SLEEPY HOLLOW [1999 / 2019] [20th Anniversary Limited Collector’s DigiBook Edition] [Blu-ray] [USA Release] A Stylish and Imaginative Screen Adaptation of Washington Irving's classic!
Master storyteller Tim Burton [‘Batman’ and ‘Edward Scissorhands’] weaves an eerie, enchanting version of this classic tale of horror. Johnny Depp is Ichabod Crane, an eccentric investigator determined to stop the murderous Headless Horseman. Christina Ricci is Katrina Van Tassel, the beautiful and mysterious girl with secret ties to the supernatural terror. Celebrate 20 years of Sleepy Hollow with an all new limited edition DigiBook with photobook containing the full text of the original Washington Irving short story!
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1999 Awards Circuit Community Awards: Win: Best Art Direction for Rick Heinrichs. Win: Best Costume Design for Colleen Atwood. Nominated: Best Sound. Nominated: Best Visual Effects. 1999 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards: Win: Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki. 1999 International Film Music Critics Award: Nominated: Film Score of the Year for Danny Elfman. 1999 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: Win: Best Production Design for Rick Heinrichs. 1999 New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Nominated: Best Cinematographer for Emmanuel Lubezki. 2000 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration for Peter Young (set decorator) and Rick Heinrichs (art director). Nominated: Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki. Nominated: Best Costume Design for Colleen Atwood. 2000 BAFTA Awards: Win: BAFTA Film Award for Best Production Design for Rick Heinrichs. Win: BAFTA Film Award for Best Costume Design for Colleen Atwood. Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects for Jim Mitchell, Joss Williams, Kevin Yagher and Paddy Eason. 2000 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: Win: Saturn Award for Best Actress for Christina Ricci. Win: Saturn Award for Best Music for Danny Elfman. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Actor for Johnny Depp. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for Christopher Walken. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for Miranda Richardson. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Director for Tim Burton. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Writer for Andrew Kevin Walker. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Costumes for Colleen Atwood. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Make-Up for Kevin Yagher and Peter Owen. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Special Effects for Jim Mitchell, Joss Williams, Kevin Yagher and Mark S. Miller. 2000 American Society of Cinematographers: Nominated: ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases for Emmanuel Lubezki. 2000 Art Directors Guild: Win: Excellence in Production Design Award for Feature Film for Rick Heinrichs (production designer), Leslie Tomkins (art director), John Dexter (art director), Kevin Phipps (art director), John Wright Stevens (art director), Ken Court (art director), Andy Nicholson (art director), Bill Boes (assistant art director), Julian Ashby (assistant art director), Gary Tomkins (assistant art director) and Nick Navarro (assistant art director). 2000 BMI Film & TV Awards: Win: BMI Film Music Award for Danny Elfman. 2000 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards: Nominated: Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki. 2000 Chlotrudis Awards: Nominated: Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki. 2000 Costume Designers Guild Awards: Win: Excellence in Period/Fantasy Film for Colleen Atwood. 2000 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards: Win: Best Actor for Johnny Depp. Win: Best Score for Danny Elfman. Win: Best Makeup/Creature FX for Kevin Yagher. Nominated: Best Wide-Release Film. Nominated: Best Supporting Actress for Miranda Richardson. 2000 Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards: Win: Best Character Makeup for a Feature film for Kevin Yagher, Liz Tagg, Paul Gooch and Peter Owen. 2000 International Horror Guild: Nominated: IHG Award for Best Movie. 2000 Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists: Nominated: Silver Ribbon for Best Foreign Director (Regista del Miglior Film Straniero) for Tim Burton. 2000 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards: Win: Sierra Award for Best Production Design for Rick Heinrichs. Nominated: Sierra Award for Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki. Nominated: Sierra Award for Best Costume Design for Colleen Atwood. Nominated: Sierra Award for Best Score for Danny Elfman. 2000 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Nominated: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing for Effects and Foley for Skip Lievsay (supervising sound editor), Thomas W. Small (supervising foley editor), Sean Garnhart (sound editor), Lewis Goldstein (sound editor), Paul Urmson (sound editor), Craig Berkey (sound editor), Richard L. Anderson (sound editor), John Pospisil (sound editor), Michael Dressel (foley editor), Scott Curtis (foley editor), Matthew Harrison (foley editor) and Tammy Fearing (foley editor). 