Weekly Journal - Sleepy Hollow 1999

Introduction 

Sleepy Horror can be considered as a Gothic horror film. It is directed by Tim Burton. The theory that had been applied in Sleepy Horror is German Expressionism. This filmic style that emerged in Germany from 1919 to 1926. There have several themes are involved which are revolt, self-analysis, madness and primitive, sexual savagery. In this film, the style includes like distorted bodies and shape, bizarre and incongruous settings, high contrast lighting and lightning, and gothic content, about unnatural acts. The semantic and syntactic approach is used complimentary in this film. The filmmakers use these two approaches to classify the genre of the movie. The semantic approach can bring visual aspects such as characters, shows, locations, and sets in term of mise-en-scene. However, the syntactic approach can bring thematic aspect. It can be derived from the narrative of the film such as the type of characters, heroes, and antiheroes, etc.

Synopsis

This film is talking about the main character, Ichabod Crane is deployed to the Sleepy Hollow, New York for investigating the victim who is Peter Van Garrett, a wealthy farmer, his son Dirk, and the widow Emily Winship. The local believe that the headless horseman comes from the American Revolutionary War with a horse and searching his head. Crane has fallen in love with Katrina. Crane and Young Masbath, the son of one of the Horseman's victims, were going to investigate the truth of headless horseman and discovering the grave of the headless horseman.

Analysis

In this film, the semantic approach brings the aspect of visual like gothic setting in dramatic shadow and unnatural act. Besides, the high contrast of lighting and distorted bodies have been used in Sleepy Hollow. For example, the high contrast of light is used in most of the scene in the film. The audience can watch the contrast of lighting between light and dark. When the “fake” Headless Horseman chase after Ichabod Crane in the jungle, the audience can see the contrast between the bright side and dark side. Besides, the distorted bodies like the face of the witch when Ichabod Crane was asking the location of the Headless Horseman’s grave. Furthermore, the process of the Headless Horseman putting back his head to his body.

High Contrast of Light

Distorted Bodies

One of the themes that have been used in the film is the revolt. Ichabod Crane uses the scientific method to reduce crime in New York. Besides from this, the witchcraft also considered as an act of revolt against the legal system. For example, the witch seeks for the knowledge of netherworld to help Ichabod Crane to find the Headless Horseman’s grave. Another example like the Lady Van Tassel used the witchcraft to call the Headless Horseman to kill the one she wants.

Another theme that has been performed in this film is madness. For example, the Lady Van Tassel. She uses her life of time to revenge. Lady Van Tassel feels angry who are doing bad to her since she was young. Therefore, she governs the soul of Headless Horseman to murder people. Lady Van Tassel lived with her sister, father, and mother in the cottage. After her father died, the landlord evicts her and her family. Since Lady Van Tassel’s mother was suspected of witchcraft, no town willing takes them. After her mother died, Lady Van Tassel and her sister stay at the refuge. One day, they were passing by the path of Hessein. Lady Van Tassel saw the Horseman died. She wants to use the Headless Horseman to avenge for her. Due to the landlord show to the Lady Van Tassel and her family no mercy and let them starve, Baltus Van Tassel and his wife and children stole the Lady Van Tassel’s home, she wants to make herself mistress of he had. She started to avenge. Furthermore, she mad with her sister. This is because her sister helps Ichabod Crane and Katrina to find the grave of Headless Horseman. Hence, she kills her sister by chopped her head. From the act of Lady Van Tassel above, I can know that how she mad in her cases.

The next theme is self-analysis. Young Masbath has performed this theme in his character. Young Masbath’s father was killed by the Headless Horseman. He knows that he should revenge for his father. He has the courage to fight to the Headless Horseman for his father. He recommended himself to go with Ichabod Crane to find the Headless Horseman even nobody willing to go.

Furthermore, the theme of sexual savagery has been used in the scene of Lady Van Tassel were having the relationship with Reverend Steenwyck.

Conclusion

This is a quite nice movie to me. This is because when I am watching this movie, I can see what are the theories that had been used like German Expressionism. This movie can give me some idea like what is the idea of the German Expressionism.