Edward Scissorhands, directed by Tim Burton, is a film that at the very root of it, is about, Edward, an outsider who has to face the challenges of society whilst being completely misunderstood the entire time. There are three main scenes that help the audience understand Edward’s complete isolation, these are the opening scene at Edward’s castle, the suburban neighbourhood and the flashbacks Edward has. The opening scene of Edward Scissorhands shows Edward staring off into the distance in his castle that is almost a complete void of darkness, with the only source of light being the brightly lit-up town down below. It is important because it displays that he is isolated from society and lives completely by himself. This is shown through …show more content…
an over-the-shoulder shot of Edward looking through a large window with contrast lighting between the town and castle. This scene allows us to understand his ‘abnormal’ behaviour due to his loneliness and lack of knowledge about the outside world. His isolation contributes to his inability to communicate sufficiently as he rarely talks and his speech pattern consists of constant mumbling. His inability to communicate well also displays, what may be Edward not knowing how to express his emotions. Although you can see he is wearing all black clothes, it is very hard to make out his surroundings, the director may have done this to keep Edward’s character a mystery to the audience. Another important scene in the film was in the suburban neighbourhood, specifically the barbeque scene where Edward starts to socialise with the majority of townsfolk.
This is important because Edward begins to experience pressures of conformity as immediately, everyone says “I have a doctor friend who can fix you [his scissorhands]” and this idea is instilled in Edward’s mind in order to make him a “normal” person. Conformity and it’s struggles radiate throughout this entire film, a prime example being Peg taking Edward down to live with her and instantly trying to change him by giving him new clothes to wear. However even with these new clothes, Edward still stands out amongst the townsfolk, as they wear bright coloured clothes while he just wears white and black, indicated through establishing shots. The director used low-angles and close-up shots for the duration of this scene when Edward interacts with the neighbours to emphasize how noticeable he is. During the neighbourhood barbeque Edward displays his skill in hedge trimming, and the townsfolk look at it with awe. This drew the townsfolk to Edward and what made people fascinated instead of terrified. In this sense, this helped me understand that Edward is accepted as the only creative, individual force in the community, and not for his whole
identity.
Edwards gets caught and every friend of his from the neighborhood turns on him. Edward Scissorhands has an overall mood of self-discovery for most of the characters. In the film, Burton uses close-up shots in order to convey an unusual tone towards Peg’s curiosity. For example, when Peg goes to Edward’s house, she continues to walk into the house after seeing topiary in the garden. This achieves divergent tone because Peg being comfortable to walk into a dark home for a customer which contributes to the overall mood of self-discovery, because we discover what kind of person Peg is.
Tim Burton also uses great Lighting to make Edward look like shouldn't be there, for example, it shows Edward cramped into a small car and with bright colors in the background. In the scene where they enter Edwards garden it seem so beautiful up close, but like hell far away because its very dark over there, then when it enters back into the house it seems like it would be from a horror movie. And the make up on his face makes it more fit with the lighting because of the scars with his pale white face and his crazy black hair.
Tim Burton used a lot of symbolism throughout the story to show theme and as a result, we can know a lot more about Edward’s personality and about what he wants most. One thing that exhibits Ed’s childish side was the bushes; for example, the dinosaurs and the dolphins he created. The bush shaped hand that was in the dark mansion’s yard encapsulates Ed’s want for hands. Through these examples we can see the theme, sometimes your wants in life can shape what you do in your life because Ed’s wants showed through his actions.
Water is a recurring, and quite important symbol, that represents Edward’s life. The scene in which Edward Bloom confronts the misunderstood giant, Karl, shows water representing the danger to his life. As Edward seeks out Karl with the intention of being a human sacrifice, he steps away from the lake bordering the giant’s cave. The giant thrusts him towards the lake, commanding him to ‘go away’. Ed, of course, stays, and tries to convince the giant to eat him (to protect the town), and they proceed into a talk which eventually leads them into leaving Ashton. The positioning of Edward and the lake are key in this scene. When he peers into the cave, he is furthest away from the lake, and in turn closest to death. Karl, however, isn’t what our protagonist
Edward used 2nd person, which uses the word “you” a lot. He also had a very harsh and blunt tone about it. Using this point of view and style it makes it seem like the author was directing it towards the reader. he used real life situations to relate what was happening to the reader. “It gave him,to the very depth of his kind heart,to observe how the children fled from his approach.
