Mise-en-Scene in Edward Scissorhands Essay

Edward Scissorhands is objectified and is taken advantage of by the people who do not accept him. Edward Scissorhands is considered “different” when he creates topiary with his “hands”. The long shot of the suburb streets with the topiary on the lawns gives us a sense that Edward is being used by the community. When Edward is grooming dogs and styling lady’s hair Edward is being taken advantage of by his hands. The montage of various ladies having their hair cut and not compensating Edward shows us that he is being oppressed.

The camera focuses on Edward’s face; it shows how pale and sad he is. The gothic horror feature used here is the physical appearance of the “monster”. Edward is a large, dark figure with objects (his scissor hands) that can cause harm. This is very stereotypical of the gothic monster as this has been used in Frankenstein (1931) and Nosferatu (1922), and is imprinted in viewers’ minds. But what makes us question how monstrous Edward truly is, is his facial expression and the way he talks. Unlike most gothic horror monsters, he does not have a scary personality. He is shy and is not the antagonist. As the story continues, all the bad deeds he does, are actually the result of someone else taking advantage of him. As viewers, we see this, and we are led to believe that it is not Edward who is the monster, but rather the community Peg has brought him into. By manipulating common features of gothic horror films, Edward Scissorhands is able to influence the audience into believing the “monster” of the film is Edward, but when the tradition is changed, it makes us think that not everything is black and white, and that to get the correct judgement, we must wait until all evidence is presented.

He is looking at things with wide eyes because he has never seen these things before. He even pops Kim’s waterbed with his Scissorhands. While the audience finds it humorous, the author conveys a deeper meaning, showing that from the start, Edward was not able to fit into the “perfect society” that was created. He was an abnormal child, but Burton still manages to show that it's okay to be abnormal. He feels relatable to Edward, who grew up with no parents and in an isolated castle, and when brought into the real world, he was looked at as an outsider. But he was still treated the same as us, in the beginning. He was seen as special. So, Burton’s use of lighting and camera angles to show his pitiful

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.

Another example from the movie is when Edward is introduced into this brand new style of living where he is the new ‘toy’ and uses his creative side to make people’s lives more enjoyable and fulfilling by cutting neighbours hair and turning a hedge into art. Tim Burton makes us think to look beneath the surface and not too just leave out someone who doesn’t look normal, he makes us think about our everyday life how we can be ignorant, rude and reject people who don’t look like us and have a disability. In Edward Scissorhands Edward isn’t always seen as the good guy from the town’s perspective. In the opening seen when we are given a bird’s eye view of the cars moving in and out of the town, this gives us the thought that the town is bright, bubbly and organized to the split second that the cars come out of the drive way but really as the movie goes on they seem to take the tag of being the ‘bad town’. In the movie the town thinks he is the bad guy because of what people have been gossiping about. Edward becomes the ‘bad guy’ as he is being betrayed/forced into the role of the town devil when he is the town hero as he has bought something to the town that will

In contrast, by appearance of a horny sexual character, Joyce, viewers are positioned to see the danger of a woman as she rallies support which turns into a mob after she fails to proceed what she wants – sexual intercourse. However, the actions of main character, Edward, and the clothes worn him and more importantly, an awkward looks of him with scissors for hands positions the viewers to see him as a person who can't and never will fit in ordinary suburbia. Burton’s use of these characters is to convince viewer that whether conformity is good or bad, distinct individual is always to be left behind.

Edward is represented as the creation of an intelligent inventor, yet before Edward could be “completed” the inventor passed away. This had a long-term effect on Edward as he was left confused, alienated, alone and most importantly, “incomplete” literally, and metaphorically. This contrast, symbolizes the complex feelings associated with alienation and ostracism, and the destructive effects it has on individuals, leading them to create barriers of isolation, and lack of acceptance and understanding. William struggles to form a sense of identity because of the emotional abuse that was inflicted upon him during his placement with an unidentified male. And Edward suffers from a sense of identity, as he was never able to establish on, through social interactions, Edward is intrigued by those around who to him seem to be, unique and different, while those around Edward believe him to be unique and one of a kind, accepting him for “ The years spent in isolation have not given him the tools to judge from right or wrong. The snow represented the change he brought to the people and especially Kim. It showed how he blossomed, and when the chaos of his visit came and left, he still left his mark behind to the town. Before Edward visited it had never snowed, and now every year it does. This is because even though Edward was looked down upon at the end, he still wanted to show people he can create beauty and not just destruction. Edward wanted them to feel a sense of belonging, maybe not with him but with each other, with the town’s community. understood by us as an audience that the need to belong is significant in our world as it is through the healing process in our relationships and experiences that the human

Tim Burton’s gothic drama film Edward Scissorhands explores what is immoral with our society. A present issue with humanity is people who are different are encouraged to conform. In addition, society plays by the rules and follow societal norms rather than listening to their hearts. Most importantly, humans are cruel and exploit those who are vulnerable for their own benefit. Through the use of film techniques, Burton proposes the faults in humanity and the brutal nature of humans.

In Tim Burton’s 1990 film Edward Scissorhands, explores how people who are different are treated in society. This statement will explore the reasons why and how people are treated differently. The statement will prove that there are people who are treated differently because of what and who they are.

How would you feel if you had scissors as hands? In the beginning of Edward Scissorhands, Edward wasn't finished so he was left with scissors as hands. During the movie Edward goes through a journey trying to fit in and be accepted by everyone. In the film Edward Scissorhands, director Tim Burton uses the stylistic elements of juxtaposition and symbolism to develop the theme, never judge someone by their appearance.

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.

This is an attempt to alter Edward to conform and become ‘normal’ by removing his source of individuality. The message ‘one should be out of the ordinary’ is demonstrated by this, which adds depth and more meaning to the film.

In Tim Burton’s movie, “Edward Scissorhands,” he claims that when one seems different from the other, then people do not accept them for who they are because they are not like them and they are not willing to accept a new change that has come to their life. He illustrates this by making Edward stand out,so he has him only wearing black and white whereas all the other people are wearing colourful clothes; he says that Jim is mad at Edward because Edward stole his girlfriend from, then he makes fun of him for not being human behind his back because he is a machine; he moreover implies that Edward looks dark and scary when really he is sweet, nice, and unique, however, the town is colourful but the people are not, they are just bland and cruel people. Burton exaggerates the fact that Edward is different from the others by adding scissors for hands and making him wear all black and have pale skin making him look like he has a scary look even though he is sweet like candy, while the townspeople are colourful but cruel like villains; he additionally points out that people have to tolerate him but Kim has accepted him for he is, he demonstrates that by letting people know that even though Edward is different, he can still love. Although the author has advised that everyone should be treated fairly, he has more suggested that some people are not used the change that Edward has brought to this town; Burton has advanced that everyone is different and everyone should be treated fairly no matter what they look like or what problems they have.

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.

Moreover, Burton uses satire to emphasize Edward’s innocence; all characters represented a different flaw in society. For example, all of the housewives were nosy. One of them was particularly religious and judgmental. Burton portrays Joyce as a flirtatious liar. Kim’s boyfriend, on the other hand, was controlling and impulsive. In contrast, Edward had none of these faults. The town that they live in is made out to look perfect and neat, while Edward’s home is scary and intimidating. In reality, the castle is more of a humane place than the town. The real monsters are the “regular” people. To sum up, Burton gives a negative connotation towards society, verse praise towards uniqueness using satire.