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"Dreamy
'Sleepy' Not Very Creepy"
by Scott Mantz
"Sleepy Hollow"
Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci
Directed by Tim Burton
There are certain
directors who, at the mere mention of their name, bring to mind
a specific and distinct visual style that's all their own. Before
even walking into a film directed by Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman,
or the late Stanley Kubrick, you know what you're going to get.
These directors have a strong cult following, and they anxiously
await each new release. For genre fans, nobody better exemplifies
this than kooky director Tim Burton. Whenever he's attached to a
film, you know it's going to be something special. Whether his films
are quirky ("Pee Wee's Big Adventure"), sublime ("Edward Scissorhands"),
or just plain dark ("Batman"), they all have a stylistically atmospheric
comic book feel with lavish production values that you can't help
but be impressed by.
Even though
his latest films have not faired too well commercially, diehard
fans still find plenty to admire. Hopes were high for the underrated
"Mars Attacks", but it was doomed with inevitable comparisons to
the recently-released similarly-themed "Independence Day". To pour
salt on the wound, Burton's next proposed project, the endlessly
troubled "Superman Reborn", fell apart while still in the development
stages. Maybe it was for the best. When word got around that he
was going to direct the big screen adaptation of the Washington
Irving classic "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", it seemed like a sure
thing. This was just the sort of project that would benefit most
from Burton's unique approach. While "Sleepy Hollow" is without
a doubt the most visually stunning work he's ever done, it's weighed
down by a choppy script and a confusing story.
At the turn
of the 18th century, New York City constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny
Depp) is sent north to the quaint hamlet of Sleepy Hollow to solve
a series of mysterious murders where the victims were decapitated.
Before Crane even begins his investigation, the paranoid locals
inform him about the Headless Horseman, who mercilessly chops off
the heads of his victims and leaves only the bodies behind. Crane
will hear none of this nonsense and is convinced that he will find
the culprit in his own scientific methods--that is, until he sees
the hulking monster for himself.
In terms of
a typical Hollywood pitch, "Sleepy Hollow" could best be described
as "Murder She Wrote" meets "Scooby Doo" with a little bit of "Clue"
thrown in. Johnny Depp attacks his role with the childlike curiosity
of Angela Lansbury and comes across like an 18th century version
of Quincy. The anal-retentive, city-bred constable is clearly out
of his element with his collection of personally designed scientific
instruments and has no idea what he's gotten himself into. As he
goes about his investigation with neurotic innocence, I half expected
him to blurt out "The butler did it in the billiards room with the
meat cleaver!".
While Depp provides
just the right blend of comedic timing with childlike intr igue,
it was the casting of indie-queen Christina Ricci that left me scratching
my head. This may have been too much of a stretch for her, as she
clearly seemed uncomfortable with the role. Some effort is made
to establish a romantic link between Depp and Ricci, but it seemed
too forced and didn't work for me.
The film starts
off with strong promise, but it steadily loses its suspense with
each passing minute. The Headless Horseman's pursuit of his victims
are clearly the most exciting parts of the film. After a while,
the beheadings become almost routine, even if there are a lot of
them (I counted 15). Also, the Headless Horseman should be a spooky,
creepy, larger-than-life, mythical figure. When he is finally revealed
to be nothing more than a p-whipped pawn for the revenge-seeking
Lady Van Tassel (Miranda Richardson), he stops being scary, and
you almost feel sorry for him.
As one would
expect, the visual style for the film is nothing short of beautiful.
Sleepy Hollow is filled with so many foreboding images--spindly
trees that seem to take the shape of tortured souls, an eternally
dark and gloomy sky, pumkinheads atop scarecrows--that it's a wonder
people ever decided to settle there in the first place. Burton's
use of monotone colors makes the intensity of the blood (and lots
of it) stick out even more. If anything, it's the soundtrack music
that seems out of place. While composer Danny Elfman has always
served to successfully underscore the theme of Burton's past works
(most notably "Ed Wood"), it only seems to conflict more with the
mood he is trying to set here.
The impressive
production values are not able to detract from the problems with
the story. Anytime a movie has to literally explain itself as it
goes along is a clear indication that something is wrong. I was
hoping to lose myself in a really good ghost story, and the next
thing I know I'm wrapped up in some revenge tale about money and
greed. Where'd that come from? This overused 20th century fable
seemed out of place in such a moody 18th century piece. In the end,
I found myself wracking my brain so hard trying to figure out what
was going on that I just lost my head.
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