"The Headless Horseman": Black film aesthetics, a "horror" visual journey

Captain Marvel said to Claes: "If you looked better, maybe you wouldn't be so uneasy inside."

If this sentence is used to contrast horror-themed movies, it will be even more It is more appropriate: "I just want to look ugly, I just want to arouse the screams of fear in the moviegoers, and arouse your inner uneasiness and vigilance. This is my real purpose."

Therefore, horror Movies generally look "unsightly" and many people are afraid to watch them. In fact, they are really a bit of a waste.

Just looking at the name of "Sleepy Hollow" is scary enough, enough to arouse the interest of horror fans. The movie is a combination of horror, suspense, thriller, and fantasy. It does have a lot of themes, crammed into the 105-minute running time, which is overwhelming, and it is inevitable that you will have some indigestion after watching it.

The suspenseful reasoning and scientific investigation of the Headless Horseman finally turned into a fantasy adventure. Witchcraft completely defeats science, the soul realizes self-salvation, the punishment of greed, etc., in the rich Gothic style, there is a horror that is not surprising, and people can't help but remember it.

To become a classic in the hearts of horror fans, it must be appreciated more from the perspective of a literary film, enjoying the beautiful and romantic visual feast, which has already surpassed the American fantasy fairy tale plot.

Cherry blossoms bloom every year. On the mountain roadside, there are also rosacea, peaches, plums and apricots... and green grass, or the tender green on the branches. In the eyes of many people, natural things are like Human beings themselves are just as ordinary and unable to find practical meaning.

But if you understand the preciousness of the world, if you can appreciate their unique beauty and unique fragrance, can feel the vitality of natural life, and can cheer for all existence, then human beings themselves will be precious and can What a blessing it is to have the ability to perceive romance.

Horror movies are not just about violent aesthetics. An excellent movie, artistically, with a smart director, will fully capture this sensitive characteristic of people.

Movies with any theme can have different levels of atmosphere in rendering, and can withstand scrutiny from different situational angles. It's not enough to have a eulogizable theme. Talented directors like Tim Burton use dark aesthetics to perfection. "Sleepy Hollow" therefore won the Best Art Director Award at the 72nd Academy Awards, and it was well deserved.

Gothic art: Also translated as Gothic art, it is an art style originating from France in Europe. The word "Goth" originated from a tribe called the Goths who lived in the Teutonic nation of Northern Europe in the Middle Ages. This tribe was known for its brutality, toughness, and murderous nature. After centuries of migration and wandering, it finally destroyed the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century AD and destroyed classical culture. Therefore, it was called "barbarians" by the Greeks and Romans. , so the word "Goth" has meanings such as terror, ignorance, and ignorance. Gothic movies integrate Gothic architecture, Gothic novels, Gothic music, and Gothic paintings, using the essence of each film to create its own unique style.

Director Tim Burton has a pale and gloomy Gothic face, which also attracts countless Chinese fans. His movies are full of black humor, gentleness and melancholy, autistic but also very tense. The blend of cold and warm embodies the splendor in the gloom, the cruelty in the warmth, and the warmth in the darkness. In short, it is a very strange movie. world.

Gothic horror, black humor, and confrontation with death are fully demonstrated under the lens of Tim Burton, most famously in "Sleepy Hollow" and "Sweeney Todd."

The movie’s settings are derived from reality and strive to be real.

Black is the color of night, hiding absurdity and despair, as well as infinite imagination and fantasy. There is a headless horseman in the night, and there can also be monsters and monsters.

People are curious about the fear of the unknown. For example, from time to time, humans will look for the answer to death. Is there a soul after death? Where will it go? Heaven or hell? Is there King Yama? Is there reincarnation? And this is exactly what horror movies try to tell us.

In reality, we all don’t like a gloomy and depressing environment, so we close the windows when it rains, go to bed when it gets dark, and wake up to the sunshine at dawn. The mysterious and unknown things in the dark system of life are gradually revealed. People are drawn to the edge of dreams.

The excitement brought by horror movies directly focuses on human weaknesses. Please close your eyes when it gets dark. What if you don’t? What kind of scenery will you see?

Walking into the real night will make people lose their sense of direction and distance. No matter how familiar the environment is, it will instantly become unfamiliar; there are only gray black, thick ink, or shimmering light and gray white between the sky and the earth. It has lost its bright brilliance, and everywhere looks like a bottomless abyss. If you take one more step, you will be afraid of falling; at night, mysterious ghosts will fly in the sky, the wind of wings and hula will stir up people's hair, and a coldness will invade Heart and spleen. But as long as you have enough courage, you will find that the ultimate art of black is so unique, no less romantic than the day.

"Sleepy Hollow" fully demonstrates dark elements: Halloween pumpkins, weird scarecrows, wind-eroded cemeteries, dark forests, branches like devil's arms, vines wrapped around the branches, thick trees in the distance Fog, sloping roofs, dark cloudy skies, lightning, pale and slightly nervous people, and depressive and heavy music.

The beauty of the black romance in "Sleepy Hollow" lies in the carving of details: passing through the forest, the fallen leaves are colorful, like an oil painting, desolate and beautiful; the carriage runs in the night, against the black and white, the shadows of trees, cars and people , exquisite black and white silhouettes; gloomy and depressing towns, cemeteries and dirt roads, showing death and poverty, quaint European style; women's tight tops, exaggerated skirts, and lace, in the conflict between chastity and sexiness, It presents the classical beauty of Europe in the 18th century. Men's wigs and exquisite dresses also portray the old-fashioned and dignified men of this period; the black forest, with its teeth and claws dancing under the cover of fog, is like the elusive headless horseman, and the desolation reveals the ancient spirit. Sadness is a sketch of the night, dreamlike, simple and profound; the strong coldness and tranquility of black are so beautiful that they are suffocating.

"Sleepy Hollow" is not just about the fear of death, not just about galloping horses, sharp axes, bright red blood, evil witchcraft, and burning windmills. There are also beautiful dreams. In his dream, the protagonist Klein saw sunshine and flowers. In the colorful world, his gentle and intellectual mother was killed by his father, depriving him of the love in the sun. His childhood nightmare was the cruelty of family love. , the contrast between cold and heat, the killing of human nature is more ruthless than the Night Knight.

In addition to thrilling excitement, horror movies also create a visual journey through time and space, walking into history, walking into the darkness of night, and looking at the beautiful scenery.

Burton said that "Sleepy Hollow" is highly faithful to Washington Irving's original work - "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", which is actually an exaggeration. Maybe he just drew inspiration from cartoons! As for the Disney cartoon "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Todd", except for retaining some of Irving's style in language style, it has little to do with the original work.

But with Burton’s genius directing ability and Depp’s meticulous control of the character, the movie can be said to have used its theme to exert its unique charm.

The conflict between Owen and Burton: lies in the difference between culture and art. Owen was a famous American writer in the 19th century and is known as the father of American literature. He realized that American literature lacked subjectivity and believed that American writers should constantly fight against dependence on European literary forms based on experience. Only by creating a unique narrative method can it be possible to produce great national literature in the United States.

Sleepy Hollow is an ancient village where early Dutch immigrants settled on the banks of the Hudson River. The pastor of the church still preaches in Dutch. The villagers have hated the British for generations and do everything possible to maintain the traditional Dutch customs. The protagonist of the story is actually a poor rural teacher.

This is how Irving described his legendary hero: Ichabod Crane was thin and tall, with long legs and ape-like arms, with big hands hanging more than a mile below the sleeves, a pair of big fan ears, and cockfighting green eyes. , The small head is inserted into the slender neck, and the various parts of the body hang loosely on the narrow shoulders. Standing on the ground, it looks like a weathervane, making people worry that it will be blown away with the fluffy robe in the strong wind. This is completely different from the image of the handsome New York detective Depp in the movie, and the small town residents speaking English throughout the whole process. What is even more rebellious is that the movie is indifferent to the emotions of the American landscape and vegetation, and is nostalgic for the traditions of the past. It also fails to reflect that the complex and diverse human nature is simplified into moral judgments of good and evil in the movie, and well-intentioned humor also turns into mean ridicule.

The movie only has a delicious gothic style, a strong black aesthetic art, and the rhythm of the horror film is different from the literary style of the novel. It is adapted, adapted and re-edited.

So if the scenery described by Owen could be restored by a ghost, how beautiful would it be? At the beginning of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", Owen describes his boyhood dream, the pastoral scene of an ancient Dutch farm:

"Not far from Tarrytown, about two miles, there is a small The valley, or a col in the middle of the high hills, is the most peaceful place in the world. A small stream flows through the col, and even the occasional quail's call or the tapping of a woodpecker can make you sleepy. Breaking the deep silence here. I still remember the first time I came here to hunt squirrels. The tall walnut trees covered half of the valley. At about noon, everything was silent. The sound of a gunshot broke the Sabbath-like silence around me. Roaring echoes echoed in the distance. If I ever wanted to steal a moment of peace from the hustle and bustle of the world, or find a place to sleep in during a troubled day, there was no better place than this valley. . ”

Owen truly describes the landscape of the Hudson Canyon and the ancient village architecture in the novel. The tranquility and beauty of the countryside are so enchanting.

What the movie "Sleepy Hollow" needs is just a dark and weird gothic style. Therefore, the main creator could not find the artistic conception he wanted locally. At the suggestion of producer Scott Rudin, the film crew rushed to London and artificially built a mysterious forest at Hanbriton Manor in the north. It took a construction team of 80 construction workers, engineers and various craftsmen four months to complete the 12 buildings in the town, making it the largest set location in the UK.

Even if the ghost does not appear in Sleepy Hollow, there will still be people pretending to be the Headless Horseman to play tricks on Klein who wants to know the truth. The fantasy is artificially added, and the ghosts actually appear. The plot is confusing and dramatic. It is completely different from the novels in which they fight giants, slay fire dragons, capture monsters, and deal with rude and difficult assholes.

Film is a modern comprehensive art. It constantly draws on the achievements and experiences of literature, drama, painting, music, dance, sculpture, architecture, photography and other arts. Like war movies, horror movies cannot avoid elements such as violence and gore, but the aesthetic height of art is the same.

Movies will never be as rich and "good-looking" as novels, but the less "good-looking" they are, the more interesting they are. Night and day have their own beauty. As long as you know how to appreciate it, it will be a different kind of growth and enjoyment.