The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1999)

As one who has read and greatly enjoyed the book and having seen the other films of this story, I must say it is head and shoulders above the others. I particularly mention Brent Carver, his performance as Crane was first class. He evoked the character very well, unlike Johnny Depp who for once was cast in a role he could not handle. May I also say the settings and costumes were excellent.

When this movie came out, there were 2 other versions of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow released as well. One was --like this version -- a made-for-TV movie, which had Luke Perry, supply the voice of Brom Bones(it was a computer animated version), & the other one was the Tim Burton one, which totally did its own thing, with the story.The one we have here, shows Ichabod's true colours: he is only interested in marrying Katrina Von Tassel in a bid to inherit her father's estate, whereas Brom Bones truly loves Katrina. Of all the film versions, this one is the most sympathetic to the character of Brom Bones.It appears in this movie, that all the women appear to be enamoured with, and admire Ichabod Crane, while the men view him as an overblown fake. They can see past his claims to be very brave, & know that deep down, he is a coward underneath who will jump at the slightest thing.Thoroughly enjoyed it.

I thought this was the best of the "Sleepy Hollow" films that I've seen (incl. the Johnny Depp and Jeff Goldblum versions) at staying true to the original story (however, I really liked Tim Burton's version as well). Though I agree that the legend doesn't especially make for a tight 2-hour feature, this film, which I discovered accidentally on an obscure channel, was very entertaining. Brent Carver was awesome as Ichabod Crane, but the guy who played Brom Bones was a bit too "cutesie." A good choice for adults and children alike.

Not as good as the Disney animated version, but much superior to both the Jeff Goldblum and Johnny Depp versions. What makes any live action adaptation of Washington Irving's classic is the choice of Ichabod Crane (The Disney version is judged based on it's narrator, Bing Crosby, who's self-mocking "hip" style, carries the story). Certainly Brent Carver dominates this role from the start when we see him perched upon a hill looking like a scarecrow, it is a startling shot by the director. In the early TV film version, Jeff Goldblum certainly looked the part, but he was too dull. In Tim Burton's spoofy version Johnny Depp (a favorite of mine, especially in Tim Burton films) is just poorly cast (as was Wednesday Adams as Katrina, give me a break puleeeze!). This version is the closest to capturing the flavor of the classic short story. If you want to see Disney's Sleepy Hollow or Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow then the choice is obvious, however, if you want to see Washington Irving's Sleepy Hollow check out this obscure cable channel version.