel Lubezki
- Editor
- Chris Lebenzon
- Production Designer
- Rick Heinrichs
- ©Paramount Pictures and Mandalay Pictures LLC
- Production Companies
- Mandalay Pictures presents a Scott Rudin/American Zoetrope production in
- association with Dieter Geissler film
- In association with Karol Film Productions GmbH & Co. KG
- Executive Producers
- Larry Franco
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Co-producer
- Kevin Yagher
- NY Unit Line Producer
- Celia Costas
- Associate Producer
- Mark Roybal
- Production Supervisor
- Ramona Diaz-Sanchez
- Production Co-ordinators
- Lorraine Fennell
- 2nd Unit:
- Vicki Harvey-Piper
- NY Unit:
- Shirley Davis
- Unit Production Managers
- Dusty Symonds
- NY Unit:
- Jan Foster
- Unit Manager
- 2nd Unit:
- Ben Link
- Location Managers
- Keith Hatcher
- NY Unit:
- Declan Baldwin
- Post-production Supervisor
- David Dresher
- 2nd Unit Director
- Alan Munro
- Assistant Directors
- Chris Newman
- Ben Howarth
- Janet Nielsen
- 2nd Unit:
- Edward Brett
- Trevor Puckle
- NY Unit:
- Thomas Reilly
- Patrick J. Mangan
- Script Supervisors
- Jayne-Ann Tenggren
- 2nd Unit:
- Natasha Coombs
- Casting
- Ilene Starger
- Susie Figgis
- Associate:
- Kim Miscia
- Voice:
- Brendan Donnison
- 2nd Unit Director of Photography
- Peter Hannan
- Directors of Photography
- NY Unit:
- Conrad Hall
- NY 2nd Unit:
- Conrad Hall Jr
- Camera Operators
- Nigel Willoughby
- NY Unit:
- Pat Capone
- Bruce MacCallum
- 2nd Unit:
- Bob Smith
- Visual Effects
- Supervisor:
- Jim Mitchell
- Producer:
- Mark S. Miller
- Editor:
- Richard Friedlander
- Special Visual Effects
- Industrial Light & Magic
- Computer Graphics Supervisor:
- Robert Marinic
- Computer Graphics Sequence Supervisors:
- Robert Weaver
- Joel Aron
- Computer Graphics Artists:
- Michael Di Como
- Raúl Essig
- Tom Fejes
- Howard Gersh
- Christophe Hery
- David Horsley
- Chris Horvath
- Polly Ing
- Jennifer McKnew-Bartels
- Michael Min
- Pat Neary
- Ken Nielsen
- Mayur Patel
- Scott Prior
- Kim Ross
- Frederic Schmidt
- Sean Schur
- John Stillman
- David Weitzberg
- Visual Effects Art Director:
- Scott Leberecht
- Lead Digital Compositor:
- Eddie Pasquarello
- Digital Compositors:
- Barbara Brennan
- Catherine Burrow
- Tami Carter
- Sabre Compositing Artists:
- Dean Yurke
- Catherine Tate
- Kela Hicks
- Computer Graphics Animators:
- Kyle Clark
- Peter Daulton
- Neil Michka
- Digital Matte Painters:
- Caroleen Green
- Jonathan Harb
- Rick Rische
- Digital Artists:
- Shadi Almassizadeh
- Louis Katz
- Jonathan Rothbart
- Lead Visual Effects Co-ordinator:
- Theresa Corrao
- Visual Effects Co-ordinator:
- Julie D'Antoni
- Digital Timing Supervisor:
- Bruce Vecchitto
- Visual Effects Editor:
- Bill Kimberlin
- Digital Modellers:
- Alexander Pouchkarev
- Stephen Aplin
- Digital Texture Artist:
- Terry Molatore
- Lead Digital Paint/ Roto Artists:
- Jack Mongovan
- Susan Kelly
- Digital Paint/ Roto Artists:
- Trang Bach
- Chris Bayz
- Kate Turner
- Scott David
- Susan Goldsmith
- Patrick Jarvis
- Aaron Muszalski
- Elsa Rodriguez
- Joseph Salazar
- David Sullivan
