Film Analysis- 'Sleepy Hollow'

Release Date: 7 January 2000

Genre: Mystery

Director: Tim Burton

Brief Synopsis:

In the early United States of America, young policeman Ichabod Crane is sent to from New York to the fledgling settlement of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of ghoulish murders. On his arrival, the town council informs him that the three victims were killed in open ground, and the heads had disappeared - taken by a headless ghost that is supposedly responsible. Ichabod is unconvinced of this, but learns more about the ghostly horseman - it is the ghost of a Hessian sent by the British during the revolutionary war, and he was caught by redcoats and decapitated with his own sword. When Ichabod sees the ghost kill one of the town council members, his skepticism evaporates - and he soon discovers that the horseman's ghost has an unholy connection to Balthus Van Tassel, a wealthy farmer - and whose daughter Ichabod is falling in love with.

Analysis of opening minutes:

The camera angles are all different giving us an idea on the characters and it looks up at some showing that they have authority. The focus is on this one man walking down the street blurring out the other characters in the background, giving the audience that the man in focus will be the main character in the film. We can easily tell that the film has a historical setting by the costumes worn and the style of the houses. There are major elements of a horror film shown in the opening for example the lightning clouds, the howling wolf the high pitch dark and eerie music. A tracking shot is used to follow the main character down the street; in this shot we can see people shutting their windows as a sign of anxiety and fear. This has a contrast in atmosphere from when people were out playing and laughing in the street. This gives the audience a level of suspicion and uncertainty about this character.