Mise-en-scène Film Programme: Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Figure 1:  Movie Poster

Edward Scissorhands (1990) was a brilliant classic directed by Tim Burton and written by Caroline Thompson. This film was set in a typical American neighbourhood where everyone knows everyone. It was a story about a lonely inventor who lived in a mansion high above a town filled with pastel coloured houses. The movie is visually captivating as contrasting colours were used. Pastel colours were used for the neighbourhood and dark shades of grey for the castle. This was mentioned in an article wrote by Timeout London that could not be less accurate to describe this film. “It's a visual treat, complete with pastel bungalows, surreal shrubbery and grotesque outfits, but it remains curiously hollow.” (Timeout London, 1990)

Figure 2: Street View of the Neighbourhood [Still Image]

In the story, the inventor got his idea to create and develop Edward from his machines that made cookies. He decided to put a life into it by creating an appearance and gave him the intelligence of a man. The only difference was, his new creation had scissors for hands. Before he was able to complete his masterpiece of which is to install proper hands with fingers, he died. Hence, leaving Edward with a huge house with a garden. Edward spend much attention and care for his garden and shaped the scrubs and bushes into interesting elements. His centre piece of his driveway was a hand, a very significant symbol as he longed to have a pair of his own.

Figure 3: Exterior of Edward's Mansion [Still Image]

When a saleslady came to visit and promote her products, she was shocked and scared when Edward greeted her but she was quickly filled with empathy when her motherly instincts kicked in. She understood his loneliness and decided to host him as a guest in her house. Having a barbeque party was how Edward was introduced to the community. He made an impactful and memorable impression to the community when he started to put his hands into good use. He became the neighbourhood’s hairstylist for both the women and their dogs.

Figure 4: Edward Cutting the Dog's Fur [Still Image]

Figure 5: Edward Cutting Joyce's Hair [Still Image]

His good image to the community started to crumble when he rejected Joyce, who was sexually attracted to him as he had no interest in her other than for Peg’s daughter, Kim. Following that incident, he was forced to steal and eventually got caught trying to break an entry into Kim’s boyfriend house, Jim. Rumour started to spread on how dangerous he had become when, in actual fact, he was innocent. In agreement to a review written by Maslin, she wrote “A tale of misunderstood gentleness and stifled creativity, of civilization's power to corrupt innocence, of a heedless beauty and a kindhearted beast. The film, if scratched with something much less sharp than Edward's fingers, reveals proudly adolescent lessons for us all.” (Maslin, 1990)

Figure 6: Edward and Kim Hugging [Still Image]

The ending of this film was not like a Disney’s happily every after. Instead, it was a sacrifice Edward had to make. He had to leave Kim behind when the town was after him because his attempt to save Kevin, Kim’s brother, was misjudged. Before that, Kim who initially had no interest in Edward eventually saw through his imperfect appearance. She had asked him to hug her but when he said he was not able to do so, she wrapped her arms around his chest with much gentleness. In regards to this, Travers wrote, “The memory of that moment suffuses the film even at the somber climax, which recalls Batman's poignant solitude atop that Gotham City tower. Edward Scissorhands isn't perfect. It's something better: pure magic.” (Travers, 1990).

A quote by Pulaski sums up one of the best fantasy film ever made when he said “Edward Scissorhands is, in fact, Burton's masterwork, clearly personal, richly detailed, and aesthetically beautiful in many regards.” (Pulaski, 2013)

List of Illustrations:

Figure 1 Edward Scissorhands (1990) [Poster] at http://www.impawards.com/1990/posters/edward_scissorhands_ver1_xlg.jpg accessed on 6 November 2013

Figure 2 Street view of the neighbourhood [Still Image] at http://www.feelguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/EdScissors1990.jpg accessed on 6 November 2013

Figure 3 Exterior of Edward’s Mansion [Still Image] at http://zannaland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/edward-1.jpg accessed on 6 November 2013

Figure 4 Edward cutting the dog’s fur [Still Image] at http://images.cdn.filmclub.org/film__2796-edward-scissorhands--detail.jpg accessed on 6 November 2013

Figure 5 Edward cutting Joyce’s Hair [Still Image] at http://interpretationstation.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/edward_scissorhands_haircut.png accessed on 6 November 2013

Figure 6 Edward and Kim hugging [Still Image] at http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/22300000/Edward-Kim-edward-scissorhands-22305841-500-250.gif accessed on 6 November 2013

List of Bibliography:

Maslin, Janet

1990

Edward Scissorhands  (1990)

http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C0CE2D81338F934A35751C1A966958260

Accessed on 6 November 2013

Steve Pulaski

2013

http://letterboxd.com/stevepulaski/film/edward-scissorhands/

Accessed on 6 November 2013

Timeout London

1990

Edward Scissorhands

http://www.timeout.com/london/film/edward-scissorhands

Accessed on 6 November 2013

Travers, Peter

1990

Edward Scissorhands 1990

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/edward-scissorhands-19901214

Accessed on 6 November 2013