2000 MTV Movie + TV Awards: Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Villain for Christopher Walken. 2000 National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA: Nominated: Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki. 2000 Online Film & Television Association: Win: OFTA Film Award for Best Production Design for Rick Heinrichs (production design), Ken Court (art direction), John Dexter (art direction), Andy Nicholson (art direction), Kevin Phipps (art direction), Leslie Tomkins (art direction) and Peter Young (set decoration). Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Music, Original Score for Danny Elfman. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Costume Design for Colleen Atwood. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for Kevin Yagher, Peter Owen, Liz Tagg, Paul Gooch, Susan Parkinson, Bernadette Mazur and Tamsin Dorling Barbosa. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Sound Mixing for Frank Morrone, Lee Dichter, Robert Fernandez and Skip Lievsay. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Sound Effects Editing for Skip Lievsay. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Visual Effects for James Mitchell, Joss Williams, Kevin Yagher and Paddy Eason. Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Official Film Website. 2000 Online Film Critics Society Awards: Win: Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki. 2000 Santa Fe Film Critics Circle Awards: Win: Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki. 2000 Teen Choice Awards: Nominated: Film Choice Actress for Christina Ricci. 2000 Young Artist Awards: Nominated: Best Performance in a Feature Film for a Leading Young Actress for Christina Ricci.
FILM FACT No.2: Development began in 1993 at Paramount Pictures, with Kevin Yagher originally set to direct Andrew Kevin Walker's script as a low-budget slasher film. Disagreements with Paramount Pictures resulted in Kevin Yagher's being demoted to prosthetic makeup designer, and Tim Burton was hired to direct the film in June 1998. Filming took place from November 1998 to May 1999. The majority of ‘SLEEP HOLLOW’s 150 visual effects shots were handled by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), while Kevin Yagher supervised the human and creature effects. The majority of filming took place at Leavesden Film Studios, with studio other work at Shepperton Studios, where the massive Tree of the Dead set was built using Stage H. Production then moved to the Hambleden estate at Lime Tree Valley which is a small village and civil parish within Wycombe district in the south of Buckinghamshire, England and they were there for a month-long shoot in March, where the town of Sleepy Hollow was constructed. Tim Burton said, "We came to England figuring we would find a perfect little town," producer Adam Schroeder recalled, "and then we had to build it anyway." Filming in Britain continued through April 1998 and a few last minute scenes were shot using a sound stage in Yonkers, New York the following May.
Cast: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Casper Van Dien, Jeffrey Jones, Richard Griffiths, Ian McDiarmid, Michael Gough, Christopher Walken, Marc Pickering, Lisa Marie, Steven Waddington, Claire Skinner, Christopher Lee, Alun Armstrong, Mark Spalding, Jessica Oyelowo, Tony Maudsley, Peter Guinness, Nicholas Hewetson, Orlando Seale, Sean Stephens, Gabrielle Lloyd, Robert Sella, Michael Feast, Jamie Foreman, Philip Martin Brown, Sam Fior, Tessa Allen-Ridge, Cassandra Farndale, Lily Phillips, Bianca Nicholas, Paul Brightwell, Layla Alexander (uncredited), Kelley Costigan (uncredited), Sean Cronin (uncredited), Kevin Hudson (uncredited), Martin Landau (uncredited), Nic Main (uncredited), João Costa Menezes (uncredited), Stuart Walker (uncredited) and Allen Woodman (uncredited)
Director: Tim Burton
Producers: Adam Schroeder, Andrew Kevin Walker, Celia D. Costas, Dieter Geissler, Francis Ford, Kevin Yagher, Mark Roybal, Coppola, Larry Franco, and Scott Rudin
Screenplay: Washington Irving (story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"), Andrew Kevin Walker (screen story/screenplay) and Kevin Yagher (screen story)
Composer: Danny Elfman
Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki Morgenstern, A.S.C., A.M.C. (Director of Photography)
Special Effects: Human/Creature Special Effects Created and Designed by Kevin Yagher Productions, Inc.
Image Resolution: 1080p (Color by DeLuxe)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French and Spanish
Running Time: 105 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Paramount Pictures / Mandalay Pictures / American Zoetrope / Tim Burton Productions
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ [1999] was directed by Tim Burton and is a very stylish and atmospheric as any motion picture and especially with the wonderful eerie, fog-shrouded forest sequences, gruesome decapitations, and gorgeous matte paintings that the wonderful Tim Burton offers us for our gory ghoulish delights.
‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ opens with a wonderful and delightful creepy sequence of great promise. The year is 1799, and the setting is a misty road near the small upstate New York hamlet of Sleepy Hollow. A coach carrying the wealthiest man in the district Peter Van Garrett [Martin Landau], and is set upon by a mysterious, headless rider, who, with a slash of his sword, deprives the Sleepy Hollow village of its most prominent citizen. Other equally grizzly deaths follow, and, in all cases, the killer takes the victim's head with him. The men and women of Sleepy Hollow are convinced that they are being haunted by the demonic spirit of a dead Hessian trooper who was slain in the Western Woods and a place into which no sane person will venture.
Enter Ichabod Crane [Johnny Depp], a constable sent by a judge The Burgomaster [Christopher Lee] in New York City to solve the murders and clings tenaciously to his scientific crime-solving techniques and disregards the superstitions of Sleepy Hollow's leaders who include Baltus Van Tassel [Michael Gambon], Dr. Thomas Lancaster [Ian McDiarmid], Magistrate Samuel Philipse [Richard Griffiths], Notary James Hardenbrook [Michael Gough] and Reverend Steenwyck [Jeffrey Jones]. However, when the Headless Horseman beheads another victim right in front of Ichabod Crane, the constable is unnerved. After regaining his composure, the rationalistic Ichabod Crane ventures into the forest with Young Masbath [Marc Pickering], an orphan who is the only one courageous enough to accompany him.
On top of all that, Ichabod Crane initially scoffs at the idea of a supernatural being, claiming that science can explain any odd features about the deaths and modern detective methods will lead him to the killer. At first, it seems that the Headless Horseman may actually be a local hotshot, Brom Van Brunt [Casper Van Dien] in costume, but Ichabod Crane soon learns that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in his philosophy. As his investigation continues and the headless body count mounts, Ichabod Crane finds himself falling in love with Katrina Van Tassel [Christina Ricci], the daughter of his landlord Baltus Van Tassel.
Two of the most intriguing aspects of Washington Irving's story are largely discarded in the film for some unknown reason. The first, the rivalry between Brom Van Brunt and Ichabod Crane for Katrina Van Tassel's hand, is given a brief airing before being definitively dispatched. The second, the question of whether the Headless Horseman is a genuine demon or just a man in costume, is answered before the opening credits roll. Of course, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a ghost story, and not a murder mystery.
‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ vividly reveals the shadow side of this community where things are not what they seem to be. Ichabod's intrepid investigation eventually leads him to discover that the dreaded Headless Horseman is actually being summoned by a greedy and vengeful person in town. While tracking down the truth, the constable Ichabod Crane is forced again and again to confront a secret in his own past.
Director Tim Burton has assembled an impressive supporting cast, with the exception of hunky Casper Van Dien, who is only in about four scenes. In addition to the brilliant actor Michael Gambon, several other well-known British actors are on hand, including Miranda Richardson, Michael Gough and Ian McDiarmid. Both Christopher Lee as the Burgomaster New York judge who sends Ichabod Crane to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the mysterious Headless Horseman who was originally the sadistic Hessian Horseman mercenary who is brilliantly played by Christopher Walken in a cameo role capacity, but despite this Christopher Walken portrayed his character to an amazing effect.
As a final thought of this amazing ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ film, the visual special effects detail is a total masterpiece and the sets are fantastic and the lighting is brilliant. Tim Burton has superbly used music and suspense to really build up the thrill right to the end of the film. Tim Burton has again proved his worth with a masterpiece of gothic horror. The film has been made really excellent, and especially the way the awesome special effects are used to enhance the story. I must confess I was a little reluctant at first to see Johnny Depp in the lead role, but from the outset my mind was changed as he threw himself enthusiastically into the part with exactly the right mix of assumed self-confidence tempered by a realistic portrayal of a man hopelessly out of his depth in the situation in which he finds himself. All in all this film is very well put together, with good solid acting all round, and most of all a superb plot that keeps you guessing right to the very end of the film and is definitely well worth viewing!
