Sleepy Hollow (1999)
How a legendary fable should be depicted.
Presentation:
Tim Burton was born to bring this short story to life. This is how these fables should be done, wonderful costumes, sets and atmosphere to immerse you into the period piece. The visuals have Burton’s signature flair of quirky gothic style, but he is allowed to shine and be much darker than he is usually. I would say the darkness borders more on horror with its contrast ratio, which can be distracting from the core story. This makes the film take itself more seriously than it should for some audiences that want to nitpick the plot holes and realism of a supernatural classic. If that’s not you, you should Iove the gothically pale characters and how they depicted the legendary spectral horseman.
Conclusion:
Yes, there are many creative liberties to give us a more entertaining movie departing from Irving’s classic, but with a director like Burton are you really expecting faithfully accurate adaptation? He does what he does best and interprets it based on emotional tone, capturing the spirit of the story’s mood with brooding imagery. Because of this, the story may end up being forgettable, but not the emotions you feel and that’s arguably the most important criteria for a cinematic experience.
Recommendations
The Coen Brothers’ seriously unique sense of irony.