Sleepy Hollow Essay, Research Paper
Looking at literature through a manager s critical camera lens is an effectual manner to see a piece of literature every bit good as history. Through a ocular version of Washington Irving s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Tim Burton takes on the disputing undertaking of efficaciously entertaining an audience every bit good as reciting a portion of history. Burton tries to recapture Irving s narrative by uniting the physical milieus of the eighteenth century with the component of Hollywood. Burton s reading works adequately in assorted parts of the film but finally takes on a life of its ain by the grandiose scene of Hollywood. This portraiture of literature neglects the literary but does try to locate the audience historically.
Icabod Crane, characterized by Irving as a tall, but extremely lank, with narrow weaponries and legs, custodies that dangled a stat mi out of his arms ( 950 ) dramatically alterations in Burton s representation. Burton utilizes the popular immature fine-looking face of Johnny Depp. The individuality of Crane drastically changes as this component of Hollywood inserts itself, making a barrier in portraying Irving s narrative accurately. The lead male, Depp, enters the town of Sleepy Hollow, non like the lanky adult male Irving portrays, but exudating professionalism and anticipating regard from the townsfolk. Although Crane is inaccurately cast, the character of Katrina Van Tassel played by Christina Ricci, is similar to Irving s description. Irving writes Katrina was a bally young girl of fresh 18 & # 8230 ; and rosy-cheeked ( 1288 ) . Throughout the movie her character systematically looks like a individual who could hold lived in the eighteenth century.
Along with the character of Katrina Van Tassel, the environment in which Burton chooses to put the movie does stand for a true word picture of a little town. The verdure, the houses, the music, the parties, and the authorities all display interesting parts of a little community. An add-on Burton makes that contributes vastly to the narrative is the little town authorities. Irving narrative briefly introduces us to the Van Tassels, but Burton extends the written word and formulates a credible system that incorporates al the necessary maps to regulate. Burton s effort to animate Irving s narrative hits several velocity bumps along the manner. The original narrative focal points on the character of Crane as a individual from an outside storyteller, while the film turns Crane into a constable. Crane is sent to look into the beheading of several townsfolks. Other historical malpositions show themselves when Burton set
s the narrative in 1799 about 12 old ages before Irving s puting. This creates a job for Burton building of an accurate literary version.
Icabod Crane portrayed in Irving s narrative, portions similar features to Dr. Rappaccini in Nathaniel Hawthorne s short narrative of Rappaccini s Daughter. Hawthorne s character has an eerie presence, he is described as tall, emaciated, sallow, and sickly looking adult male ( 1288 ) . Although Irving s character does non portray features of sickly like Dr. Rappaccini, his properties consist of those resembling the uneven adult male whom people inquiry. Another characteristic Crane portions with Dr. Rappaccini, seen merely in the film, is the component of scientific discipline. Dr. Rappaccini, the scientific nurseryman ( 1287 ) and Burton s word picture of Crane are slightly shunned by the outside because of the scientific discipline they explore. Burton s Crane uses scientific discipline as a tool of probe of decease. The outside communities of New York and Sleepy Hollow do non understand this method of probe because the presence of other beliefs.
The advantages to sing this film as a piece of history come from the Gothic scenery of New York in 1799 and the mysteriousness of foreign thoughts. Burton, although diverting from the literature, he does take the spectator to the physical environment of New York and Massachusetts. The entryway of Crane comes with a Gothic background of New York, exposing the phantasy and surreal feature of the film. The attitudes towards scientific discipline, in the film, show that the bulk of people were turned off by Torahs or rules of scientific discipline.
Throughout the film the viewer gets a glance of the rough world of the late 1700 s, sometimes even widening world by picturing the mode in which little and big authoritiess assemble. As viewing audiences we watch the scenes as a means non to be educated, but entertained. In reading the narrative and sing the film, one can see that Burton did non disregard the wit in Irving s short narrative. There are several cases where the spectator is to the full cognizant of the sarcasticness of Crane and the townsfolk. This sort of wit besides displays Crane s presence as a alien, who did non understand little towns and how they functioned.
The jobs with the movie delivery in the yesteryear to life comes in when Burton romanticizes excessively much. The original narrative line does non remain integral and the alterations of portraying history merely make an interesting narrative. Burton uses excessively much freedom hence, doing the film a factitious version of Irving s astonishing narrative.