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Paramount Pictures presents the film ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ with an amazing Color by DeLuxe 1080p image and not Techniclor as stated elsewhere and is equally enhanced with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio that really shows off the film so splendid. I also found myself really enjoying the special look of the film, as it does enhance the oppressive gloom that fills the sullen vale of Sleepy Hollow. The film has the most defining and tone-setting characteristic that gives it a really wonderful stylized pastel colour scheme that again really enhances the look of the film. Greys and browns rule the wonderful desaturated image, while the stunning red colour of the rose on Katrina Van Tassel's cloak, the wonderful striking red colour of the Cardinal bird, and of course, the ample blood that burst forth very vividly. Skin tones, in allegiance with Tim Burton's gothic sensibilities, are pearly and beautifully luminescent. Black levels have really good detail in darker scenes. As a final thought, while it may have been state-of-the-art for its day for the film ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ well I feel even with much more up to date CGI special effects, I still think it looked totally amazing and really added to the spooky atmospheric of the film.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Paramount Pictures brings us the film ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ with two audio options and they are 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The audio mix is very clean and clear, with very open and expressive mid-range details. Gunshots, horse’s hooves, and thunder all have really sufficient low-end thud, though a slight boost in bass prowess could give the track some added dimensionality. Danny Elfman's commanding film music score assaults from all sides, with bells that toll ominously and brash horns that herald evil's presence. Many scenes features spooky sound-design, like the covered bridge sequence, and there some well-placed instances of sound panning and image tracking, but this is a largely front-bolstered track, and the rear channels are mostly confined to score and leftover ambience. So all in all the audio experience really added to a very eerie and spooky atmosphere to the film with great effect.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary by Director Tim Burton: Here Tim Burton welcomes us to this special audio commentary for his film ‘SLRPPY HOLLOW.’ Tim Burton says he likes to start the music straight away with the film logos and especially before the start of the film. The first scene of the film you see is the scene near the Sleepy Hollow village that was built specially for the film, especially the corn field, which was in a studio in Yonkers in New York. He was really pleased to have the cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki Morgenstern for his film, as he did some brilliant shots for Tim Burton and so lucky to have such a professional person for his film, that really made the film look brilliant and very special. Tim Burton was very pleased to secure the actor Martin Landau who played Peter Van Garrett at the start of the film, especially as this actor appeared in another film of his entitled ‘Ed Wood’ and was very honoured to appear in ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW.’ Tim Burton says that he felt he had some brilliant British actors in this film and especially Alun Armstrong as the High Constable and Tim Burton was very happy they wanted to participate in the film, and Tim Burton also comments that he secured the brilliant actor Christopher Lee, who he loved seeing him playing the part of Dracula in the Hammer Horror film franchise, and felt he had a very commanding performance, even though he only had a small cameo part in the film. When we see the titles appear at the start of the film and especially the names of the actors, Tim Burton informs us this was filmed in the fall of 1998 in the North of England, and wanted a certain look to the film and especially the pale colour scheme, and also says that is very important is the music by Danny Elfman who really set the theme and tone of the film. Again, Tim Burton informs us that he really loved the special titles at the start of the film and they were done by Michael Dawson the special effects assistant supervisor, who has done other film titles work for other Tim Burton films and feels it gave a great gothic eerie spooky feel to the film. Tim Burton was really pleased with the look of the Sleepy Hollow village that of course was specially built for the film and matched perfectly the model village he built, as he felt the village gave homage to the Hammer Horror films and was very pleased to be in England to make the film so to be able to soak up the vibe and again he felt the village had a great atmosphere and definitely a certain energy he was very happy about. When we see Johnny Depp enters the room with all the amazing British actors, Tim Burton is nearly salivating at all the great British actors who he was so proud to have in his film and he also felt they were really nice people to work with. Tim Burton gives some information I did not know about, and it was regarding the Sleepy Hollow village, well the location that the village was built on was in fact Her Majesty The Queen’s hunting grounds and while they were filming The Queen’s hunting party came through, but did not see them, as they were filming elsewhere. When they had finished filming, the whole village