Walken Gets Some Head
Saturday, October 17th, 2009
"Ohhh. So this is how Tim Burton sees the world."
You might not have thought about it, but there’s a tenuous link between the films Sleepy Hollow and Cutthroat Island. Don’t see it? That’s okay. It’s kind of strange. In Sleepy Hollow, Johnny Depp’s Ichabod Crane gets covered in blood and gore several times throughout the film. In Cutthroat Island, Matthew Modine gets hit on the head at every oppurtunity. Why do these things happen? Because Renny Harlin and Tim Burton are dicks, obviously. They thought it was funny to torment their actors. They were right.
Tim Burton’s adaptation of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (or Ichabod Crane…SEE! I’ve read a book!) is kinda true to its source material. Most of the characters are there. Depp as Crane, Christina Ricci as Katrina Van Tassel, Christohper Walken and Ray Park as The Headless Horseman. The movie looks great, I think, with Burton eschewing most of his weirder film elements to make a clean, well paced movie. Johnny Depp’s performance as Inspector Ichabod Crane is fantastic, as Depp plays him as more Nancy Drew than Sherlock Holmes. To be fair, Nancy Drew had much more spine than Depp in Sleepy Hollow.
Inspector Ichabod Crane is deliberately sent to the small village of Sleepy Hollow, New York to investigate a series of strange happenings because his belief in science has thoroughly pissed off his contemporaries. He does so with the most scientific methods (kinda) of the day. He performs autopsies, he walks the forensic grid, and he clings stubbornly to the belief that science will win in the end. It won’t. His host’s daughter Katrina takes a shine to the policeman, and a previous victim’s son, Young Masbeth (Marc Pickering) both help him in his investigation. But, when things turn supernatural, it’s all Crane can do to keep his sanity, let alone figure out the vast revenge conspiracy behind the legend of The Headless Horseman who decapitates his victims. There is mystery here, and it’s actually a pretty good one. Why does The Horseman do what he does? Trust me, he’s not looking for a new head in this version.
I’m of two minds on this film. Burton makes a very beautiful, very eerie film here. The conceit that Ichabod Crane is a police inspector instead of a school teacher is a master stroke. Unfortunately, in establishing the autumnal feel of the tired village, Burton also lulls me to sleep. Rarely am I able to stay awake through this movie. That’s not to say it’s boring! It’s not. It’s just that perhaps the ambience is a little too effective.
And, am I the only one, when this was over who wanted to see the continued adventures of Ichabod, Katrina, and Young Masbeth? Can I get another Ichabod Crane film, please? It doesn’t even have to be these actors…but I love the concept!
Watch the movie, but be forewarned. It feels like a Disney film(Which it is, of sorts), but there’s gore and scares aplenty. Let’s not forget what The Headless Horseman wants from you.
Your virginity…Shit! Head…I meant head.
Posted on October 17th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I love anything Burton, so no wonder I love this movie. I couldn’t put it as eloquently as you sir Bryan, but what you said about the “autumnal feel of the tired village” that Burton creates and it being “a very beautiful, very eerie film” I totally agree with. That’s what I find so intriguing about all of Burton’s films. Yes..beautiful and eerie pretty much sums it up. From the opening scene where we see Van Garret riding in his carriage down the country roads amidst the corn fields and scarecrows, with the purposeful sound stage appearance of the thunder and lightning, to the big creepy windmill that is almost a character in itself, to the haunted forrests, the visually stunning flashbacks of a young Ichabod and his mother dancing in the woods with dandelion puffs floating all around them, and even the iron maiden gushing gallons of blood into the big, cold, marbled rooms…every scene breathtakingly beautiful and totally eerie.
I like how Burton made Ichabod a detective instead of the school teacher we’ve seen in every other version. It was a really smart move and made for a really interesting who done it story with twists and turns. Then in the end we find out everybody done it. lol.
I’d never really thought about a continuation following Ichabod, Katrina, and the boy..but now that you mention it I think that would be pretty cool to see. : ) I really liked the Holmes and Watson-esque relationship between Ichabod and Young Masbeth, so I’d be down for seeing what other sleuthing adventures they could get into or even see more of a father/son relationship develop between them.
Another thing I loved about this movie is Christopher Walken as the horseman. The casting was brill…but I think the same thing of every movie which casts Walken. : ) He really is one of my very favorite actors. He made a terrifying horseman, but actually made me think, “well maybe he ain’t so bad” at the end when he is reunited with both head and horse by giving his horse a loving stroke and smile. Yeah. That smile. A smile only a mother and horse could love? lol. One of my favorite parts of the movie I think is the end when he grabs Van Tassle’s wife up onto his horse and he has that ‘let’s get it on’ look on his face and gives her, let’s face it, one of the most romantic kisses in cinematic history. Ha. The look on her face afterwards is priceless.
I’ll end by saying this….I know this is the second time in a week mentioning this movie on your site, so forgive me…but the whole witchcraft, revenge, conjuring up and controlling the horseman thing is very similar to that of Pumpkinhead. Really similar actually. I wonder if Burton maybe borrowed from it? I noticed the similarity the first time I watched Sleepy Hollow, so I thought it would be worth mentioning here for the sake of discussion.
Again..great review Bryan. Can’t wait to read your next one. : )
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 4:27 pm
This is my fave adaptation of the story. I totally agree with both of you.