There is a certain fear to be different, where people tend to keep away from what is unusual; Edward Scissorhands embodies that imperfection where a town continuously tries to change a young man who is distinctly different. Tim Burton is known for his quirky yet creative worlds, where all of his crazy ideas become a reality. Tim Burton wrote and directed this film with the help of Caroline Thompson Edward scissorhands was one of the first Tim Burton movies I had ever seen and is by far one of his best.
The story centers on the tale of an inventor’s unfinished project – a boy named Edward (Johnny Depp). The inventor passed away leaving Edward unfinished, left to fend with scissors for hands. Edward spends the rest of his life in a big castle up on a hill until Avon lady; Peg Boggs (Dianne Weist) decides to take Edward home to her small suburban neighborhood. The town welcomes him as he brings something different to this small town; He soon becomes a hit as he finds that he has a knack for both cutting hedges and hair. Edward soon meets Peg’s daughter, Kim (Winona Ryder) and becomes instantly infatuated. The story follows the lives of the Boggs and Edwards’s self-discovery as things
…show more content…
Depp brings the quiet, soft-spoken Edward to life while creating certain sympathy barely using dialogue. “I’m not finished” are some of the few words spoken by Depp, yet he brings on so much strong emotion with them. Though he is costumed in a very punk rock-gothic style, covered with buckles and leather with his pale skin and dark eyes, his innocence overpowers the monster; An innocent Edward, When questioned at the dinner table about how his day went, he replies with “Mrs. Monroe showed me where the salon's going to be.” Followed by “And then she showed me the back room where she took all of her clothes off” Edwards light-hearted virtue provides some comic relief and Depp more than rises to the occasion of portraying the
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'.
Edward Scissorhands is a film written and directed by Tim Burton and Caroline Thompson. It tells the story of an outsider with scissors for hands trying to fit in to an unknown society that judges based on appearance. The film explains how in most societies if you do not act the norm as everyone else you will be rejected and frond upon. I believe that like in the film people nowadays people are less likely to express individuality and would rather conform to a group than feel like an outcast. Through the films elements that the director uses I will focus on the colors, costumes and sound of the film that show the differences of an outsider.
Tim Burton also uses great Lighting to make Edward look like shouldn't be there, for example, it shows Edward cramped into a small car and with bright colors in the background. In the scene where they enter Edwards garden it seem so beautiful up close, but like hell far away because its very dark over there, then when it enters back into the house it seems like it would be from a horror movie. And the make up on his face makes it more fit with the lighting because of the scars with his pale white face and his crazy black hair.
The most appealing films are those that keep audiences guessing, surprise them at the most unexpected times and break conventional film boundaries. Edward Scissorhands (1990) directed by Tim Burton, is a feature film that does exactly that. It blends a fairy tale story with a gothic horror film, to engage the viewer right from beginning until the resolution. It tells the tale of Edward, who was the creation of an inventor who died before he could give Edward proper hands, and was left with scissors as hands. When he was taken from his gothic mansion, into a “normal” suburban community, he was at first welcomed, but then heartbreakingly rejected when things went wrong. The character of the “monster” is an important feature to many gothic horror texts, and examining Edward and other various characters helps to bring about interesting ideas and concepts about this key role. Burton also draws on the relationship between the princess and the prince, commonly found in fairy tales. By using various features found in the gothic horror genre and the fairy tale genre, Edward Scissorhands is able to sway us to think about the consequences of judging people who are different, it influences us to question what true love is and changes the way we view who can be the prince and princess.
People are constantly being judged and pressured to change to fit society’s standards. In Tim Burton films, there is always one character that does not fit the mold. These outcast characters in the movies Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Edward Scissorhands are strange and isolated from the world. Despite the outcast’s difficulties, misfit characters like Edward and Wonka go on to be the hero of the story. Therefore, Burton uses many different cinematic techniques to illustrate that one does not need to conform to society in order to have a happy and successful life.
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.
In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley and the film Edward Scissorhands by Tim Burton their creations have a desire to be loved. Which leads them on a journey of acceptance for themselves and others. Everyone has felt the need to find why they are here on earth; we all search for answers we are no different from them.
