Tim Burton – Edward Scissorhands (1990) Figure 01 – Edward Scissorhands Film Poster Edward Scissorhands is a romantic horror/thriller but with heavy influence on comedy. It portrays an unfinished invention and his struggles to fit in with the norms of society. Edward is a sad and childlike being, and he is accustomed to staying in his huge gothic mansion up on the hill at the edge of the town, with the gardens trimmed beautifully. It is clear that he has an obvious talent for creativity and inventions, just like his creator. The darkness of the film and the portrayal of Edward have a lot of the same elements that The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari had, with the look of the somnambulist looking as if has been a direct influence. The scenery of the darkened castle with the broken windows and hanging fabric is a great contrast to the coloured and highly uniformed blocked houses. It paints an image of the perfect standard that is expected or sometimes even forced. Figure 02 Figure 03 Richard Propes says that film entails Edward’s “transition into a more socialised existence” (Propes, 2007). This is accurate as he has been stuck in the mansion for his entire life, he is obviously socially awkward and he tries to fit in. The great message this films sends out is that no matter how you look or what race you are, Edward technically not having a race, you can fit in with people without trouble. His innocence also comes into question as its “easy for the unscrupulous to take advantage of him” (Unknown, 2012). He is a very naïve being and because he is not fully integrated into society, no matter how much the society likes him, he feels like an outcast and wants to grasp to the human contact and wants to be liked, but this gets him into trouble when he is criminalised but a woman who claims he raped her when he rejects her. Although you won’t find a single person who doesn’t know of this film, it was “far from a mainstream blockbuster” (Berry, 2006). Which implies, subtly, that this film wasn’t as good as it could be. However the script writing in this film is simple and easy to understand, which make it a light film to watch and enjoy. People also enjoy this film as Edward has elements of different personalities that at some point each person goes through, be it anger, jealousy, hatred or fear. Bibliography Propes, R (2007) The Independent http://theindependentcritic.com/edward_scissorhands Accessed 12/12/12 Unknown (2012) The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/82335/edward.scissorhands Accessed 12/12/12 Fig 01 http://www.impawards.com/1990/posters/edward_scissorhands_ver1.jpg Fig 02 http://1.bp.blogspot.com/r5FROxt8a8A/T6ohi63WvhI/AAAAAAAADic/jwnP7HVPv8U/s1600/Edward-Scissorhands-frontyard.png Fig 03 http://pamfletzine.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/scissorsuburbs.jpg