The costuming in Edward Scissorhands was very thought out and was used to develop the characters, as well as the story. For example, the townspeople who took in Edward seemed to be regular people in a regular town. The people wore bright colored clothing with colorful accesories as well. The women wore bright clothing, either dresses or a pair of leggings, with bright makeup as well. The men wore casual work clothes, and all of this gives of a normal vibe to the town as if nothing out of the ordinary happens in it. Another example of the clothing in the film is when Peg (Avon lady) sees Edward for the first time. This moment can make the audience start to compare the moods that both characters give off. Edward lived in a dark, gloomy place
Edward Scissorhands is especially reminiscent of the themes and concepts from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein which is also based around the isolation, introduction and persecution... ... middle of paper ... ... arden also is an important symbol in the film as it also illustrates a dramatic contrast to the suburbia’s bare, dull and uniform gardens and emphasises society’s need to conform.
Individuality is rejection, whether it be a rejection of society or a rejection by society. Burton explores the consequences that can derive from rejection and how appearances may differ from reality. The work of Tim Burton consists of a unique style unlike any other. Not only do his films convey his ideas of individuality to the audience, it is done in a distinctive Burton way. Burton’s style of the formal elements of German Expressionism, gothic horror, and unique characters allow him to convey his ideas. His views of individuality are evident through the work of his film 'Edward Scissorhands' and short film 'Vincent'.
Society seems to have their set standards that not many people seem to be placed under. Fitting into society though is not that bad of a thing. Tim Burton is a complete stranger to society himself. Fitting into reality seems occult to Burton which is displayed in his films. Burton is trying to convey the fact people should not conform to society but rather embrace individuality.
In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the Creature executes extreme and irreversible acts due to his isolation from society. Although the Creature displays kindness, his isolation drives him to act inhumanely.
From the very beginning, Edward is cast as the monster – but is he really? We first see Edward when Peg searches for the owner of a dark, ominous, gothic mansion. She climbs up a set of gigantic spiral stairs that lead to “Edward’s room”. The setting is quite dark and the only lighting is coming through a gaping hole in the roof. Her curiosity gets the better of her, and as she examines this foreign place, we can hear in the bac...
An idea becomes a vision, the vision develops a plan, and this plan becomes an ambition. Unfortunately for Victor Frankenstein, his ambitions and accomplishments drowned him in sorrow from the result of many unfortunate events. These events caused Victors family and his creation to suffer. Rejection and isolation are two of the most vital themes in which many dreadful consequences derive from. Victor isolates himself from his family, friends, and meant-to-be wife. His ambitions are what isolate him and brought to life a creature whose suffering was unfairly conveyed into his life. The creature is isolated by everyone including his creator. He had no choice, unlike Victor. Finally, as the story starts to change, the creature begins to take control of the situation. It is now Victor being isolated by the creature as a form of revenge. All the events and misfortunes encountered in Frankenstein have been linked to one another as a chain of actions and reactions. Of course the first action and link in the chain is started by Victor Frankenstein.
In particular, this theme is revealed in many occasions in the book. On page 56, Edward comes out of nowhere and saves Bella from a car accident that potentially could have taken her life. “Two long, white hands shot out protectively in front of me, and the van shuddered to a stop…” In similarity, towards the end of the movie, Edward saves Bella (who is alone) from being attacked by James. This makes us ask, “How are both of these scenes related?” However, both of these scenes are prominent in the movie and the book because they are so vital to the story. This shows how despite being far away, his protectiveness over Bella made him save her. This inflicts very positive characteristics on Edward, such as: bravery, selflessness, and compassion. The idea of love is what caused him to commit irrational actions in the most necessary
Since the communist era, the concept of conformity has been tested on humans thinking it would bring a sort of comfort. These regimes rapidly crumbled due to their often authoritarian nature. Following these dictatorships, we often associate conformity with misery. Similarly, in Edward Scissorhands, through the characterization of Peg Boggs, the symbolism of Edward’s castle home and the change in Edward’s behaviour, director Tim Burton rejects conformity since it leads to fakeness, boredom, and corruption and, instead, promotes the benefits of authenticity and old habits.
The inventor (Vincent Price) invented a boy with scissors as hands. The boy was named Edward (Johnny deep). The investor dies before he can finish his creation Edward and he is left with scissor for hands. A woman named Peg (Dianne Wiest) found Edward and she brings him home. Edward meets her daughter Kim (winon rider) is kind to Edward and he beings to get feelings. Edward scissorhands is a must see film for people over the of 7.