was dismantled, but they still kept the church on the grounds. Tim Burton keeps saying how amazing it was to work on the set of the Sleepy Hollow village and also the grave yard, and it was amazing how small the set was, but there was a lot false perspective to make you think the village was massive. The other reason Tim Burton loved about the British actors, is that they would do their scenes in the film and then rush off to their particular theatres in London they were appearing in and do their play. The red bird you see now and again in the film was called the Northern Cardinal and because they were very rare, they of course could not use the real one, so of course the model makers had to produce a mechanical one. When Johnny Depp with is young assistant the Young Masbath [Marc Pickering] go in search of where might the Headless Horseman be in the forest, well this was filmed at the Shepperton Studios and Tim Burton says that by the time they finished filming the forest scenes, the trees got very badly infected with lots of bugs, birds and started to feel like a real forest, and the massive tree where the Headless Horseman emerges, and of course it is a fake one made by the craftsmen at the studio and had to make it the way it was, because if it had been like a proper tree it would of touched the ceiling of the studio, and to disguise there was a ceiling, they pumped smoke up to the ceiling to give it perspective as to make it feel it was filmed on location and it saved them a $1 Million Dollars in special effects. When we see Ichabod Crane have his nightmare dream sequence, where Lord Crane [Peter Guinness] Ichabod Crane’s sadistic Father, locks up his Mother Lady Crane [Lisa Marie] in the Iron Maiden in the torture chamber, Tim Burton informs us that this was homage to ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’ [1961] film and especially the amazing actor Vincent Price, who Tim Burton adored. When Johnny Depp with is young assistant Marc Pickering are in the property of Michael Gough and are searching for evidence and Marc Pickering finds the Last Will and Testament with the seal broken, well Tim Burton was sent some amazing hand drawn illustrations by Jonathan Rosen who resides in New York and actually hired him to do that actual amazing hand written Last Will and Testament which you see Johnny Depp open up and also did the amazing illustrations you see in that book by Katrina Van Tassel that Johnny Depp throws on the fire. When you see the pandemonium of the congregation in the church, and Michael Gambon is pointing his gun at congregation while standing in front of the big church window, and you see the Headless Horseman stake take the wooden stake from the fence and throws it towards Michael Gambon and impales him, and then drags him out of the church to eventually chops his head off, well Tim Burton calls that particular scene a homage to a “Hammer Horror moment.” When we see Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci and Marc Pickering climb up the ladder inside the windmill, and the Headless Horseman throws the rope up so he gets pulled up, well Tim Burton feels this scene is a homage to the old black-and-white original ‘Frankenstein’ film and of course the windmill sails are an exact replica from the old black-and-white original ‘Frankenstein’ film. As the Headless Horseman drags Lady Van Tassel back into the tree of hell, Tim Burton says, “And here is our happy ending.” As we come to the end of the film and the end credits roll up the screen, Tim Burton says, “This is Tim Burton, and thank you for watching.” Well I say thank you very much Tim Burton for a totally enlightening and totally fascinating audio commentary, as there is not one dull moment throughout out the film, and all what Tim Burton informs us is totally engrossing and definitely gets from me a top rated five star rating.
Special Feature: SLEEPY HOLLOW: Behind the Legend [2000] [1080p] [1.37:1] [30:02] With this special feature we go the gripping behind-the-scene look at the making of the film ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ and is very well filmed with lots of fascinating insight how the film was made and especially the amazing special effects. The documentary gives a fantastic insight on the making of the ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ with interviews and glimpses into the special effects department. Very good interviews and is beautifully documented. We get to see director Tim Burton guiding the actors with certain scenes they have to perform in a certain scene in the film and also informs us that he was very excited to be reunited with Johnny Depp, who was also pleased to do be in the film, because when he was a young boy he loved to watch all kinds of horror films, because he was obsessed with them and wanted to recreate the genre in the ‘SLEEPPY HOLLOW’ film. We get to see how they produced and created the gruesome act of chopping of the actors head with the latest CGI special effects for 1999, and they did this procedure by making a plaster cast of one of the actors head, and then later on we see the artist adding on all the colouring and hair to make the head look really realistic. We get to see Christopher Walken being fitted out with special teeth and very special contact lenses, and he informs us that he was brought up in Mid Town New York and did not know anything about horses, and his experiences have not been good, so for more difficult riding shots they brought in a very special mechanical horse that was originally used in the film ‘National Velvet’ [1944] that starred a very young Elizabeth Taylor, but this time they brought it more up to date mechanically. We get to see the location for the amazing Sleepy Hollow village, which was actually built for the film in England, which took over three months to construct. We get to see the amazing secret of how the special effects team were able to create the Headless Horsemen. We then move onto seeing the full orchestra in action in the recording studio with the composer Danny Elfman talking about what Tim Burton wanted him to create the type of eerie spooky music for the film. So all in all, this was quite a good insight on all aspect of a look behind-the-scene of the making of the film ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW.’ Contributors include: Peter Cullen [Narrator], Tim Burton [Director], Christina Ricci [Katrina Van Tassel], Johnny Depp [Ichabod Crane], Miranda Richardson [Lady Van Tassel / Crone], Jeffrey Jones [Reverend Steenwyck], Casper Van Dien [Brom Van Brunt], Ian McDiarmid [Dr. Thomas Lancaster], Adam Schroeder [Producer], Kevin Yagher [Co-producer], Richard Griffiths [Magistrate Samuel Philipse], Christopher Walken [Hessian Horseman], Jess Williams [Special Effects Supervisor], Rick Heinrichs [Production Designer], Michael Gough [James Hardenbrook], Michael Gambon [Baltus Van Tassel], Scott Leberecht [Visual FX Art Director], Joel Aron [Sequence Supervisor], Jim Mitchell [Visual FX Supervisor], Sean Schur [Computer Graphics Artist], Nick Gillard [Stunt Coordinator] and Steve Dent [Horse Master].
Special Feature: Reflections on ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ [2000] [480i] [1.37:1] [11:26] This special feature is culled from press interviews around the time of the film's release and to my mind a continuation documentary like the precious special feature and "Reflections" features director Tim Burton and many of the cast reminiscing about the creation of ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW.’ It is pretty average stuff, but I found it quite interesting in hearing about how Johnny Depp initially wanted Ichabod Crane to look much more extreme, with a much longer nose and fingers, big ears and the idea that was totally vetoed by director Tim Burton early on. Reflections on ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ are more traditional, basically an assemblage of interviews conducted during the film's press junket. All of the main cast and crew are presented in this special feature. You also get to view extra behind-the-scenes footage is also edited into the mix to keep the pace snappy. Nothing exceptional, but still worth watching if you're into the film ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW.’ Contributors include: Tim Burton [Director], Johnny Depp [Ichabod Crane], Christina Ricci [Katrina Van Tassel], Michael Gambon [Baltus Van Tassel], Casper Van Dien [Brom Van Brunt] and Miranda Richardson [Lady Van Tassel / Crone].
Teaser Trailer [1999] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:17] This is the Original Teaser Trailer for the film ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW.’
Theatrical Trailer [1999] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:25] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW.’
Previews [2006] [1080p] [2.39:1] [1:20] This is a special promotional trailer for Paramount High Definition Blu-ray discs.
BONUS: To celebrate 20 years of ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ we have a very special all-new limited edition 37-page DigiBook with photobook that contains the full text of the original Washington Irving short story entitled “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
Finally, with the film ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW,’ director Tim Burton has managed to create a feature length piece of Halloween décor. The film is packed with iconic seasonal images, like the lonely mansion perched atop an empty field, the vicious-looking scarecrows, and the twisted and gnarled trees. Tim Burton bathes these elements in an ashy pallet. Quite often, our only reprieve from the bleak colour scheme is the vibrant orange of pumpkins or the dark red of a blood spatter. ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ is Tim Burton and Johnny Depp at the top of their games with this very spooky eerie film. It all gets a good updating of an iconic work of the likes of Washington Irving’s novel is no easy task, however they, and along with their excellent cast and crew, nail it 100%. The film ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ vividly reveals the shadowy side of the Sleepy Hollow community where things are not what they seem to be. Ichabod Crane's intrepid investigation eventually leads him to discover that the dread horseman is actually being summoned by a greedy and vengeful person in town. While tracking down the truth, the constable is forced again and again to confront a secret in his own past. With the film ‘SLEEPY HOLLOW’ makes you feel like you want to see more is a good film. To some people the film felt dull during some parts of the beginning, but I disagree, as the things start happening as the story unfolds to great effect, and you instantly become involved in the world of this eerie spooky film. As the film ends, you will feel very satisfied, and you definitely do not mind watching this film again. Thus, it is a Tim Burton classic film which truly deserves a place in your Blu-ray collection. If you haven’t watched it yet, I strongly suggest you to give it a go, because I know you will not be disappointed. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
