sandx 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.

Leofwine_draca THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW is a cheap Canadian TV movie version of the short story. It came out in the same year as Tim Burton's blockbuster SLEEPY HOLLOW, which of course had a much bigger budget and is therefore a slicker and better realised production. Saying that, I did like the way this film presents a more traditional, anchored, and realistic fairy tale, in which the cheesy ghostly stuff is kept to a bare minimum.Needless to say that unknown actor Brent Carver gives a much better performance as Ichabod Crane than Johnny Depp did in the Burton film. Depp played it as all quirk, a desperate attention-seeking performance that turned my stomach. By comparison Carver is nervy and mild-mannered, much closer in realisation to the Ichabod of the book. I'm still holding out on seeing Jeff Goldblum in the role though (he made a film of the story in 1980) as I can imagine he'd supply the definitive portrayal.Elsewhere, THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW suffers from the usual issues associated with the TV movie genre, namely lots of padding which only serves to drag the pacing down when it should be snappy. That's one of the perils of adapting a short story for a feature length movie. The romance stuff is quite horrible as is the acting of Rachelle LeFevre, later the star of TV's UNDER THE DOME. Burton's is the better version due to the budget and supporting cast alone, although I'm still waiting to see the definitive version of the story.

coolguyelijahsavestheworld Most adaptations of this beloved story are renewed with new stories, but this one sticks true to its roots. The story isn't as much as a horror movie as it would seem on the cover, but more of a drama about Ichabod Crane trying to fit into the town and fall in love with Katrina Van Tassel. The acting is pretty decent. Brent Carver as Ichabod Crane does a good job of capturing the way he acts, and severe difference from that of the other men in the community. Rachel Lefevre (who is now a star in the show "Under the Dome") does a sub-par job. She doesn't show much emotion throughout the movie until the end. Paul Lemelin, who plays Brom Bones, doesn't really add much to the movie for me. The cinematography in the movie is beautiful, and definitely nice to watch if you like that. It also captures the art of story-telling in the movie that many people probably don't realize. The whole movie is based around guys telling a story at a bar. So if things are exaggerated, remember, it's a story at a bar, it's bound to change. Overall, I really enjoyed the movie and would recommend for anyone who has ever found the story of Sleepy Hollow interesting.

mike-downing-1 The depiction of Ichabod Crane's character was so terrifically unlikable, my wife and I were hoping that the horseman (or some other character) would not only cut off Crane's head, but do it slowly and painfully.I mean, this Brent Carver guy played it over the top---like he was on Broadway. And he was such a relentless jackass that we had no sympathy for him whatsoever.I could go on with specific critiques of how this movie failed, but I prefer to not devote the energy.Just skip it and go for the Johnny Depp version. Either that, or rent the Haunted Pumpkin of Sleepy Hollow (animated). It is quite good--entertaining for kids and adults.Better yet, read Washington Irving's original story.