Sleepy Hollow HD DVD Review

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Title: Sleepy Hollow

Media: HD DVD

Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy

Stars: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Casper Van Dien, Jeffrey Jones, Michael Gough, Ian McDiarmid, Christopher Walken, Christopher Lee, Martin Landau, Alan Armstrong, Lisa Marie, and Ray Park

Writers: Andrew Kevin Walker

Based On The Novel By: Washington Irving

Director: Tim Burton

Feature length: 105 minutes

Extras: Two Trailers, "Reflections Of Sleepy Hollow" Cast And Crew Interviews, "Behind The Legend" Featurette, Feature Length Audio Commentary Track By Director Tim Burton.

Languages: English, French, and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Sound and English DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound

Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Deaf And Hearing Impaired and English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles

Packaging: Elite Red HD Case

Chapter Stops: 19

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Sound and DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound

Year of Theatrical Release: 1999/HD DVD Release: 2006

Theatrical Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Home Video Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment

MPAA Rating: R

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

"Sleepy Hollow" is a must purchase for fans of the film and admirers of Tim Burton's signature visual style of storytelling now that it is available on HD DVD. Few filmmakers have such a unique filmmaking approach that makes every film a window into another world. I’d say the Director who comes closest to Burton with a distinct visual thumb print all his own is Terry Gilliam and it is no surprising that both men started out as animators. Filled with a cast of Burton feature film alumni such as, but certainly not limited to Jeffrey Jones, Michael Gough, Christopher Walken, Lisa Marie, and in his third feature film collaboration with Burton, Johnny Depp, who had previously worked together on "Edward Scissorhands" and "Ed Wood." Since “Sleepy Hollow” Depp and Burton have collaborated on “Charlie And The Chocolate Factory” and on “Corpse Bride.” One might compare the relationship between Director Tim Burton and Actor Johnny Depp to be a bit like the relationship between Director Martin Scorsese and Actor Robert DeNiro and most recently Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, whose third film collaboration in a row is being released theatrically in the fall of 2006. The parallel I draw here is that it seems that the pairs seem to work very well together and in the case of each, it seems like some of their best work has been done working on films together instead of apart.

The film also brings back long term music composer for Tim Burton's films, Danny Elfman and ironically adds "Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace" acting alumni Ian McDiarmid and Ray Park, who again demonstrates his incredible fighting skills as the embodiment of the "Headless Horseman." This film was Executive Produced by Francis Ford Coppola who had previously brought his own version of "Bram Stoker's Dracula" to the screen along with Kenneth Branagh's directorial version of "Mary Shelly's Frankenstein."

Like the other films mentioned above, "Sleepy Hollow" is not a live action Disney film or a word for word adaptation of Washington Irving's novel, but rather a modern reinterpretation combining the talents of Burton's detailed visual style, Andrew Kevin Walker's excellent writing ability, and the diverse acting talent's of the ensemble cast. Like most if not all Tim Burton films, "Sleep Hollow" is a treat for the eyes to behold.

Paramount presents this HD DVD edition of "Sleepy Hollow" in a (1.85:1) widescreen presentation that at once preserves the dark muted and moody look of the film, but while the film is encoded in VC1 with 1080p maximum resolution potential, there is fine grain that I did not notice when I reviewed the DVD back in 2000. It is still a great looking HD DVD disc, but I thought the clarity of the background detail would be sharper.

The sound is amazing with powerful music, ambient sounds, and dialogue creating a visceral effect. English, French, and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Soundtracks are included as well as an English DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Soundtrack. The difference between the English Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Soundtrack and English DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Soundtrack was almost undetectable on my receiver, which decoded both Soundtracks as DTS Neo 6. Both are better than the soundtrack on the original DVD release, but it’s simply too close to call given my current audio equipment if there is any improvement between the Dolby Digital Plus and DTS Soundtracks at least for this release. English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well as English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles are encoded onto the disc as options too.

A host of extras included from the DVD are ported over to the HD DVD release. “Reflections On Sleepy Hollow” (11:24) is a vignette featuring select-videotaped cast and crew interviews while “Sleepy Hollow – Behind The Legend” (29:59) is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film complete interview clips and so forth. Both featurettes are presented in their original (1.33:1) aspect ratio with English Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound and they are encoded in MPEG-2 and upconverted from standard definition. Be sure not to view any of the supplements until after you have watched the film because they do include spoilers.

The cast biographies and photo gallery on the original DVD release have been omitted from the HD DVD release. The Teaser (2:18) and Theatrical Trailer (2:25) are presented in 1080 high definition with Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Sound and look and sound great. There is also a promo for other HD DVD titles available now and coming soon from Paramount Home Entertainment (1:19). The main menu has scenes from the film and all of the interactive menus whether or not they are activated while the film is still in progress are well rendered and easy to navigate. Tim Burton's Feature Length Audio Commentary is also included, but he seems a bit quiet so do not expect a commentary that is constantly screen specific.

Despite a picture transfer that is less than I expected, “Sleepy Hollow” is still a terrific HD DVD release from Paramount Home Entertainment that is available now at retailers on and offline and I highly recommend it.

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