Being a precocious child, I actually READ "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" before seeing any of the movie versions, and it quickly became my favorite Halloween story. The very first film adaptation I saw was the 1949 Bing Crosby version, which, being Disney, is perfect for children and even stays closer to the original than most Disney films tend to do, surprisingly. The 1980 Jeff Goldblum version is NOWHERE near to the original, either in its casting or setting, and of course the Johnny Depp version is Tim Burton's story, not Washington Irving's. THIS version, however, is close to spot-on! Some of the lines are even directly from Irving! Brent Carver is a perfect Ichabod, a protagonist who is our "hero" but also conceited and slightly deluded; and Rachelle Lefevre is a charming Katrina, the picture of a young Dutch heiress. Their love triangle is completed by Paul Lemelin playing Brom, the foil to Ichabod: young and athletic while Crane is middle-aged and bookish, the hunk while Crane looks like an actual crane! The only aspect in which this version deviates from the source is that this Katrina seems legitimately interested in Ichabod, whereas the original story makes it quite clear she is only using him to make the carefree Brom jealous and encourage him to settle down with her. I was pleased to see this version included Ichabod daydreaming about becoming master of Van Tassel farm (which reveals his true interest in Katrina) and even the classic ambivalent ending which leaves the dual possibilities of there actually being a ghost or just Brom playing yet another prank. These two possibilities are both presented in the book, yet most film versions ignore that. As someone who teaches "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" to middle schoolers and used to follow it up with the Bing Crosby version, this is now my preferred version!
Review of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
(1999 TV Movie)
Most authentic version I've seen!
27 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers