Written by Tim Burton & Caroline Thompson

Directed By Tim Burton

Released 1990

Behind a small, yet colorful & bright, neighborhood, on top of a large hill, sits a dark & abandoned mansion. Residing inside alone is our friend Edward (Johnny Depp), a manufactured man who was left unfinished by The Inventor (Vincent Price) before his passing. Now, with scissors for hands, Edward dwells inside the shadows of the house, without anyone knowing he even exists. It’s not until the towns Avon seller Peg (Diane West) decides to take a chance at visiting this old estate, where she meets Edward and invites him to stay with her and her family in their home. The townsfolk immediately know Peg has someone new staying with her, and Edward becomes quite popular among the neighbors, especially with all that his scissor hands can do! It’s not until Edward meets Kim (Winona Ryder) the daughter of his new adopted family, when things start getting a bit more complicated, add in the cattiness of all the housewives,and a manic ex-boyfriend, Edward and Kim face very interesting circumstances together. It’s obvious Edward doesn’t fit in this world, let alone this town, ultimately forcing him to decide what would be best; stay there and be forever an outcast, or go back to the shadows he knows well.

STORY

Both Tim Burton and Caroline Thompson did such an extraordinary job at creating this eccentric journey for Edward and the other characters. Edwards arch is a sincere venture through expression and individualism, to betrayal and heartbreak, to finally self-acceptance and a new outlook at life. It takes a person like Peg, the most welcoming and accepting person this entire town has, to bring Edward into a new life, although you can argue that Edward didn’t need to leave his original home in the first place, it was more-so Peg thinking she was doing a good thing. Although people were definitely intrigued, nosy, and suspicious by Edwards arrival in their community, I also got a sense that these folk were so bored of their everyday lives, that Edward was a big excuse to step out of their routines. The townspeople weren’t very close minded, just more fascinated than anything else and really accepted Edward as he was, just so long as he keeps trimming their bushes into giant sculptural art, giving their dogs abstract groom styles, and up keeping the women’s very peculiar hair cuts, but how long can that actually last?

I would say this film has two villains or antagonists, which would be the scandalmonger neighbor Joyce (Kathy Baker) and the cantankerous former boyfriend Jim (Anthony Michael Hall). Although Joyce is more of the “stir the pot” type and Jim is more brute force and toxic rejection, I would say both of the characters are responsible for adding an extremely difficult layer to Edwards already demanding expectations from the neighborhood. Alongside that, Kim allowing Jim (not a big fan of the name pairs just to note) to get away with certain things that put poor Edward in the terrible spotlight also made me a little resentful of the whole ordeal. We see just how much Edward would do for Kim simply because she asks him to, and she hardly stood up for him when it actually mattered! Speaking of that love complexity, I will say, notwithstanding that this love story has been considered one of the most famous in cult film classics, however, the quickness of it, I felt anyway, was a bit fast. There was no real build up between them that established those strong feelings, but I felt the characters honestly did eventually love and care about each each other. Needless to say, Edward deserved better than what any of those people could and would offer him. Peg was the only character I felt who was doing her best to make Edward apart of this society and apart of her family. In the end, she also had to make a tough decision between her heart and her intellect.

Okay and, obviously spoiler if you haven’t seen this, but why doesn’t Kim ever go back to Edwards home when he literally lives right behind her neighborhood? If Edward died, or had to leave town completely, or if Kim was leaving, then maybe, but we see her now almost what looks like 100 years old and her house is within eye shot of Edwards…who is still living there. I understand not wanting him to see you now, but what about the first 40 years of still being young after the matter? The temptation would be too much for me and if the person I was madly in love with lived within walking distance, and my crazy ex boyfriend is definitely not in the picture, I would be making every excuse in the book to sneak off into his mansion and be with him. Now we have Edward who’s been carving Kim-shaped ice sculptures for the last 80 years and she doesn’t so much send him a god damn Thank You – Hope You’ve Been Well” card. Overall though, the story is very charming and enchanting. We sympathized with an artificial man and honestly fell in love with him just as fast as he fell in love with Kim.

IMAGRY & PRODUCTION

Production Design was the magical man Bo Welch (A Series of U.E., Men in Black, Thor, Bettlejuice, Batman Returns, The Lost Boys) and he did not disappoint. The extreme contrast of colors, shapes, wardrobe, etc. between Edward and the neighborhood added the perfect artistic visual of how different our protagonist was to his new environment. Cinematography was by Stefan Czapsky (Blades of Glory, Matilda, Batman Returns, Childs Play) who, as always, captured such genius. Very simple shots, but the compositions were so incredible that it was consistently captivating. The phenomenal use of the miniatures was iconic; I didn’t even realize until watching it again that a lot of the aerial scenes were just a camera going over a small imitation of the set; absolutely brilliant.

Of course the mastermind behind all of this is Tim Burton, who has been a tremendous inspiration to my art and expression of entertainment. As a fellow auteur with a distinct style to all of my projects, I wholeheartedly admire Burtons one of a kind stamp to everything he does. You can almost always tell before titles even appear if something is a Tim Burton piece. It goes without saying of course that the team behind him are just as talented. It’s one thing to be able to dream and imagine such wondrous worlds, but to have people support you that can help create and materialize those worlds, that alone is extraordinary. Some people do argue that an artist, specifically a filmmaker, should be able to be versatile and not stick to one type of genre or style, and somehow the real “art” is being able to create something different than what you did last. Although I do believe creators should try to experiment and expand themselves as creatively as possible, I disagree on the notion that you can’t be a successful filmmaker by sticking to one recognizable bracket, or that somehow you limit your achievements because of only knowing how to produce one kind of domain. If anything, it’s a smart way to market yourself to a particular audience who will become loyal fans and turn your works of art into classics. Not only that, when you know you’re exceptionally great at something, why try to go outside of that zone? If not for a personal challenge, I really don’t understand the pressure to change and the stigma of an auteur métier.

