The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1999)

The television version is faithful to the classic tale compared to Depp’s “Sleepy Hollow”

In 1791, a charismatic but pompous schoolmaster from Hartford, Ichabod Crane (Brent Carver), arrives in the hamlet of Tarrytown, 26 miles north of Manhattan. He wastes no time in vying for the hand of the lovely Katrina (Rachelle Lefevre), but is opposed by the blacksmith, Brom Bones (Paul Lemelin). In the background is the scary legend of a spectral Hessian, who lost his head in the Revolutionary War.

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1999) details the 1820 short story by Washington Irving and debuted on television four weeks before the release of Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow.” It follows Irving’s tale pretty closely whereas Burton’s movie was a dynamic reimagining. Obviously, the latter is the more all-around entertaining film with its blockbuster budget, but this one is effective enough for those interested in the original story and don’t mind TV-budgeted limitations.

Redhead Rachelle was 20 during shooting and a highlight. I also enjoyed the going back in time to the 1790’s and getting an idea of what life was like in the Northeast back then.

It runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, and was shot in Montréal, Québec.

GRADE: B