Edward Scissorhands starring Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder. Directed by Tim Burton. Twentieth Century Fox
Tim Burton's directorial career soars top a new high with the visually exciting film Edward Scissorhands. Burton, whose eye for eerie yet stimulating cinema proved enthralling in Beetlejuice (1988) and Batman (1989), returns to the screen to set another trend in film making, the comedic-horror or the horrific-comedy.
This movie tells the tale of Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp), a some sort of Frankenstein creation by the Inventor (Vincent Price) who dies before he could replace Edward's scissor-made hands with flesh-like ones. Since the death of his creator, Edward has led a hermit's existence in his castle, spending much of his time cutting trees in the garden and fashioning them in the form of animals.
One day, Avon lady Peg (Dianne Wiest) stumbles into the castle and discovers Edward. she takes him into the town and straight into her household. Bill Boggs (Alan Arkin) Peg's husband, welcomes Edward with some apprehension at first but eventually takes compassion to him. Peg's discovery becomes the talk of the town. The townsfolk, though surprised with Edward's hands, soon discover the many wonders that his scissorhands can do.
Edward becomes the toast of the town, with every household wanting its garden fashioned by him, with every wife wanting her hair done by him, and every dog his famous hairstyling. There's a madness that embraces the town, a certain longing for Edward's scissorhands to bless them. Soon, Edward finds himself a media creation, too, the towns's biggest hype to date.
Amidst all the good things that are happening to Edward, he discovers his capacity for love. He takes a liking to Peg's girl Kim (Winona Ryder) and in the process, she discovers her feelings for him, too. It is also during this time when many misfortunes of Edward unfold before him.
In the end, he is driven away by the town that took him in. The hero has become the enemy of the people. None the less, the noble story of Edward Scissorhands is told ad retold in the many bedtime stories of Kim, now a grandmother.
Burton once again displays his prowess for amazing visual images. Together with the production designer Bo Welch (The Lost Boys) and cinematographer Stefan Czapsky (Vampire's Kiss and Matewan), he creates a far away world for Edward and it is a strange one indeed. For instance, the town's houses are painted in a riot of colors like bright yellow, orange red, green, etc. Immediately, we are ushered into a different world and one filled with varying characters as well. then, there is this absolutelty eerie castle Edwartd lives in. Blended wonderfully by Burton's cinematic eye, we are afforded a warm and exotic feeling. and although this is not the first time that we have had the experience - the former exmaple having beautifully put to use in Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy (1990), and the latter example provocatively used in Burton's Batman - Edward Scissorhands gives us a renewed feeling of fun and excitement.
It is also partiucularly impressive that Johnny Depp, an actor in the hearttrob mold who could've been type-casted accordng to the Hollywood book of jobs, bravely acted against type and took on an unglamourous role. His performance as the confused Edward is heartwarming. Depp's real-life girlfriend Winona Ryder is not bad at all. As Kim, she displays a flexibility with her emotions. Two other stellar performances belong to Alan Arkin and Dianne Wiest. Wiest, on the other hand, exibits a tantalizing capacity for comedy. Her blithe Peg is a welcome find since her Academy Award - winning performance in Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters. Director Tim Burton was definitely blessed with an ensemble cast of pure talent.
Don't look for motivations in the characters because you may find frustration in that aspect. Don't ask why he did this and that and so on. Quite clearly, the intention of filmmakers is not to study human behavior, although some truths sprinkled throughout the story, but to create a netherworld for the audiences to exalt in and have fun.
In summary, Edward Scisorhands is defintely a fun movie, a feel-good movie.
