Director : Tim BurtonExecutive Producer : Francis Ford CoppolaCast : Johnny Depp,Christopher Walken,Cristina RicciPlot :Based on the novel by Washington Irving "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow" where constable Ichabod Crane is sent to inspect the horrific and mysterious murders by the Headless Horseman by his rather scientific methods.Review: Horror ! Mystery !! Fantasy !!! Thats what ties Depp and Burton together and now when they get a Washington Irving piece to fantasize upon,they can keep no stones unturned. The movie starts with the backdrop of ancient New York City of 1799(a symbolism between the doorstep of the enigamtic 18th century and the industrially awakened 19th),yes you just have to comprehend it yourself when you are watching a Burton movie!!!And Depp,the constable with a rather scientific bent of mind wants all trials and justice to be meted out after a thorough investigation.And blessed he is(or cursed),cause he is sent to the Sleepy Hollow to exercise his scientific methods where even pontific exercises have failed. I shall not talk about the story anymore and spoil the treat for a numerous others.I shall not say how the constable watched death and felt the chasis of hell below his heels,I wont say how the magic spells cast me into a trance and transformed my being into the valleys of Sleepy Hollow.
I shall talk about the performers.The brilliant look of darkness on the eyes of Depp.Ohh how well he portrays the weakness of the living versus the undead,yet the valor to strike the same.He is a phenomenon once again.The narrative flashbacks,without any dialogues were the strongest part of the movie where Lisa Marie and the young mysterious child -Depp's imaginative childhood was shown with the highest detail of fantasy possible.The production is gorgeous in every way; the cinematography is hauntingly beautiful, the set design is incredible and the way Burton uses the landscape to match his story is awe-inspiring.
And this is how Sleepy Hollow works....in the darkest part of our cerebrum..in the sleepy imaginative figments of our own quest for the past...what if the tides of time swing back someday??What if graves are unearthed??What if Tim Burton's muse was real???
We shall turn back to Johnny Depp.
AMEN !!!
My Rating: 8/10