PERFORMANCE

It goes without saying, Johnny Depp never misses for me, literally anything he plays I love it, even if I hate the movie, if I hate his character, if I hate it all, I will still watch it relentlessly just because of Johnny. With that, I think it’s safe to say that Edward Scissorhands is just as iconic and memorable, dare I say, as Captain Jack Sparrow. His particular character still influences artists, cosplayers, music videos, and fashion groups to this day. Even if we put that aside and just focus on mere performance, we all know Johnny Depp did a tremendous job embodying this person. Additionally, Winona Ryder (Kim) is always incredible, although I did get slightly annoyed with her character, so I suppose you can say she did well. Kathy Baker (Joyce) was truly my favorite. Her character was so perfectly portrayed, the cattiness was unmatched, it was a new standard for the lonely housewife.

I also didn’t realize that Anthony Michael Hall (Jim) was the “nerd” in The Breakfast Club?! A complete 180 from this character who’s the slight sadist jock, big force to be reckoned with, asshole! So, for that I would say his performance was the most momentous. Dianne West (Peg) was an absolute sweetheart. She does such a good job at the genuine, loving mom persona, you almost feel bad for the woman at how people tend to walk all over that. Alan Arkin (Bill) for some reason, to me anyway, his character is invariably the same in whatever space he’s in. It may be how he seems to deliver his line in a very “matter of fact” way, perhaps it’s also with a bit of a dull undertone, but it works and surprisingly he is still able to effectively deliver his character; not every character has a solid arch, but they’re still important. Lastly, the incomparable Vincent Price (the Inventor) graced the screen with his presence. I don’t even feel proficient enough to discuss him in any aspect besides noting what a luminary he is in his own right; big flex for Burton.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Most of us have, at one time or another, have felt like the outcast among our community, felt ostracized from our surrounding environment, or just simply did not fit in with the rest. We have been thrown into a situation or even relationship where our type of being does not mesh well, and is even bothersome, to others and in the end doesn’t work out. I think it’s a romanticized idea that our uniqueness is “better” than the majority flow, but in reality, we all have our own unique qualities and there are certain coteries that make us feel right at home, if we’re lucky enough to find them. The story of Edward Scissorhands takes a more fantasy approach to that theme, however the core of that feeling is still apparent. A not so common approach to this story is the perspective of Kim falling in love with someone who’s very different than her, quite literally not even an actual human being, an even more of Jim becoming enraged that she would leave him for someone of that makeup. What’s her motive? When we meet Kim, she’s the prettiest girl in town with a boyfriend who seems to care about her…in his own way…, she’s popular and is considered an all around normal teenager with a loving and accepting family. That town with those type of people, I’m assuming, is all she has ever known, yet upon meeting Edward is doesn’t take long for her heart to not only care about him but to confess her love for him. Was it the fact that Edward willingly put himself in trouble for her sake that made her heart melt? Was it more of an attraction to the unknown and mysterious, a fetishizing of what’s different? Did she actually love him or was it just the mere thrill of stepping into the “forbidden?”

I’m truly pulled by believing Kim’s affection was genuine, that Edward showed her a soft, sensitive, and sincere approach to life and inspired her to be her authentic self. Or, she could just love the rush of it all, having such a peculiar person already madly devoted to her, willing to risk it all, because let’s be honest Jim doesn’t seem like the “I would die for you” type and more the “I will kill you” type, so I mean, I get it. The idealized side of me says Edward opened up Kims frame of mind and she was honestly content with her life before because it was all she knew existed, so her attraction to Edward was purely spontaneous & emotional. The contemptuous side of me says Kim was simply bored of her everyday life, just like the rest of the town folk, and was already looking for an escape, so she glamorized Edward the same way everyone else did, except Edward was insanely allured by her presence and since she wasn’t getting that same kind of consideration from Jim, she went after someone who she knew would never actually be able to have a relationship. Hence, her never ever ever ever again seeing Edward after he LITERALLY SAVED HER PATHETIC LIFE. Again though, that’s coming from my pessimistic side. Rational me says it’s more likely a mix of both, which is totally relatable to us all.

I’ll be the first to admit that I get bored with my everyday and begin to feel like I’m running in a continuous hamster wheel of routine and social expectation. I welcome controlled chaos in my life to shake me awake from the slumber of the system. I’m interested what we would discover if we truly asked ourselves what our intentions are when we find ourselves attracted to what we don’t know or longing to be apart of a world we are not from. There’s always been a sense of displacement I’ve experienced, and although I can even look to be part of a certain group, I find that even more disturbing to try and fit into the constructs and labels set up for me. Some of us are Edward in our spaces where it’s visually obvious we don’t “fit in” and some of us are Kim in our spaces where we look exactly like our neighbors, but something deeper inside doesn’t match the rest. Was it necessary for Edward to leave his home where he lived alone, live among these people, become a celebrity, fall in love, become a criminal, ran out of town, killed a man, and now live the rest of eternity alone once more except now he knows what he’s missing out from?…probably not. But was it necessary for Kim to experience that kind of person exists, and there’s so much more to life than the colorful block houses and the superficial people she’s known? Possibly. It still seems as if Edward got the shorter end of the stick just so Kims horizon expanded a bit, after all Kim still has an awesome and loving family, who also loved Edward…I mean she could have definitely kept a relationship with him that her family would support, but then where’s that sweet sweet heartache we need?

Edward Scissorhands, this movie I still always highly recommend. It’s a fantastic art piece and even though the story is quite tragic, there is still a spirit of beauty that remains. It will always be a favorite of mine.