7/30/2019 Review -Matt Edward Scissor Hands Review

1/3

Mise-en-scene film programme

Edward scissor hands review.

Directed and written by the notoriously original Tim Burton and starring Jonny Depp, Edward Scissor

Hands is a dark comedy film made in 1990 that showcases the stark contrast between a

stereotypical view on the perfect American life and the rejection of anything that goes against that

that view. It also highlights disfigurement, difference and the fear of the unknown. Tim Burton has

revealed that Edward Scissor Hands remains his most intimate and personal project, maybe because

it is a reconstruction of his life and how he struggled to get accepted into the film industry because

of his lack of a Normalimagination. Actor Vincent Price once said simply "Tim is Edward, relating to

the idea that Edward Scissor Hands is a metaphor of Tim Burtons life, this concept has also been

backed by Johnny Depp and many others.

The plot is about a character called Edward, a person created by the old town inventor. It was his

greatest invention yet until he died suddenly, leaving Edward unfinished and with scissors for hands.

For many years Edward remained isolated from modern life and stayed in the Castle he was created

in until an Avon lady visited. She quickly encouraged him to stay with her, eventually helping him to

fit in with town life. Edward goes through a whole range of new emotions and experiences like

falling in love, committing crime and fitting in with a group. Edward becomes nationally recognised

for his skill in hedge trimming which turned to haircutting and becomes a celebrity. The thing that

stood out and didnt fit in was now an iconic image and shows that although you may be different

you can still fit in with society.Tim Burton uses his own experiences of suburbia; Growing up in suburbia was like growing up in a

place where theres no sense of history, no sense of culture, no sense of passion for anything- (Tim

Burton)and uses it in his film to compare the two ideologies. On one side you have the idea of what

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7/30/2019 Review -Matt Edward Scissor Hands Review

2/3

is seen as perfect: a loving family with two kids, one being boy and other being a girl living in a nice

house in a lovely town with kind neighbours. Worries and stress dont seem to have a place in this

perfect world. There is no crime, no arguing and no negativity. The only negative thing that exists is

the perception that you cant look imperfect to others and the presence of subtle competition. On

the other side you have the creepy old castle on the outskirts of town inhabited by a crazed self

professed inventor with eccentric ideas. The German Expressionistic inspired castle is darkly

coloured, there is no love, no commercialism, no materialism and nothing looks perfect. There are

things out of place, shapes that dont look quite normal and no indication whatsoever of a daily

routine. In this film this constitutes a nightmarish position to be in if you live in the perfect town. Tim

Burton goes on further with this comparison by going deep in the seemingly shallow personalities of

the people that inhabit the town to record their reaction when the imperfect Edward comes from his

hideous castle and moves to their town. This film shows the viewer that ultimately the character

who was seen as imperfect, a freak and disfigured actually goes on to flourish and achieve things,

leaving the characters from the perfect scenario looking to be more flawed than they could ever

imagine.

Image 3 shows the most striking aspect of this film is not just the character Edward but the set

design. Every house is painted a bright pastille colour and gives a dream like effect to the visualperception of the film, which can be seen as another metaphor that shows us the American Dream.

The setting is a small suburban American town with no individuality, everyone knows everything

about everyone, everything is the same and there is no individual personality. The Director plays on

this concept by having everything in the set exactly the same; even though the colour was different

it still resembled the same shape and same intention. Another thing that sets this location apart

from others is the robotic clockwork pursuit in which the town performs day to day activities.

This film focuses on the theme of alienation, xenophobia and colour psychology. Tim Burton didnt

just create a nice family movie, he used it as a platform to project a message and by using an array of

metaphorical content, like strong bright colours to represent happiness and goodness, he got that

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7/30/2019 Review -Matt Edward Scissor Hands Review

3/3