Gothic Elements In Edward Scissorhands By Tim Burton

What if your hands where replaced with multiple scissors? How would you react? How would you change socially? In the gothic, “Edward Scissorhands” by Tim Burton, various cinematic techniques such as different camera angles and lighting. Burton uses these techniques to convey that you shouldn’t try to change yourself because you were made for a reason, so you should accept what you’re given and make the best out of your situation.

Edward Scissorhands also uses elements from the fairytale genre, as shown in the first scene where a grandma is telling a child a bedtime story in a fairytale-cottage-like setting, but is especially reminiscent of the Walt Disney productions Beauty and the Beast, where an outsider falls for a young and beautiful woman, as shown through Edward and Kim’s relationship, and also incorporates Sleeping Beauty’s dark and ominous castle settings. Because of the allusions to such genres, the audience at first assumes that the production is a horror movie, but because Tim Burton has chosen to add elements of comedy into the film, it becomes clear that that movie is no-doubted a satire, which is important as the invited response is achieved through the ridicule of other concepts. Tim Burton cleverly merges and combines a variety of different genres and allusions into the Edward Scissorhands in order to construct and give greater depth and meaning to the overall film in a humorous way. Symbolism also is a significant, if not essential element in the production of Edward Scissorhands. Tim Burton makes the choice to centre the film around Edward’s hands, not only because

‘Edward Scissorhands’ is a film directed by Tim Burton. It is a modern-day fairy tale focused on Edward, a person with scissors instead of hands, who is brought to live with a family after spending years in seclusion. Although the film is made for entertainment, it is not the sole purpose of it. There are many messages and themes rooted throughout the film, which are directed towards the audience. These give the film a deeper meaning. Some of the messages include that looks can be deceiving, the significance of individuality, as well as isolation.

Edward Scissorhands was directed by Tim Burton. The name of the film represents the movie entirely because it is the name of the main character. It reflects on the ultimate theme of conformity with the unusual and considered old fashioned name. The title of this story also gives away to how incomplete the main character Edward is with only one real name. The last name “Scissorhands” is just a blunt term and definition of who Edward is. Meaning, Edward is different than any other person because he has scissors for hands.

Edward Scissorhands is about Peg finding Edward, an isolated man who has scissor for hand and taking him with her. Through this movie you learn how different he is from the Peg’s world. Tim Burton uses sound and lighting when Peg and Edward first meet. Edward was in a dark corner and you can hear the sniping as if he was cutting something. It makes it seem that a psychopath is hiding there so you get the immediate thought of danger.

Tim Burton’s film, Edward Scissorhands, based on American suburban life; portrays society at its worse. Throughout the film Edward is stretched into what society wants him to be but he still doesn't live up to the expectations of the neighbours and hides in his manor for the rest of his life. Judgemental, monotonous and conservative are all words that Burton has conveyed about American society. Tim Burton has cleverly portrayed society with a judgemental atmosphere. The neighbours judge Edward because of his appearance.

In my essay I am going to reference two films, Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Vincent (1982), directed by Tim Burton. Edward Scissorhands, is Tim Burton’s take on the Frankenstein story. We can clearly see the influences that have appealed to Tim Burton in the classic Frankenstein (1931) was not the character’s monstrousness appeal but the sense of sad sorrow that audiences sympathized to in Boris Karloff’s performance. Whereas in Tim Burton’s vision, we see a “Special” character as the Frankenstein Monster, in the similar way that we call people with disabilities Special. And then we have Vincent, a short stop-motion animation. The short film itself is an entertaining aspect of a suburban boy named Vincent who recites Edgar Ellen Poe and categorizes with Horror film star, Vincent Price. With similarities to Edward Scissorhands, the main character is a chance for Tim Burton to represent himself on the screen as a tortured boy, outsider and artist. I am going to discuss how cultural and psychological concerns are represented through characterization, art direction, cinematography, and sound. I will support my discussion by analyzing a reflection on both the similarities and differences between the two films, and whether a distinctive “Burton” signature (aesthetics, cultural and psychological concerns) is evident.

Tim Burton created Edward Scissor hands out of his own experiences in Collage. It is Modern Fantasy which uses narrative and Film conventions to create the mixture of Horror and Fantasy. Fantasy films have their own charatestics and those are how we can determine what genre the movie belongs to. A fantasy Film will normally be in an enclosed space, the setting oF Edward scisoor hand is way that Tim Burton makes the film aFantesy film. Like most movies there is a clsh between a villan and the main Charater changes during the film aswel. Many other things make a film what it is like the Charaters the plot and even the sound.

The film Edward Scissorhands is a contemporary archetype of the gothic genre exploring themes such as unrequited love, social rejection and human creation as defined by Tim Burton. Feature films explore different ideals that can be categorized into different genres that create expectations among audiences about characters, settings, plots and themes. Edward Scisscorhands directed by Tim Burton in the year 1990 is described as both a dark romantic fantasy and a gothic horror film. The film tells a story about Edward Scissorhands, the creation of an elderly inventor who dies before he can give Edward his normal hands in place of his scissor hands. Edward is taken from the mansion he lives in by a suburban family in an attempt to live a

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.

The film ‘Edward Scissorhands’ by Tim Burton, is a modern day fairy tale which follows the story of Edward, a young man that is taken out of isolation and introduced into a new way of life. Although the film is for entertainment, that is not its sole purpose. The film has deep and rich themes, which convey many important messages to the audience. Some themes of the film include; conformity, appearances versus reality and individuality.

Tim burton is very good at using color to establish a mood. As seen in many of his hit movies, color is a large part. Tim burton uses certain cinematic techniques such as color symbolism. For example, in “Alice in Wonderland”, you can see that Tim burton purposefully makes queen Iracebeth’s castle dark and red to show that she is angry or even dangerous while Tim Burton makes Mirana of Marmoreal’s castle white to show tranquil and goodness. Even the small things matter to Tim Burton. All colors are specially chosen because it would change the whole movie if he changed a white castle to a black castle. This technique can also be found in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” in the scene when they are riding on the boat down the chocolate river.

The film ‘Edward Scissorhands’ by Tim Burton can be seen as a modern day fairytale. However, there are many important themes that make the film richer and deeper in meaning. The film is not simply entertaining, because the director examines the importance of individuality, love and appearance and reality.

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

The film ‘Edward Scissorhands’ by Tim Burton is a story about a lonely boy with a unique disability: scissor hands, it follows Edward as he experiences life outside of his isolated home and through his hardships of dealing with prejudice and people treating him differently. It also follows him when he makes judgments of others wrongly and shows the consequences to both parties from those decisions made on them.