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Movies and its influence
Features of conformity
The advantages and disadvantages of conformity
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“Edward Scissorhands”, directed by Tim Burton, is a gothic romance film inspired by the issues experienced by the director during his teen years. The film is about the main character Edward who was brutally excluded from the ‘perfect’ society. The main characters represent the need to be a powerful individual in a world threatened by conformity. The three protagonist characters that highlight this vital message in the film are Edward, Peg and Kim. Edward is different in every way, both physically and mentally. Edward is a creation of whom his inventor died, leaving Edward incomplete and living in a dark, creepy and unwelcome looking mansion on top of a mountain away from suburbia. No one had ventured there until Peg spotted the mansion from
Individuality is rejection, whether it be a rejection of society or a rejection by society. Burton explores the consequences that can derive from rejection and how appearances may differ from reality. The work of Tim Burton consists of a unique style unlike any other. Not only do his films convey his ideas of individuality to the audience, it is done in a distinctive Burton way. Burton’s style of the formal elements of German Expressionism, gothic horror, and unique characters allow him to convey his ideas. His views of individuality are evident through the work of his film 'Edward Scissorhands' and short film 'Vincent'.
From the very beginning, Edward is cast as the monster – but is he really? We first see Edward when Peg searches for the owner of a dark, ominous, gothic mansion. She climbs up a set of gigantic spiral stairs that lead to “Edward’s room”. The setting is quite dark and the only lighting is coming through a gaping hole in the roof. Her curiosity gets the better of her, and as she examines this foreign place, we can hear in the bac...
Edward stares at the images of Kim before turning to look at Peggy talk and then gazes back at them again. The way he can’t stop looking at her indicates how Edward admires the young girl. When Peggy starts chatting about how Kim went to the high school prom with her boyfriend, Edward is in a world of his own. He concentrates on her face in the picture of the couple at their prom. Edward gazes at her pictures like she is the most fascinating person ever. Since Edward lived in the mansion with the inventor and unaccompanied for so long it is interesting to see his reaction to Kim. Furthermore, his infatuation with Kim just after seeing her pictures goes to confirm how isolated he is from
Since the communist era, the concept of conformity has been tested on humans thinking it would bring a sort of comfort. These regimes rapidly crumbled due to their often authoritarian nature. Following these dictatorships, we often associate conformity with misery. Similarly, in Edward Scissorhands, through the characterization of Peg Boggs, the symbolism of Edward’s castle home and the change in Edward’s behaviour, director Tim Burton rejects conformity since it leads to fakeness, boredom, and corruption and, instead, promotes the benefits of authenticity and old habits.
Using the production elements of symbolism; especially hands themselves, and the use of allusion to elements from other genres; particularly those from fairytale and gothic romance/horror films, Tim Burton has directed the film in such a manner to illustrate, emphasise and ridicule the materialism and lack of imagination of society. The film however, is prominently a satire which has certain elements from fairytale, comedy and horror genres. Through the choices made by the director, the audience is invited to become aware of the inhumanity present in the way society functions, especially in its prejudiced treatment towards people who do not conform. The use of allusion in Edward Scissorhands is one of the most important choices in production that has been made by director Tim Burton. In order to fully appreciate and understand the plot, the movie is dependant on the audience being able to recognise certain references and elements emulated from other films.
Edward was raised in Ashland, a small town filled with average people. From the day he was born, Edward proved he was anything but ordinary, he was a big fish in a small pond. A citizen from Ashland said “-eventually he knew more than anybody, even Mr. Pinker, the librarian. He was a big fish, even then” (12).
Everyone has that one friend who is a complete goofball: the one who is just different from the rest and can be a little abstract. The misfit may be easy to spot in a crowd and be judged; however, Tim Burton accepts the oddball and takes the concept of character dramatization one step further. Through his movies, Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the outcast tries to break through the social barrier by reaching out to the community and trying to fit in. With Burton’s imaginative characters, Burton shows how being an outcast gives a person the potential for success.
What is the deciding factor in determining what is sane: what is natural, or what is socially acceptable? In Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and later the movie the novel inspired, this conflict is ever present in its Oregon setting of a psychiatric hospital. Throughout the novel, characters with minor quirks and disabilities are shamed and manipulated by the tyrannical Nurse Ratched in an attempt to make them “normal”—that is, conforming to her rigid standards. In fact, the only time these characters overcome their personal challenges is when they are emboldened by the confidence of an outsider, McMurphy, who encourages embracing natural instincts and rejecting conformity. In one particularly apt scene, McMurphy’s recounting
Tim Burton’s films depict his lashing back from a tortured childhood. Somehow, his movies tell his story. His first big budget movie, Batman, was a huge hit. He then chose to make Edward Scissorhands, his most personal film. Despite the fact that Batman was a hit, movie executives were reluctant to give Burton authorization. His use of cinematic techniques displays his unique style.
“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” These are the words of, once president of the United States, John Francis Kennedy. He relays a message of strength and a lecture on what it means to perform one’s duty as a member of a modern, accepting society. Likewise, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein exploits one of mankind's most persistent and destructive flaws that has never died down over the thousands of years of our existence, prejudice. From his very beginning, the creature was abandoned and left to question his very existence. Nearly every character in the novel assumes that the monster must be dangerous based on its outward appearance, when in truth the monster is essentially warm and open-hearted. Continuously the monster
What makes an outcast in society? A stutter, an addiction, being gay or a mental illness? In this novel, “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” By Ken Kesey, explores this topic of conformity and individuality. R.P McMurphy is the main character and he wins the struggle between him and the nurse over this issue. McMurphy wins this war because he alleviates the stress of being ‘odd’ in the ward for the patients, he also demonstrated that being upset with the rules of the ward is okay and it was their right and lastly, McMurphy leaves a legacy as a reminder of his values and lessons.
The Bogg’s family have accepted Edward scissorhand’s into their family and have made him feel loved. When Edward was first introduced to bill he ignored the fact that he is different and tries to make small talk. When Kim first sees Edward she is horrified and overwhelmed but in the end falls for Edward and ends up loving him. When Edward enters the restaurant to meet the Bogg’s family, they all scotch over to make room for him and ask him how his day was, this shows to the audience that he has been ‘adopted’ into the family and they care for him. When Edward was in jail Peg and Bill come to see him and are upset at what he has done but Peg blames it on herself, this gives the impression that Peg has taken the role of a motherly figure towards Edward. The Bogg’s family have shown that they care about him and see him as a part of their
Discourses of Conformity in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Advice to Young Ladies
The question of individualism vs. conformity comes to mind when dealing with the human psyche. Some people value being independent and self-sufficient, while some like to keep themselves in the confines of conformity. The American society tends to lean towards the conformist point of view and it is mostly due to the effects of media. Americans crave the idea of association and strive to become the individuals that the media deems worthy. Conformity is a quality that is present in the hierarchy of American society. It brings a psychological feeling of correlating with a group and creates the notion of liberation from solitude.
Edward Scissorhands, written by Tim Burton, tells the tale of a young man who is lovable, childlike and sensitive, bewildered by the humanity around him, yet is terrifying- someone who has scissors, the deadly weaponry, for hands. Many viewers may read this film as a “Tim Burton” type of fairytale which includes both an alternative aspect and romance. However, through the presentation of mise-en-scene in this film, Burton drives in a much more serious subject of social criticism by establishing two different understandings of life in the movie.