#john lownsbery

[roskirambles]

Halloween Short film of the Day: The Story of Ichabod Crane (1949)

The countryside town of Sleepy Hollow, a simple, little countryside town. At least until the new man in town arrives, his name Ichabod Crane. He's lanky, ugly, and his nose too large for his small head. But he's the new schoolmaster, so he's immediately admired by the women of the place. However, the oportunistic little scoundrel beneath the facade has set his eyes on the most beautiful and richest woman in town, that being Katrina Van Tassel. Only two problems exist for Ichabod: Brom, the local bulky town hero is also courting Katrina, and two... there's a legend of a spectal horseman without a head roaming around.

The second half of the "package film" The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, this adaptation of the literary classic by Washington Irving is focused on the humor. The way the characters are depicted here wouldn't be out of place in a Tom & Jerry short: Ichabod is oportunistic and selfish behind a gentleman facade (which can come across as VERY silly as his lanky frame doesn't lend him much ellegance), Brom is the temperamental jock that has lots of muscle but not as much brains(or in some areas, manners), and Katrina is just enjoying herself on the slapstick chaos her suitors cause by their competition for her hand.

That is, until the Headless horseman appears in the third act. While still undercut by the over the top, comical reactions of Ichabod, the segment itself is a great introduction for kids to the world of spooks in cinema, with a very atmosphetic cinematography that unlike the rest of the short isn't afraid of going full on chiaroscuro, and a pursuer that makes his pressence be remembered with a powerful, diabolical laugh and a threatening silhouette.

It's fascinating how ambiguous and open to interpretation is for a physical comedy driven cartoon, staying faithful to the source material in some of the most entertaining areas while amping the ante for the others.

Dunno about you, but I've alwyas found interesting to think about how good Disney movies can be when they go for a scary atmosphere. Not because I WANT them to be scary all the time, unlike what my biases for the genre can suggest, but it's almost comical how much this aspect of their films feels rather displaced in the cultural consciousness due to Mickey's wholesome, often squeaky clean image.

Seriously, it's surprisingly easy to argue this short is borderline foundational for how a generation of animators understand the structure of horror in the animation format. Between the atmospheric sounds, the ambiance set through well curated pans, tilts and zoom ins using the multiplane camera, or the expressionistic use of reds, blues and blacks, even the ridiculous ways Ichabod's face contort can't fully shake away a real sense of danger while still being funny. Now that's an achievement.