Edward Scissorhands is an unfinished experiment that is afraid of the human race. Brought to the town by Peg, Edward is like a tool to the rest of the townspeople. They only accept him for what he can do and prejudice him as inhuman because of his hands. Edward is a caring person but, his wrong actions outweigh the good deeds that he has done in society. The color scheme of Edward compared to society is different, the townspeople all wear and decorate their houses with very vibrant and attention seeking colors (colorful houses, cars, clothing, hair, etc.). Edward, on the other hand, wears very dark and gloomy colors (full outfit is black, black hair, paler than the townspeople, etc.). As Edward becomes more used to society, he starts to wear human clothing like a white suit shirt and black pants but, never anything too bright like the townspeople. Edwards isolation and rejection from society makes it so that he is afraid of humans and how they will view him. When Edward went to jail, destroyed the plant sculptures, accidentally scratched up Kevin and, attacked Kevin, Society shunned him. They think he is a monster and forces him to become alone again. This change in character development proves that society never accepted Edward. The red the townspeople were wearing when Edward scratched up Kevin symbolizes how he is not human with his scissor hands, cursed to destroy
The repercussions of treating sentient life as monsters or miscreation’s is disastrous. When non-human conscious life is created it is easier to treat these creations as outsiders rather than accepting them. There are two stories that show this clearly. The novel Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelly and the film Ex Machina by Alex Garland. When self-conscious life is created it must be treated as such.
Critic Northrop Frye says, “Tragic heroes tower as the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, the great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divine lightning”. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein greatly exhibits the theme of the consequence of knowledge and irresponsibility among others through its tragic hero, Victor Frankenstein. Northrop Frye’s quote is certainly true when looking at Frankenstein’s situation. Victor is a victim of his divine lightning, and ultimately causes much trouble for himself; however, Victor also serves as the tragic hero in the lives of the monster, his family, and his friends.
Tim Burton said in an interview that when he was a kid he would watch all kind of monster movies. “My parents said I started watching those movies before I could even walk.”As a kid he loved horror movies and he liked drawing pictures. He said he did not care what people thought of his drawings and just drew them his own way. His drawings also show his love for horror because they are all unique and creepy looking. Some of his pictures are based on the movies he directed. He started directing at twenty years old. He was very interested in animation. One of his first films was Batman. Most of the films he directed have a gothic horror aspect. I believe since his childhood was all about horror movies, he gained an appreciation for those films and applied his passion in the films he directed. "Vincent Price, Edgar Allan Poe, those monster movies, those spoke to me. You see somebody going through that anguish and that torture –things you identify with –and it acts as a kind of therapy, a release. (Tim Burton 17).”Besides the fact that he watched horror movies, the place where he lived influenced him as well. The dark and light aspects of life have always fascinated Tim Burton, consistently arguing that one cannot exist without the other: ‘life is an incredible jumble of being funny and sad and dramatic and melodramatic and goofy and everything’. During his childhood in suburban Burbank, Burton found the
Many people know that Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, was part of a family of famed Romantic era writers. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was one of the first leaders of the feminist movement, her father, William Godwin, was a famous social philosopher, and her husband, Percy Shelley, was one of the leading Romantic poets of the time ("Frankenstein: Mary Shelley Biography."). What most people do not know, however, is that Mary Shelley dealt with issues of abandonment her whole life and fear of giving birth (Duncan, Greg. "Frankenstein: The Historical Context."). When she wrote Frankenstein, she revealed her hidden fears and desires through the story of Victor Frankenstein’s creation, putting him symbolically in her place (Murfin, Ross. "Psychoanalytic Criticism and Frankenstein.”). Her purpose, though possibly unconsciously, in writing the novel was to resolve both her feelings of abandonment by her parents, and fears of her own childbirth.
In gothic novels tragic figures are symbols of pain to the characters. Victor Frankenstein brings misfortune to his loved ones, which concludes to his overall tragedy. Ironically the monster in this novel is Frankenstein the creator not the creature. He has seven victims including himself and his fall is due to his ambition to be superior.
Multiple people claimed they “know a doctor that might be able to help” fix his situation (Edward Scissorhands). At one point, Edward said, “I’d like to meet him” (Edward Scissorhands), knowing if he received prosthetic surgery, he would be accepted as normal and not special. Edward accidently cut Kim and Kevin with his scissorhands, though his intentions were to help them. The incidence leaves the neighbors with an evil impression causing them to chase Edward, though he only wanted Kim’s love. The physical features of Edward and the creature led others to conclude that they were malicious and therefore deemed outcasts, though their intentions were only to find