I
recently decided to use rottentomatoes.com, as a more regular
resource for this blog. The general consensus from critics and the
audience scores, are helpful tools when deciding on a film to
suggest. "Sleepy Hollow", like many of the movies I've
commented on, is a show that was already familiar to me. Looking at
the information, that the website provides for this picture, you'll
note that the genres listed are: Horror, Romance, Mystery and
Suspense.
The
list from Netflix is somewhat different. On the introductory page,
the Horror and Mystery classifications are there, but Romance is
omitted. It also adds Science Fiction, Fantasy and 'Supernatural
Horror', but Suspense is notably absent. So where exactly is this
film genre-wise and why would there be a disagreement?
Classic
Movie Trailers - "Sleepy Hollow" (1999)
The
problems actually start with the classification system itself. If you
consult Wikipedia regarding film genres, you'll see that academics
haven't settled on a sure way, to divide and categorize cinema;
several methods are actively used. Among the considerations are the
actual size of the film, be it 8 or 16 millimeter, the target
audience, the amount of money put into the production and other
factors. For the sake of simplicity, let's focus on works of fiction
and their different narrative elements.
Obviously,
there is Drama to consider. The other words, we commonly associate
with films are: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Tragedy, Western, Crime,
and every word attached to "Sleepy Hollow" as it stands,
save for "Supernatural". Now here is where it gets really
complicated. You see, these genres are also divided into different
types.
If
we decide to group movies based on their setting, we can talk about
War movies and Space movies and Westerns. We could also look to
include Victorian Era films and those that take place during Medieval
times. If theme is more significant, we can look at Crime, Science
Fiction, Fantasy and Adventure, even Supernatural arguably fits.
Let's say for the sake of argument, that we'll settle on mood; that
brings Comedy, Tragedy, Horror and Drama upfront, with Romance as
either a subgenre, or a genre in itself.
I
don't know about you, but I'm lost. Exacerbating the difficulty, is
the fact that these genres are not mutually exclusive. Actually, it
is much more helpful to look at setting along with mood and theme. I
mean, let's face it; yes a movie can be a Western, but is it a Crime
Western, a Comedy Western, or an Action film with Tragedy? All of
those things can be true.
So
let's bring it back down to "Sleepy Hollow" specifically.
We may not be able to set up a solid category to place it in, but maybe
we'll agree on what the ingredients are. Both of our sources claim
that this is a horror movie and I think that's hard to dispute. There
is some mystery regarding the Headless Horseman, his origins and his
motivations, so that's an element as well.
Netflix
doesn't recognize the budding romance, but I think that was
prevalent. Christina Ricci's character and her relationship, with
Depp's Ichabod Crane, is a major theme that starts early and ends
late. If we take a look at the fantasy elements, magic is used to
affect the supernatural. Without both of those devices, you need a
different resolution and by using something else, you get a different
movie.
Science
fiction is the one thing I can't see. Granted, Crane's devices are
queer-looking, but there isn't anything advanced, or futuristic about
them. The man himself, is much closer to 'Sherlock Holmes' than 'Dr.
Who'. He has an empirical, scientific way of looking at the world,
which doesn't include time travel and teleportation.
There
is suspense though, and if we fail to recognize that, I think we miss
something significant. For my money, there's at least three different
kinds of horror. You have your spooky, supernatural ghost stories,
the gore fests and the thriller. In the latter example, the fear
comes from the speed of the pursuer.
This
movie isn't about blood at all. Heads definitely roll, but they do so
quickly and cleanly. There is a violent death involving Crane's
romantic adversary, but even that is shot from afar. "Sleepy
Hollow" doesn't try to gross you out; the tone of the film is
lighter and that brings about a major point.
If
this was a serious film, Depp wouldn't have feinted onscreen. He
wouldn't have cringed behind his blankets, like a kid with
goosebumps. The performance he gave was theatrical, exaggerated and
amusing. If you wondered why Comedy wasn't listed at the beginning,
you're absolutely right to question it.
This
is a comedy, ladies and gentlemen; this is a comic book. This is
"Tales From The Crypt" with a nod, a wink and a pinch on
the cheek. The main villain laid out the entire plot at the end, and
reminded me of "Scooby-Doo Mysteries". I am utterly
clueless, about how both websites missed the humor. It just goes to
show you though, it's definitely not easy.
-----------------------------------------
@ChannelSeals
Watch
"Sleepy Hollow" on Netflix!
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