Edward Scissorhands – Tim Burton

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Edward Scissorhands like many of Tim Burtons movies is a visual delight with astoundingly creative set designs in the form of the very retro and pastel coloured suburbs contrasted with the very gothic and eerie castle staring down on it. The conspicuous artificiality of the neighbourhood acts as a representation of the over exaggerated characters that inhabit it. It seems that what Burton was trying to accomplish visually in this movie is hyperbole in an almost comical fashion. One could even say that in this movie he is having a dig at the 1960-70’s suburban era it seems to be inspired by. However this love and attention shown to the visual effects and set design was not reciprocated to the depiction of the characters emotionally. “Burton uses special effects and visual tricks to create sights that have never been seen before. That is the good news. The disappointment is that Burton has not yet found the storytelling and character-building strength to go along with his pictorial flair.” (Roger Ebert 1990) like numerous Tim Burton movies (Batman, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure) there is a remoteness in the protagonist (usually intentionally) that makes the audience unable to fully connect emotionally with them, and in effect makes the film weaker.

The storyline resembles a combination of Frankenstein verses Beauty and the Beast where Edward the protagonist is viewed as an outcast because of his deformity (his scissor hands). Unsurprisingly the result of this is the community judging, isolating and eventually turning against him at the slightest opportunity. Burton used the setting of a suburb to highlight the profoundly shallow and judgemental behaviour that is notorious in these areas and combines it with the 70’s era to emphasise this. “It turns out that suburban life is dictated by the kind of tribal behavior I thought we’d grown out of-” (Julie Suratt 2014) Plotting the story in this environment increases the realism in the storyline and allows Burton freedom to play around with these features as he did.

Although the film has a very childish Disney-movie feel to it, there are a few scenes that appear to have been dragged straight out of a Bram stoker novel however overall the film concludes powerfully with a scene of Edward looking over the town from the castle as if he were a guardian angel watching over it. “The memory of that moment suffuses the film even at the somber climax, which recalls Batman's poignant solitude atop that Gotham City tower.” (Peter Travers 1990)

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Bibliography

Roger Ebert 1990 – Available at: http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/edward-scissorhands-1990

Julie Suratt 2014 – Available at http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2014/03/25/mean-moms-suburbs/

Peter Travers 1990 – Available at http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/edward-scissorhands-19901214

Fig 1 – Available at: http://3guys1movie.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/edward_scissorhands_90.jpg

Fig 2 – Available at: http://mrmovierbknapp.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/batman-review-part-2-of-8.html