Jeff Goldblum; The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

I have a fading memory of watching this TV adaption of Washington Irving's, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I think Jeff Goldblum was a great choice to play Ichabod Crane. The information available states the movie was released in October of 1980. I must have seen it sometime after that.

This made for TV version has never been released on DVD, but the entire film can be watched on YouTube, where it has been divided into ten segments.

If you are looking for a way to avoid reading the original story for a book report, this VHS will not help you. Like most adaptions of Irving's tale, a lot of creative license was taken in the screenplay.

With October approaching, I pull out my copies of the original Irving story to read and the Disney animated adaption to watch. None of the adaptions capture the nuances of Irving's story. A need for a proper translation into film of the classic story still exists - one that doesn't over balance either the humor or the horror and suspense elements that Irving put into his original tale. Most adaptions also seem to dispose of the historical references Irving put into his writing. Discovering that Cotton Mather and Major Andre were real historical figures in colonial America or finding out where the Tappen Zee is located help in the enjoyment of Irving's classic story.