- Zachary Sherman
- 3D Camera Matchmovers:
- Lanny Cermak
- Joseph Metten
- Jason Snell
- David Washburn
- Film Scanning:
- Randy Bean
- Model Maker:
- Richard Miller
- ILM Senior Staff:
- Gail Currey
- Jeff Mann
- Digital Visual Effects
- The Computer Film Company
- Visual Effects Producer:
- Drew Jones
- Visual Effects Line Producer:
- Libby Hazell
- Supervising Visual Effects Designer:
- Paddy Eason
- Visual Effects Designers:
- Adrian De Wet
- Dan Glass
- Kat Szuminska
- Mark Nelmes
- John Thum
- Gavin Toomey
- Paint Artists:
- Alex Payman
- Ian Fellows
- Siobhan Lo
- 3D Animators:
- Dominic Parker
- Stephen Murphy
- Richard Clarke
- Chris Monks
- Editorial:
- Roz Lowrie
- Tabitha Dean
- Rob Hall
- Digital Scanning/Recording:
- Jan Hogevold
- Steve Tizzard
- Adam Glassman
- Scott Marriott
- Special Effects Supervisors
- Joss Williams
- NY Unit:
- Ron Ottesen
- Special Effects
- Technicians:
- Manex Efrem
- Kenneth Gittens
- Roger Nichols
- Jonathan Angell
- Rodney Fuller
- Brian Morrison
- John Brown
- John Holmes
- Matt Roberts
- Mathew Horton
- Stephen Paton
- Modellers:
- Derek Tomblin
- David Allum
- Co-ordinator:
- Carmila Gittens
- On-screen Galligrapher
- Bernard Maisner
- Film Editor
- Joel Negrõn
- Supervising Art Director
- Les Tomkins
- Art Directors
- John Dexter
- Ken Court
- Andrew Nicholson
- NY Unit:
- John Wright Stevens
- Set Decorators
- Peter Young
- NY Unit:
- Debra Schutt
- Draughtspersons
- Stuart Kearns
- Julie Pitt
- Tracey Holmes
- Christine Parkin
- Susan Wexler
- Gerald Sullivan
- Mariko Braswell
- Concept Illustrators
- Ravi Bansal
- Jonathon Rosen
- Adam Brockbank
- Mauro Borrelli
- Martin Charles
- Simon Murton
- Scenic Artist
- James Hunt
- Storyboard Artist
- Michael Jackson
- Costume Designer
- Colleen Atwood
- Wardrobe Supervisors
- Suzi Turnbull
- NY Unit:
- Ingrid Price
- Joanna Brett
- Wardrobe Master
- Anthony Brookman
- Wardrobe Mistress
- Lou Durkin
- Make-up/Hair Designer
- Peter Owen
- Chief Make-up Artist/Hairdresser
- Elizabeth Tag
- Make-up Artist/ Hairdressers
- Tamsin Dorling
- Astrid Schikorra
- Kirsty Stanway
- Make-up/Hairdresser
- 2nd Unit:
- Sue Parkinson
- Key Make-up Artist
- NY Unit:
- Bernadette Mazur
- Make-up Artist
- NY Unit:
- Don Kozma
- Human/Creature Special Effects Creator/ Consultant
- Kevin Yagher
- Human/Creature Special Effects Creation/Design
- Kevin Yagher Productions, Inc
- Studio Manager:
- Mark C. Yagher
- US Crew
- Effects Supervisor:
- Mitch Coughlin
- Sculptor:
- Mario Torres
- Feather Fabricators:
- Pamela Cveticanin
- Zachariah Cveticanin
- Mold Makers:
- Tony Acosta Jr
- Frank Diettinger
- Johnnie Spence
- Evan Brainard
- David Miner Jr
- Hair Technician:
- Jill Crosby
- England Crew
- Effects Supervisor:
- Gary Tunnicliffe
- Sculptors:
- Kate Hill
- Shaune Harrison
- Kate Murray
- Graham High
- Howard Swindell
- Mold Makers:
- Jonathan Klahr
- Brian Best
- Barry Best
- Mechanical Designers:
- Jason Reed
- Tamzine Hanks
- Hair Technicians:
- Andrea Hochgatterer-Kowland
- Sarah Brunsdon
- Foam Technician:
- Andy Lee
- Fabricator:
- Day Murch
