Martinez- Sleepy Hollow

Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow and Washington Irving’s short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow are two very different stories shared by the same title. There is nothing wrong with this, Burton, just like Irving, has creative license to make the movie in the way he wanted. Both the story and the movie are creative and interesting in their own way. In my personal opinion, I believe that Burton is using the title and the characters to enhance this horror story and turn it into something creepier that Irving’s. One of the few similarities is the Headless Horseman- in both cases he is a German Hessian. Irving’s story has a dread that hangs throughout the tale, but it is nowhere as creepy as Burton’s movie. Burton’s depiction is much more eerie and horrific, especially through his use of dark colors and contrasts with pale coloring. In my opinion, he took Irving’s eerie-ness and turned it up a notch to fit his artistic style. The depiction of Irving’s characters is very different in the movie that in the story. In the short story, Ichabod Crane is a schoolteacher and in the movie he is a detective from New York. What Burton did take away from the original Ichabod was how Ichabod was easily scared and spooked. Both the story and the movie he jumps at anything and gets scared easily. I think Burton did this because it is comedic that a detective would be scared and spooked so easily. One would think that someone assigned to a murder investigation would not be so easily scared of blood. In both the short story and the movie there is the element of magic and supernatural practices. However they are both used differently in both accounts. In Irving’s story, Ichabod is a master of witchcraft. This is totally different from the movie where Ichabod does not believe in magic or the supernatural. The rest of the community of Sleepy Hollow had told Ichabod several times upon his arrival that the murderer was the Headless Horseman but he never believed it until he finally saw him for himself. Burton takes the character of Ichabod Crane and witchcraft from Irving’s story and dramatically changes them in his interpretation because he believed he could make a creepier and scarier depiction of the story of Sleepy Hollow. Katrina van Tassel is another main character from Irving’s story that Burton takes away and “tweaks” in his own way. In the original story Brom did not bewitch her, nor was she attracted to Ichabod. I believe Burton made Katrina have an attraction to Ichabod because he knows that an audience loves a little romance or something of a love story between two people. He used this romance to keep his audience interested in his movie. I do not think it is a bad thing that Burton strayed away so far from the original story; rather it gives more attention to both the story and the movie. Audiences are fascinated by both accounts of the legend of Sleepy Hollow because of how differently each is portrayed.

Allen- Sleepy HOLLOW

In Tim Burton's adaption of Washington Irving's "Sleepy Hollow" he incorporated the theme and characters of the story along with bits of minuscule information to match. Tim burton keeps the story line relatively the same with the exception of Icabods profession and how the headless horseman lost his head. He also gave the horseman a new identity, he was a murderous ghost that is summoned by a grduge possessed step mother. 

To me Burton is only truly using the names from Irving's story to help I hands the horror effect of his movie. Burton's loose adaption of the film barely related to the story. To begin Icabod was a school teacher who was unattractive and lived pillar to post amongst the village. In Burton's adaption Icabod was a constable who was well respected and attractive. Unlike the story Icabod was more of important role to society. He had purpose but just as all of Burton's main characters his past still haunts him. He was not religious he based his thoughts soley on science. He neglected witchcraft because it reminded him of his mother that was murdered by his father.

The romantic relationship that linked Katrina and Icabod was more serious as well. Katrina was more than just a girl who would be his meal ticket for the rest of his life he deeply cared for her and she did the same for him. She went as far as protecting Icabod from any harm that may come his way. Brom Bones was so insignificant in the film. You almost think. Brom Bones who? Anofher factor Burton inhanced was The Headless Horseman. He have him the persona of a carnage hungry soldier who lost his head by his own sword in defeat 

In my opinion Burton made the story so much more worth listening to. He have the story depth and action. By altering the genre and turning it into a murder mystery he opened the door for such a larger audience. In my opinion he helped Washington complete a work of art. 

Hasty, Anna- Sleepy Hallow

           

             After reading Irving’s story and watching Tim Burton’s film Sleepy Hallow, I believe that Burton used Irving’s title and characters to enhance his story more than anything. The main example of this comes from most obviously Ichabod Crane. In Irving’s story, Ichabod was just a strange man who was made fun of and did not really matter- even to the woman that he fell in love with. But in contrast to this, Burton made Ichabod someone with depth and a backstory. Ichabod in Burton’s film was in a way a completely different character, the only similarity being the name and experience in Sleepy Hallow. In the film, Ichabod does not go to Sleepy Hallow as a schoolmaster but he goes there to investigate serious murders. Even his job in the film is much more complex than his job in Irving’s story. To continue with this complexity, Burton adds a backdrop to Ichabod’s life, which explains why he is the way he is and why he believes the things he believes in. In this backdrop to Ichabod’s life, it is explained that his mother died by murder from his own father. His father murdered his mother simply because of his own religious beliefs, which is why Burton dedicated his belief system to pushing away the religious and supernatural and holding onto reason.

