As a gamer who has spent countless hours immersed in the dark and fantastical worlds of Tim Burton, I find myself deeply resonating with his unique portrayal of outsiders and loners. From Batman’s solitary crusade to Edward Scissorhands‘ heartwarming awkwardness, these characters embody the essence of what it means to be different and misunderstood in a world that often fails to grasp the complexities of our inner selves.
Even in the towering successes of blockbusters such as Batman (1989), Tim Burton’s characters are most distinctively Burton-like when they are peculiar, misfits, and undeniably solitary. Isn’t this precisely what a wealthy and peculiar figure like Bruce Wayne embodies? Beyond the strictly managed walls of Wayne Manor, he ventures into Gotham City, which may someday come to respect him, but will never truly comprehend him.
In a different scenario, Batman’s solitude is predominantly imposed upon him. On the other hand, the gentle, awkward loneliness that defines Edward Scissorhands, available for streaming on Peacock, has a more innate quality. His character resonates with themes similar to Pinocchio (he’s not genuinely human!) and Frankenstein (constructed from leftover parts by an inventor!). Being an orphaned creation living in a hilltop mansion, his sense of loneliness as an outsider is deeply ingrained in his mechanical genes.
What Edward Scissorhands and Tim Burton have in common
It’s only normal: When you’re a synthetic human with scissors for hands, people can never truly understand your experience. Even though Tim Burton’s successful directing career shows he’s not a lonely Hollywood outcast, 1990’s “Edward Scissorhands” – the first film in Burton and Johnny Depp’s long-lasting partnership – is still often seen as one of Burton’s most personal and autobiographical works.
There are two main explanations for this: Firstly, movies featuring misfits or misunderstood characters, such as Albert Finney’s role in Big Fish, align with Burton’s overall creative style. Secondly, the creation of Edward Scissorhands as a character stems from Burton’s personal experiences during his childhood, which he described as being unique and isolated.
For More on Peacock
Top 20 Sci-Fi TV Series Available on Peacock: Caprica, Teacup, Resident Alien, Farscape among Others
In a 2013 interview with THR, Burton shared that during his younger years, he often felt out of place and distinct, as if he didn’t belong in his environment. It was peculiar, he added, that people thought his affection for monster movies made him strange, which he found odd. In essence, Burton compared his solitary film characters to Frankenstein – a cinematic misfit who is perceived as a monster despite not truly being one; rather, he’s just unique.
In the film “Edward Scissorhands,” Johnny Depp’s character, a misfit, appears both menacing with his blade-like hands and harmless as the town’s new resident. He’d barely harm a fly with those dangerous appendages unless it’s for the safety of a friend in trouble. However, as the movie concludes, we see that he remains isolated from society, separated by an unbreakable divide between the extraordinary and the ordinary.
Burton’s childhood wasn’t just a hint to the future filmmaker that he felt different from his peers; it was where the unique concept for the movie “Edward Scissorhands” ultimately originated.
In a 2015 conversation over drinks, Tim shared with Caroline Thompson a drawing he’d done in high school of a character with scissors for hands. Inspired by this image, Caroline wrote a 70-page treatment for a screenplay in just three weeks and handed it to Tim. This script essentially became the movie we now know. (Caroline Thompson, the movie’s screenwriter, explained this to Variety.)
In the movie “Edward Scissorhands,” starring Johnny Depp, Vincent Price in one of his last film roles, as well as ’80s icons such as Winona Ryder and Anthony Michael Hall, the fantastical setting is beautifully enhanced by Danny Elfman’s ethereal music, a frequent collaborator of the director. Watch it now on Peacock!
Read More
Sorry. No data so far.
2024-12-19 01:46