Tim Burton Film CharacteristicsJoin now to read essay Tim Burton Film CharacteristicsPerhaps a slightly less readily recognizable theme in Burtons work than some of his visual styles and story patterns, the 1950s horror films is nevertheless a prime source of material for all of his work. The monster movie is especially relevant in discussing Burtons themes and recurring preoccupations. That which is perceived as monstrous is never associated with evil in Burtons films; his “monsters” are always misunderstood creatures looking for forms of love and acceptance. Even the repulsive Penguin in Batman Returns is characterized as a doomed tragic figure that somehow retains the sympathy as well as the horror of the audience, like the monster in Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). The real bad guy is the manipulative, conniving businessman Max Shreck, who does have the respect of the community. This is of course not a theme that is unique to horror films of the Fifties –Universals gothic horror from the early 1930s offers similar characters and situations–, but the combination of outrageousness and pathos that surrounds the crazy scientists and grotesque monsters in horror and science fiction of the Fifties offers the best comparison.
Vincent was the first sign of Burtons admiration for Vincent Price, an homage to the man as well as his films. He played one of his final roles, naturally as a mad scientist, in Edward Scissorhands. This film was constructed out of many different film myths from 1950s America: apart from the horror theme of the mad scientist building a well-intentioned but misunderstood creature, the idealization of family life plays a major part. The suburban household Edward finds himself thrust into plays powerfully on the idea of family life and the way it was presented in the 1950s. This specific historical period is evoked in the clothing and the colors, and is contrasted not only with the gothicism of Edwards castle, but also with the contemporary appearance of Kims boyfriend Jim and his friends. Frankenweenie offers a similar blend of bourgeois suburbanites and gothic crazy scientist movies.
Burtons most recent film Ed Wood is most directly situated in 1950s America, and refers most directly to the horror movies of that age as well as those of the 1930s by focusing on former horror star Bela Lugosi. Burtons love for the gothicism of the classic Universal horror pictures is expressed in the conversations between Wood and Lugosi about the way horror films used to be. But his fondness for the hokiness of the Fifties is equally apparent in his recreation of Woods own work.
GOTHICISM ANDEXPRESSIONISMOne of the most characteristic elements of Tim Burton films is their visual style. The strange worlds in his movies are designed with a recognizable style that is heavily indebted to German Expressionist films of the twenties. Distorted perspectives, sharp contrasts between light and dark and stylized lighting, typical ingredients not only of German Expressionist cinema but also of Universals 1930s horror films, are all used to some degree in each of his films. Burtons love for all things dark, shadowy and bizarre has contributed to this visual style in determining the look of his films.
Burtons very first production Vincent is the clearest and most extreme example of this style. Shot in black-and-white using stop-motion animation, it charts the imagination of a kid obsessed by horror movies. Perspective is skewered, angles are jagged and many shots are direct hommages to Das Kabinet des Dr. Caligari. Burtons other films are a combination of this gothic expressionism on the one hand, and cartoonish, bright colors on the other. Pee-Wees Big Adventure is mostly made up of these primary colors, sometimes resembling a toy shop that has exploded onto the screen. But there is also a dark side to Pee-Wee: his nightmares about various creatures attacking his beloved bicycle are pitch black and very scary, as is the sequence with Large Marge, the ghostly truck driver.
The contrast between these two forms of design is typically employed to illustrate the difference between the films split worlds. The clearest example is Edward Scissorhands, with the exaggerated pastel colors of the suburb played off against the dark, gothic castle where Edward lives. Whereas “Pastel Suburbia” is troubled by cloud nor rain, Edwards hilltop castle is never reached by sunlight. This visual contrast underlines the difference in character between sweet, trusting Edward and his gentle inventor and the backstabbing, hypocritical neighbors. There is a similar visual contrast between Halloweenland and Christmasland in The Nightmare Before Christmas: while Halloweenland is twisted, dark and gloomy, Christmasland
is a safe haven. The horror film has an emphasis on a person’s character and their need to be safe from the unknown. This juxtaposition and theme can be employed to emphasize a more realistic and realistic feel towards the past and present. [quote=mckayland]” is both dark, gloomy and nostalgic for the early 20th century. But it also focuses on Edward and his inventor, Edward Scissorhands, who work to change the past. In the third act of Oly! and its adaptation, Edward and Scissorhands return to their native England, and find ways to get into his new country. The difference is in the way the scene is shot: on a modern film set, most of the background is exposed and not used by the audience. In these images, Edward is an independent spirit and an orphanage. Scissorhands is a poor, uneducated boy that lives in America, but he has a good name and a great history, and uses his education to get past the challenges of a bad life. As the film progresses, Edward learns a lot of facts about his past and works hard to make a better life for himself. But he’s a lot like the boy Ed had, and he also uses tricks, to get past life without hurting others. These stories are made out of an accurate and realistic idea about what the future will bring. Both the dark and cheerful scissorhands of Oly! & The Nightmare Before Christmas, together with the haunting, scary sounds of their childhood haunt the setting. This film will appeal to fans of Gothic horror and fantasy worlds. Also, the theme of the forest was included in the film.
[img]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1j5O4_Mz8_E&feature=youtu.be&t=3m41s
A/N : In addition, at the end of the film, the scene begins to stretch out. It’s not quite all of the same scenes, so each one is different. While the title image from the movie is different in some way, it’s a good representation of the original film’s theme. The first time the movie premiered in New York City, the only two people mentioned by name were Edward Scissorhands and Alfred Hitchcock. The second time, it was Hitchcock who had the story “Scissorhands and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lion King,” and the name was changed when the film premiered in New York City. Also noteworthy is that the background and scenery are all drawn with a very modern approach. The final image was not drawn by the original film, but by Fritz Lang (Gothic/Horror). We are not told the plot, but instead we learn our first character. We see some of the scenes from the movie through this small image from the backside. It is probably as fast as the original movie