The Art of Sleepy Hollow
Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow
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A legend in the making REVIEW BY PAT H. BROESKE The mere mention of his name summons up a roster of quirky roles in iconoclastic movies. Never mind that box office glory has eluded him. Johnny Depp is a star anyway. That status has been bolstered by his dark, brooding good looks -- and the fact that his private life (and fondness for anorexic-looking supermodels) has made him a darling of the tabloids. But by and large, what has cinched Depp's stardom is his commitment to taking risks with roles in movies that are more offbeat than mainstream. We shouldn't be surprised, then, that Depp is taking on the role of Ichabod Crane in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. The reinterpretation of Washington Irving's classic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, this film marks Depp's third collaboration with the wildly inventive Burton -- following Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood. Recall that, for the latter, Depp donned a wig and angora sweater to play the cross-dressing filmmaker who turned out some of the world's worst movies. Like we said, Depp is a man unafraid of risks. He is also a man of few interviews -- but given his oeuvre, we can assume he is drawn to projects of haunting imagery. Little wonder that Sleepy Hollow will have tie-in books including The Art of Sleepy Hollow, a hardcover containing Burton's original illustrations, which led to the sets and costumes, along with the screenplay (by Andrew Kevin Walker), as well as a novelization, Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, aimed at young adults. The chameleon-like Depp has immersed himself in a number of roles derived from books. They haven't always been successful. Case in point: the ill-advised adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's ode to the dope decade, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. A far better trip was had when Depp ventured into the mean streets of New York, cast as FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone, who recounted his undercover adventures with the Mafia in his autobiographical Donnie Brasco. For those who enjoy reading movies, there is also Robert Tine's novelization of the recent Depp thriller, The Astronaut's Wife. Of course, Depp has himself been the subject of a string of tomes. In Johnny Depp (Movie Top Ten Series), series editor Jack Hunter examines his career by offering an analysis of Depp's best roles/movies. For the curious: the roster includes such unconventional fare as Cry-Baby, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, and Depp's early entry, Nightmare on Elm Street. The more traditional -- and breathless -- approach is taken in Johnny Depp: The Biography by Nigel Goodall. For those whose tastes are as eclectic as Depp's, there is an examination of the man who appears to be his favorite filmmaker. Burton on Burton, which has a foreword penned by Depp, is essentially an extended interview with the director. There's also Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker by Ken Hanke. Though if a picture is worth a thousand words, a viewing of Sleepy Hollow may tell you all you need to know -- with an assist by the uncompromising Depp. Pat H. Broeske has never been inside Depp's Viper Room, but she's parked in its lot (illegally), since it's just down the street from the terrific west L.A. bookstore, Book Soup.
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