Sleepy Hollow (1999) (3rd time?)

Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of 3 people with the culprit being the legendary apparition, the Headless Horseman. [imdb]

Nominated for 3 Oscars:

Best Cinematography
Best Art Direction (WINNER)
Best Costume Design

I've catched this on tv the other night. It's a film I've adored ever since I first saw it almost 10 years ago. It's probably my favorite Tim Burton film! I correct that: it's definitely, not probably. I've read something today: that the film has few in common with the original short story written 200 years ago. Honestly, I can't say I care, because the plot of Sleepy Hollow is so interesting & captivating I doubt it could've been much better.

If there is such a category, then I name Sleepy Hollow my favorite Gothic film. The mood of the film is so fascinating, and that's due to the excellent direction and the gorgeous cinematography from legendary Emmanuel Lubezki (who also shot The New World and Children of Men); the tones of gray are sublime. Actually, all the technical part is fabulous: the costume design, the art direction (a much much deserved Oscar!), the original score, the makeup, the fx, the editing. The performances are good, with a special mentioning for the short (but very memorable) performances given by Christopher Walken (!!!) and Miranda Richardson. And Christina Ricci looks better than ever.

It's rare that you find a film to satisfy both the blockbuster hunger in me (we all need a bit of action and scare once in a while), the desire for a great story and mystery (you have it here), the need to see something executed without technical flaws (perfect!) and to have something that's both a fantasy and a costume drama :D

My rating for the film: 9.5/10 I hesitated a bit. But I'm going with 9.5. Sleepy Hollow probably makes it in my Top 30 ever. A smart captivating fantasy, with style and class.