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Edward Scissorhands Analysis

Decent Essays

Name: Monique Roux
Subject: Film and Television
Teacher: Ms. Ludlow

Tim Burton Critique

Most modern directors’ are heavily influenced by other film styles, films, or even other directors. German expressionism is a film style that contemporary directors have borrowed heavily from in order to create a new approach to the old film style. Therefore expressionism the style is something that modern directors often emulate in their films. Tim Burton is a director that has been clearly been influenced by German Expressionism and its use of stylized elements. This can be clearly seen through the movie Edward Scissorhands. German expressionism is a style of art which developed early into an influential movement of German painting, sculpture, literature, …show more content…

It embodied the mental and physical wounds inflicted after the war was lost (Reed, 2015). During that time it was known for most of the directors to use expressionism rather that literally depicting events. German expressionism consists of non-diegetic sounds, harsh contrast between dark and light, shapes distorted and exaggerated unrealistically for expressive purposes. The plot of the film which is German expressionism influenced often includes anti heroic characters at the center of the story, and also often involves madness, paranoia, obsession etc (Rivas, 2010). It is evident in Edward Scissorhands that the film includes several aspects stated above of the German expressionism film …show more content…

His films always carries the assumption of a unified experience. Most of Burton’s films goes into depth of ordinariness and makes the audience question as to what they believe is acceptable in society. Burton is clearly artistically influenced by German Expressionism films, this can be seen through the setting of Edward Scissorhands. The film includes several slanted lines and curves, seen in the attic of the castle, the staircase leading towards the attic which is evident that it is not straight and upholds an uneven staircase surface, and the pathways in the neighborhood is also curvy (see appendix 2). By looking into all the lines and curves it is clearly seen that Burton has been strongly artistically influenced by the characteristics of German Expressionism films, as it was also seen in The Cabinet of Dr

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