Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Ichabod Crane	Johnny Depp	½
Katrina Van Tassel	Christina Ricci	½
Crone	Miranda Richardson
Baltus Van Tassel	Michael Gambon
Brom Van Brunt	Casper Van Dien	-
Reverend Steenwyck	Jeffrey Jones	-
Burgomaster	Christopher Lee	-
Magistrate Phillipse	Richard Griffiths	-
Doctor Lancaster	Ian McDiarmid	-
Notary Hardenbrook	Michael Gough	-
Hessian Horseman	Christopher Walken	½
Young Masbath	Marc Pickering
Lady Crane	Lisa Marie	-
Killian	Steven Waddington	-
Beth Killian	Claire Skinner	-
High Constable	Alun Armstrong	-
Van Garrett	Martin Landau	-

Review

Have you ever seen a film in which Johnny Depp was miscast? Or a character he couldn't quite pull off? Because this is exactly what Depp has proven himself to be among the best at: to truly embody his characters. His striking features can be made to appear delicately sensual or eerily mysterious. In Sleepy Hollow, he combines both with a dose of cheerful humour.

In their third collaboration, it's the combined talents of Depp and filmmaker Tim Burton that elevate the gothic horror of Sleepy Hollow from a rather ordinary tale (based on a 19th-century short story) to a delightful cinematic experience. On a base level, this is fairly genre-conventional stuff, and the ending aligns with that. But throughout the film, Burton and Depp craft a world of eccentric characters, peculiar settings, and Burton's signature talent for visual extravaganza, which is what really sets him apart from today's filmmakers. Sleepy Hollow is another fine example of this – from the wonderfully realised village to the meticulously crafted costumes and the delightful lighting. Burton goes dark here – really dark – but not without the occasional glimpse of merriment. So despite the dark lighting and themes, this is no noir, but rather a good, old-fashioned example of gothic ficiton, which creates the foundation for the film's horror elements, much like Francis Ford Coppola did with Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Still, Burton finds room for plenty of other fun elements. Through Depp's character, he steps into Agatha Christie's shoes, playing with the conventional hero by turning him into a wimp – a nervous, romantic, reckless, and clumsy wimp – who still manages to charm us to pieces, all thanks to Depp's delightfully enigmatic charisma. And on his journey, he is aided by Burton, who sows and harvests props like the proponents of Old Hollywood. This is classy, traditionalist filmmaking that owes a lot to film history – and isn't afraid to admit it.

Copyright © 22.03.2000 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang
(English version © 20.02.2025 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang)