Run Time: 75 minutes. Studio: Sleepy Hollow Corporation. Director: Edward D. Venturini. Writer: Carl Stearns Clancy. Based on a story by Washington Irving. Producer: Carl Stearns Clancy. Main Cast: Will Rogers, Lois Meredith, Ben Hendricks Jr., Charles E. Graham, Mary Foy. Cinematographer: Ned Van Buren. Assistant Director: Warren Frome.
Despite horror not becoming a major movie genre until the early 1930's with the Universal Monsters, there are plenty of films from the silent era that are prefect for the Halloween season. Some of these are very familiar to movie fans. Such examples are Nosferatu (1922) and Phantom of the Opera (1925). However if you dig deeper there are plenty more silent era spooky season treats. One of these is this month's Silent Film of the Month, a 1922 adaption of Sleepy Hallow entitled The Headless Horseman.
I am sure many of you are familiar with the plot. However, for those who aren't, this story follows a schoolteacher named Ichabod Crane. Ichabod falls for the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel and competes with the tough and strong Brom Bones over her affections. One night he takes a fateful ride where he meets the ghostly headless horseman.
While this movie doesn't quite reach the heights of the wonderful, animated Disney version of the story, there is a lot to enjoy about this film. Chief among the reasons to recommend this movie is Will Rogers in the lead role. Casting him as Ichabod Crane is a bit of casting against type. Rogers is best known for his home-spun and likable persona, while in most tellings the schoolmaster is anything but home-spun and likable. Yet Rogers played the role quite well, proving that he has more acting talent than he often gave himself credit for. Rogers could have been a pretty good dramatic actor and not just a comedian with loads of folksy charm. Still the filmmakers work in a few scenes where more typical Rogers humor prevails. Though these scenes are few and far between, they are pretty funny. This is also a very handsome film, thanks to excellent sets and costumes. These truly give the movie a small-town atmosphere that is simultaneously charming and threatening.
Of course, what everyone is watching this film for is the climactic scene where Ichabod meets the Headless Horseman. While a bit too brief and not exactly scary by today's standards, it is quite atmospheric, well-shot and benefits from Will Rogers doing his own horseback riding adding a sense of realism. In short, this scene is not perfect, but it is a lot of fun. The Headless Horseman also simply looks really cool. Sure, the effect is basic, but it works very well.
If I had to fault this movie, it would be because of its pacing. The film often meanders and can take too long for anything to actually happen. Because of this even though it has a brief runtime it feels longer than that. The tar and feathering scene is also a bizarre addition to the story.
This film's director, Edward D. Venturini is relatively little known and only directed a handful of movies that are not remembered today. During the talkie era, he directed Spanish language versions of American films. In this era before dubbing and subtitles, some films were shot multiple times in different languages so they could be shown in non-English speaking countries. B-Western fans might know that he directed the Hopalong Cassidy western, In Old Mexico (1938).
Producer/writer Carl Stearns Clancy would later write and direct a series of travelogue shorts that were narrated by Will Rogers. Clancy approached Will Rogers as Rogers was performing in Chicago. For a sense of historical accuracy Clancy would build the schoolhouse set on the original site. At that time this was part of Rockefeller's Tarrytown, New Yor, estate. This would be very close to where Will Rogers was going to be performing in the Ziegfield Follies around the time the movie was to be filmed (it was filmed in July and August of 1922). Because of this Rogers would be able to do both his stage work and make this movie at the same time. Clancy had to increase his budget for Will Rogers (the movie ended up costing 19,583.20) but he felt this was worth it. Clancy was impressed by the comedian's professionalism as well as his energy. For the filming of one scene a stunt rider didn't show up. Clancy recalled that Will Rogers "volunteered to double for the missing extra, quickly changed his make-up, leaped into the saddle, and led all the other riders in repeated thundering dashes up and down the rock-strewn road until the scene had been taken." Clancy said, "he was greatly amused to see himself in two places at once."
Exhibitor's Trade Review, 1922
Exhibitor's Herald, 1922
THe following is a review from Picture-Play Magazine. "'The Headless Horseman' - Will Rogers. The tragedy of this picture is that it might have been great, and it is only moderately good. Will Rogers has his funny moments, but the picture as a whole does not live up to them."
Motion Picture News, 1922
For anyone interested, you can watch this film below on YouTube.
No comments:
Post a Comment