- Chief Hairdresser/ Make-up Artist
- Paul Gooch
- Key Hairstylist
- NY Unit:
- Colleen Callaghan
- Title Design
- Robert Dawson
- Digital Main Titles
- Digiscope
- Digital Artists:
- Grady Cofer
- Lawrence Carroll
- Rob Blue
- Brennan Prevatt
- Opticals/End Titles
- Pacific Title/Mirage
- Adult Choir
- Metro Voices
- Boys Choir
- The London Oratory School Schola
- Orchestra Conductor
- Allan Wilson
- Orchestrations
- Conrad Pope
- David Slonaker
- Albert Olson
- Additional:
- Steve Bartek
- Mark McKenzie
- Marc Mann
- Music Score Co-ordinator
- Craig Anderson
- Music Production
- Supervisor:
- Graham Walker
- Co-ordinator:
- Liz Schrek
- Music Editors
- Ellen Segal
- Preview:
- Nic Ratner
- Music Recordist/Mixer
- Shawn Murphy
- Soundtrack
- "The Swallow/The Colly Flower", "Argeers" by/performed by Hesperus
- Sound Mixers
- Tony Dawe
- NY Unit:
- Gary Alper
- Recordists
- Harry Higgins
- Bob Olari
- Re-recording Mixers
- Lee Dichter
- Skip Lievsay
- Frank Morrone
- Shawn Murphy
- Robert Fernandez
- Supervising Sound Editor
- Skip Lievsay
- Dialogue Editors
- Fred Rosenberg
- Todd Milner
- Sound Effects Editors
- Sean Garnhart
- Lewis Goldstein
- Richard L. Anderson
- John Pospisil
- Craig Berkey
- Paul Urmson
- ADR
- Mixers:
- Ted Swanscott
- David Boulton
- Bob Baron
- Editors:
- Lisa J. Levine
- Marissa Littlefield
- Foley
- Artists:
- Sarah Monat
- Robin Harlan
- Dan O'Connel
- John Cucci
- Recordist:
- Linda Lew
- Mixers:
- Randy K. Singer
- Jim Ashwill
- Supervising Editor:
- Thomas Small
- Editors:
- Michael Dressel
- Scott Curtis
- Matthew Harrison
- Tammy Fearing
- Stunt Co-ordinator
- Nick Gillard
- Armourer
- Richard Hooper
- Horse Master
- Steve Dent
- 2nd Unit Animal Wrangler
- Mike Cullin
- Cast
- Johnny Depp
- Ichabod Crane
- Christina Ricci
- Katrina Van Tassel
- Miranda Richardson
- Lady Van Tassel
- Michael Gambon
- Baltus Van Tassel
- Caspar Van Dien
- Brom Van Brunt
- Jeffrey Jones
- Reverend Steenwyck
- Richard Griffiths
- Magistrate Philipse
- Ian McDiarmid
- Doctor Lancaster
- Michael Gough
- Notary Hardenbrook
- Christopher Walken
- Hessian horseman
- Marc Pickering
- young Masbath
- Lisa Marie
- Lady Crane
- Steven Waddington
- Killian
- Claire Skinner
- Beth Killian
- Christopher Lee
- burgomaster
- Alun Armstrong
- high constable
- Miranda Richardson
- crone
- Mark Spalding
- Jonathan Masbath
- Jessica Oyelowo
- Sarah
- Tony Maudsley
- Van Ripper
- Peter Guinness
- Lord Crane
- Nicholas Hewetson
- Glenn
- Orlando Seale
- Theodore
- Sean Stephens
- Thomas Killian
- Gabrielle Lloyd
- Doctor Lancaster's wife
- Robert Sella
- Dirk Van Garrett
- Michael Feast
- spotty man
- Jamie Foreman
- thuggish constable
- Philip Martin Brown
- constable 1
- Sam Fior
- young Ichabod Crane
- Tessa Allen-Ridge
- young Lady Van Tassel
- Cassandra Farndale
- young crone
- Lily Phillips
- girl 2
- Bianca Nicholas
- little girl
- Paul Brightwell
- rifleman
- [uncredited]
- Martin Landau
- first victim
- Certificate
- 15
- Distributor
- Pathé Distribution
- 9,484 feet
- 105 minutes 23 seconds
- Dolby digital/Digital DTS sound
- Colour by
- DeLuxe