The Director’s Chair: Edward Scissorhands

You know who I am...

but you don’t know why I’m here! I go wherever I want...



whenever I want! And with that out of the way, I’d like to introduce you all to The Director’s Chair! Let’s reply to some comments: Colonol Chrome: This is the only movie Ive seen in a theater twice on the same day. Went to a morning show, the day after it opened. And found two tickets on the ground for a late afternoon matinee when leaving.

Talk about memories. Remember the times of showing up early for a premier out of fear of getting the worst seat in the house? They’d often times do little trivia and giveaways over here. Carl: No mention of THAT soundtrack? Huge Prince fan here, and knowing what we know now about his personality and commitment to his art it’s still a shock that Prince agreed to do it.

It could have been a mismatch, it could have been a cynical cash-in that diluted the film and put a huge blip on his legacy. (cont’d) Actually, I did a deep dive into the soundtrack and found a lot of fun info! Instead of repeating it, I’ll share the link here: Prince Batman Soundtrack Oral History Enjoy! Bubbles: #3 of my favorite Tim Burton films. This came out when super hero movies were pretty much tongue in cheek silly and hit like a seismic shift.

The closest we got to dark and brooding was Superman II. Jack Nicholson took villains from campy to cool. My favorite scene.

..Party Man.

BUBS! Did you ever say what your #1 was? Is it the one I’m covering tonight?! Let’s find out! Timothy Walter Burton was born August 25, 1958 in Burbank, CA. He went to CalArts and later even worked for Disney, as a concept artist, art director, and designer. As one would guess, he didn’t exactly fit the Disney mold, and none of his concepts were used.

Could you imagine a Tim Burton version of The Fox & the Hound? Soon thereafter, he found his voice and amplified it with work that would transcend stop-motion animation. He was handpicked by Paul Reubens to direct his feature film Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure , and allowed him creative input to bring Reuben’s small tv-show world onto the big screen. Beetlejuice was next, but the true stamp of approval for Burton came with 1989’s Batman .

This entry into comic book lore catapulted Burton to superstardom. His list of films afterwards are some of the most unique films ever, with each one feeling distinctly “Burtonesque.” Of course, this would eventually become detrimental, as critics considered it as more of a crutch than a trademark.

For my money, Burton is one of the greats, and even IF he falls back on his “look,” quite a bit, there is almost always something beneath the stop-motion. His movies focus on isolation, fish out of water, familial strife, father/son relationships, and as out of this world as his characters may be, there always seems to be some grounded sentiment towards their plights. But what about as a director? Let’s find out.

.. Specs: Runtime – 1 Hour 45 Minutes Release Date – December 14, 1990 Filming Locations – Lakeland, FL Budget – $20 Million Gross US & Canada – $56,362,352 Aspect Ratio – 1.

33:1 Trivia: Johnny Depp’s Edward only says 169 words in the film. Rating: 8/10 Considering the lore that this film has created, it’s hard not to say something that hasn’t already been said. In 1990, Tim Burton was slowly building his reputation, but I’d argue that the “Burtonesque” tones of his films had yet to be defined.

In my opinion, this was the film that did just that, and with great gusto. Edward Scissorhands took the template that Frankenstein helped create, Beauty and the Beast accentuated, and even a film as recent as Belle (a beautiful anime from the mind of Mamoru Hosoda) has used the trope of the unknown monster to much success. Edward Scissorhands is Burton at his finest.

The performances were wonderful, with my soft spot for Ryder officially starting with this film. Depp was tasked to say everything with his face, and he did just that. Elfman’s score is the director’s favorite to date, and Dianne Wiest is a saint.

The film is as simple as can be; a man in a castle forced into the suburb beneath him years to fit in but is ostracized the minute he doesn’t fit into the mold they’d like him to. One would assume that this simple story we’ve seen over and over would be one-note, derivative, and unnecessary. Burton makes sure that each of those concerns is wiped out the window with a film whose subtleties are in abundance.

Things are over-the-top when they need to be, but for every poodle-like haircut Edward makes, there is tons of minute moments where we, the viewer, question which side of the fence we’d be if a man with scissors for hands came in and cut up one of the neighborhood kids. I knew in choosing Burton that he’d be a hard director to review. He’s a man with a unique style and look, and if it’s unpleasing to some, they may write him off as unwavering.

This film was before Burton may have fallen on his own style as a crutch (a thought I find little truth in), so there’s little complain about here without looking at the film in hindsight. The set design is wonderful in creating an exaggerated suburb that harkens back to Burton’s upbringing. The divide between the would be cul-de-sac and the dark and looming castle is so abrupt and vivid, it almost forces you to choose a side.

With the castle gate broken, that darkness bleeds across the pastel color palate that is the city below, and in big swoops of the camera, lingering moments of silence, and an already gossip-filled small town, Burton accentuates the annoyances of suburbia while giving time to the outcast to shine. By 1990, Beetlejuice and Batman had already been out. Even Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure had its release prior to.

One could argue that with the exception of Pee-Wee , Burton would forever be known as the Director of the Dark. Edward Scissorhands took everything bright about Pee-Wee, everything dark about Beetlejuice and Batman and wrote a love letter to his younger self. It’s probably the heart within the film that made every scene important and every moment with nuance.

Bravo. It’s a scene that may seem to you like a cop-out, but it’s so elegant in its simplicity. As much I’d love to give all the credit to Burton, it’s really Danny Elfman that is the star in this small moment that I can see vividly in my mind.

Winona’s Kim is inside with her mother before being curious about outside. As she walks out the door, we get a long shot of her coming outside. It’s Ryder’s face that must do the work at this point.

We see Edward, high on a ladder, creating an angel ice sculpture, completely unaware of Kim’s presence. Her realization that this is snow, this is the true Edward, and this is something she’s never experienced is encapsulated in her quick jutting out of the arms and slow spin underneath the falling ice chips of Edward’s work, and just to make sure you know this is a Tim Burton film, there’s a freaking grass dinosaur in the back! We’ve got one more week with Burton! What do YOU think we are closing with?!! DUECES!.