Edward Scissorhands Genre Essay
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
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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.
Just as Edward is seen as the typical gothic horror “monster”, so can the “normal” suburban community. As has been discussed, the appearance of Edward can be considered monster-like, but what truly makes a monster, is its personality and what it
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.
Usually a change occurs in the main Character of a Fantasy Film e, this could be in a good way or a bad way. In Edward scissor hands Edward is the main Character. He is lonely innocent person who lives in a big mansion. Edward has never had contact with humans so when Peg first sees Edward he is very frightened and decides to hide. Moreover the dialogues that Edward says when he first meets Peg is very desperate and scared however at the end of the movie Edward speaks louder and more confidently. During his stay with Peg he wore white clothes as he returned to the castle he cut off the white clothes leaving the black underneath. This shows a change in personality and figure as Edward becomes himself and doesn’t want to change for the people in the community. However during the course of the film Edward gets more and more comfortable with Humans. Even
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 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
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.
The film, Edward Scissor Hands, by Tim burton is a modern day fairy-tale, which is an entertaining film. However, the film is a much deeper and far richer film which includes many very important themes and messages for the audience. Individuality is extremely important when it comes to the character Edward. Edward and Kim show how much love is valued in their neighbourhood. Individual growth plays a part of all characters in the film and how much people can change in a small amount of time.
In the words of Carl Jung, a well-known psychologist, an archetype is “An innate tendency which molds and transforms the individual consciousness. A fact defined more through a drive than through specific inherited contents, images etc.; a matrix which influences the human behavior as well as his ideas and concepts on the ethical, moral religious and cultural levels”(Jung). This research paper provides different archetypes that are present in Edward Scissorhands.
Tim Burtons gothically themes fairytale like story of an uncommonly gentle man in the film Edward Scissorhands, allows, through the eyes of Edward himself, the audience’s unconscious to live his emotions vicariously, allowing the exploration of our own society and anxieties. To analyse the heart of this film it must be looked at Edward’s own childhood misfortunes and consequences, the system of the society that deems him an unholy monster, and typical American relationships of the 1950’s.
Similarly, the film by Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands portrays deep ideas about belonging whereby notions of acceptance and identity are illustrated through the use of filming techniques. Love and acceptance are challenged when Peg Boggs, the Avon representative rescues Edward from the mansion on top of the hill where he has spent his entirety. Upon Peg entering, a wide shot shows the sun shining into the mansion symbolising how the outside world has forever shone through but never been explored. The fear and disappointment of being judged for the hands that his inventor was never able to give him as “he never woke up” has left him in solidarity disconnected from society. A close up shot shows a collection of various images relating to those who are in some way unable to perform normal daily functions,
Tim Burton tends to depict the differences and special “abilities” of misfit protagonists as advantageous in creating a sense of individualism rather than a barrier in which one must overcome. For example, in Edward Scissorhands, a large pan from the monochrome neighborhood to Edward’s house is shown towards the beginning of the film. This, in addition with a low camera angle as Edward’s house hauntingly looks over the entire neighborhood from an enormous cliff, creates the sense of isolation between the small town and Edward. Afterwards, Edward can be seen peering down upon the neighborhood below as if he wants to be a part of it. Later on, Peg, a saleswoman for a makeup kit, meets Edward and learns about his abnormalities such as how he was built by an inventor and had scissors for hands. Not only
The film shows how judgmental society can be and unwilling to accept someone who appears different or incomplete. The film Edward Scissorhands is pretty much self-explanatory. The main character Edward has scissors for hands and is referred to as "handicap, freak, and cripple" (Burton, Edward Scissorhands). Edward is an incomplete invention, so therefore, society views Edward as being not normal because he doesn't look or conform to their perception
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.
Edward Scissorhands is an extremely spectacular person. He showed me that even people, that are like monsters, can have a good heart. In his film, everyone thought of him as a satanic person because of his impeccable appearance. People thought that he just wanted to murder everyone. But this is obviously preposterous. He is actually a very lovable, kindhearted
Edward Scissorhands starts with a grandmother is telling her grandchild a story of how it snows outside. The story began with a woman was selling makeup to people around her neighborhood, but no one would buy her products, so she drove up a hill to a gloomy house on the mountain. At the house, she found a man, but not an ordinary man, this man had scissors for hands. He was all alone by himself
In Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, Edward originally lives in an abandoned manor. The setting is set to be spooky when Edward is met. The setting alone makes the viewer think that Edward is crazy with its spooky atmosphere and dark lighting. When Edward is introduced, he emerges from darkness, with the silhouette of a monster. Burton wanted to create an effect that makes the viewer think Edward as a monster.