            Another main difference between Irving’s story and Burton’s film is simply that Ichabod Crane had a chance in the society of Sleepy Hallow, which allowed for a more interesting and dramatic film. By this I mean, although different, Ichabod was not immediately made fun of by everyone in Sleepy Hollow and simply not cared about like he was in Irving’s story. Ichabod developed relationships with the citizens; for example with Young Masbath and Katrina Van Tassel. In Irving’s story, Ichabod fell in love with Katrina but she laughed at him and made fun of him. But in Burton’s film, they both fell in love with each other. Their love caused discord with another citizen, Brom Van Brunt, the man she was supposed to be with. Ichabod’s relationships with the other people in the town allowed Burton to use characters from Irving’s story to create a more dynamic horror film of his own. 

Frederick- Sleepy Hallow

Tim Burton takes inspiration from Washington Irving's short story, "Sleepy Hallow". The adaption is loose... the movie is not exactly similar to the short story. Certain important points are changed, like Ichabob's occupation, and that Braun Bone's death, but some things are the same. 

Ichabob is more attractive in the adaption than he was described in the text. This was a choice Burton made that is somewhat necessary to realistically have Katrina Van Tassel be physically attracted to him. The change in his job and the story line where choices Burton made to create a more interesting story. The Irving story is extremely short, and wouldn't make the most thought provoking movie. Burton of course is interested in the gory and gruesome underlying tale of the horseman, so to fit his esthetic, he builds off of that tale. He makes Ichabob's life more perilous and dark, even in his childhood. Burton's Ichabob lost his mother to cruel torture inflicted by his father. This scarred him, but in a way but also made him more brave that Irving's character. He had faced so much horror already in his life, that he was able to be hit in the head with a pumpkin by a seemingly headless man, and stay long enough to know it was a joke! He's even brave enough to stay after he sees the real thing. 

One thing that is similar between the two tales is their theme. The theme of the supernatural versus reason. The Ichabob Crane in Irving's tale is a school teacher, a man of books. Burton's Ichabob is a constable that announces how the law should depend of reason, and he states that everything can be explained through reason, even after he sees the ghostly horseman and the tree of death. They are both men of science, men of reason. They are both superstitious despite their claims to reason however. Irving's Ichabob is obsessed with and studies books about New England, and he sits around the fire with old ladies listening to their ghost tales. Burton's Ichabob has a darker pasts, with his mother being involved with magic, that causes him to have a childlike belief in the supernatural. Irving's supernatural world overpowers his Ichabob and causes him to flee Sleepy Hallow. He leaves all reason behind him. Burton's world is submerged into inexplainable supernatural occurrences. His Ichobab still tries to reason with some things, but ultimately he gives in to having to just believe even without explanation. He gains his faith back, in a way, which he said previously he had lost. He gains faith in Katrina that causes him to check her book, he gains faith in the supernatural, and in himself. 

Seals - Mars Attacks! Rebel Error

         Well...Mars Attacks!  When I was a lot younger watching this movie I knew it was supposed to be funny, but I definitely didn't catch the whole parody theme.  From little jokes about alcoholism and greed, to calling out the funky ways of our government, Tim Burton satirized America's politics, army, and our social society as a whole in the film. 

These Mars Attacks cards look a lot scarier then what the movie portrayed.  The funny thing about the movie is that it was based off the trading cards.  If someone knew that before watching the film, I’m sure they would have mixed thoughts about how serious this sci-fi would be.  Mothers would probably not allow there kids to own the cards because they have a lot of disturbing drawings on them, but the film rendered otherwise.  Burton plays with death so that even when you see a human being dissolved by a Martian laser gun, the unsettling and violent aspect to it is depleted when the body is turned into a bright, neon skeleton, and you are left almost giggling.   

Burton plays with our society’s problems as well.  My favorite scene as an example is when Art Land and his wife are sitting in the casino talking about the hotel he wants to build.  She starts yelling at him, saying that he is ruining the environment and taking away more land from the earth and such.  Her hippy thoughts are quite true.  Art is a greedy alcoholic who simply wants to make more money for himself.  His wife isn’t so different though.  As she won’t shut up about his faulty hotel plan, all he has to do is give her some poker chips to make her feel better.  It was like spoiling a child to make them behave. 

The best scene to portray Burton’s joke on politics is when we first meet the President as Jack Nicholson.  He hears about the alien spaceships surrounding the Earth and what does he do?  Ask everyone else’s opinions.  He first went to the press so he could get a fix on what the public’s view would be, then to the general who can represent America’s violent army quite well, then the second general who doesn’t make decisions either, and finally to the brilliant scientist who is far from brilliant.  Burton expressed the President as a puppet in this scene and throughout the movie.  Our congress was criticized too.  They were just as naïve as the scientist into thinking the Martians were peaceful after they slaughtered hundreds of people in the desert.  That slaughter was ridiculous and showed how powerful the army could be.  I loved the scene when the President was sitting with a dead expression on his face without a solution to stop the Martins and the aggressive general was screaming at him to “Kill! Kill! Kill!”  Burton revealed the great minds of some of the most powerful people in our country.

Feltes- Mars Attacks

The movie Mars Attacks, directed by Tim Burton, satirizes the government, military, capitalism and patriotism by depicting a scenario in which aliens from Mars land on our planet and wreak havoc. The scene in which the aliens land and are greeted by Earths ambassador is particularly humorous, in which the aliens flip out and start shooting everyone in attendance because a hippie form the crowd released a dove into the air. In this scene, the U.S. military presence is portrayed as close to useless; the aliens cut down soldier after soldier with their advanced laser beam technology. Burton has the soldiers run around like crazy, unsure of what to do and ignoring their basic training, and kills several minor characters played by very famous actors, including Michael J Fox and Jack Black. In doing this, Burton mocks current Sci-Fi movies and how they tend to kill off minor characters played by mediocre actors while the more recognized actors miraculously escape.

In general, Americans are raised to believe that sacred institutions, such as the government and the military, can be trusted and relied upon to make beneficial decisions for the safety of their country. In this film, the government invites the aliens to land on Earth repeatedly, and each time the aliens murder people mercilessly. In this way, the film is saying that sacred institutions invite their own destruction and don’t learn form their mistakes, which could be expressive of Burton’s views of the government. In a scene in the movie, an alien disguised as a beautiful woman manages to get into the white house to have sex with the presidents PR representative. The disguised alien is very odd, in that it says nothing, and sways constantly as it walks and seems to merely float across the ground as opposed to walking on it. The film mocks the government in that the alien is able to murder the PR rep very easily and even get into the presidents chambers in an attempt to assassinate him before it is killed. This really speaks to the government’s lack of security, and the buffoon like qualities of some of its representatives, such as a lecherous PR rep and a security team that we’re so distracted by the fake woman’s beauty that they completely ignore her unearthly attributes when the protection of their leader should be their foremost concern. In the movie Alien, the aliens are portrayed as vicious beasts that have the ability to tear humans apart with ease and the humans can do almost nothing to stop them. This is mocked by the aliens in this movie, that are defeated by yodeling in the final scenes, really mocking the myth that all aliens are superior to humans in almost every way.

Lake - Mars Attacks!

Tim Burton’s movie Mars Attacks! satirizes everything about American culture that the American people pride and hold close.  The military, nationalism, capitalism, and most importantly the government and where it chooses to place its focus in a time of crisis.  The film is centered around Martians landing on Earth and the aftermath of said event.  Burton uses Jack Nicholson to show the two different areas of America that are slowly decaying; the government and the money system.  When first learning of the Martian invasion the president goes to his press secretary for advice first and foremost.  This is comical because it shows how in any threatening situation, such as one where our planet is surrounded by hundreds of unknown “war ships,” the president would care more about image and presentation to the public over protecting the world or establishing communication.  When the Martians first came down to Earth’s surface, they were welcomed with a huge, televised ceremony where peace and communication was supposed to be established.  Mr. Super-Professor believed that because the Martians were an advanced technological species that in no way could they be violent or aggressive to the human population.  LOL!  Instead, the Martians (only 5) were able to convince the general public that they came in peace just to wipe out the masses that came out to celebrate the occasion.  This also pokes fun at the military’s ability to function against an unknown entity.  5 Martians were able to take down military personnel, tanks, helicopters, and most importantly a seemingly endless crowd of American citizens.  The military leader tells his wife that he has finally made it because of his ability to not make enemies and keep his mouth shut.  That is quite the leader for an event of such magnitude.  Art Land embodies the corruption and greed that has consumed business and the money system.  Art Land is focused on creating the most popular hotel in Las Vegas and will do so at any cost.  He does not care about other people, the planet, or the aftermath of his business venture.  He just sees an opportunity to increase his wealth and power in pursuit of the almighty dollar.  Overall, Burton uses Mars Attacks! to provide a cynical commentary on American society in a comedic way.  This is not unusual for Burton because he is known for making fun of pretty serious things, such as death and the afterlife.