Edward Scissorhands: Tim Burton and Johnny Depp at their Sharpest

        Tonight covers one of Tim Burton's best films: Edward Scissorhands. As usual, it contains the oddness that is Tim Burton and the great music that is Danny Elfman. Since its release, we've been watching every Halloween for the past 25 years. 

         Once upon a time, there lived a really old inventor, (played by Vincent Price,) who invented a man, named Edward. But this was no ordinary man. For the inventor had given him scissors instead of hands. Since the inventor was really old, he died before he could give Edward actual hands. So Edward is left all alone in the inventor's mansion, until a woman named Peg finds him, and takes him in. Will Edward be able to adjust to the new life and find love?

         Bo Welch, the production designer, did a great job on the look of Edward Scissorhands. And those looks include hair and makeup. In Edward Scissorhands, you don't truly notice the people's hair and face until you see Edward himself. His hair looks like it's a mess and wild. His face is very pale and has multiple scars on his face. In the scene where we meet Edward, you see the extreme difference between him and Peg. The people you see before Edward are the people that live in the neighborhood. Most of them, Joyce and Helen for example, wear the brightest clothes. Joyce always has a lot of makeup on. The only person that has the darkest sense around them besides Edward in the neighborhood is Esmeralda. 

           The way they used color in this film was very well executed. In the neighborhood they basically went all out on the bright colors to suggest a cheerful and perhaps peaceful lifestyle among the people there. The houses were yellow, pink, blue, even green! They only seemed to use the darker colors, mostly black,  on Edward. It makes Edward stand out from everybody in order to bring focus to him. After all, he is the main character. 

          The texture in Edward Scissorhands was hard to look for. Most of it was smooth rather than rough. Except some of the people didn't act so sophisticated. A lot of the ladies seemed kind of...goofy. But there was coldness. Kim wasn't exactly warm towards Edward when they met. But that changes by the end of the film. One thing that did have a rough look to it was the the hedges that Edward cut into different shapes. 

           The are a few things you seem to see over and over again in the film. To maintain Edward's awkwardness is his new world, we repeatedly see Edward having trouble doing things with his scissors. There really aren't many things in this film that contain symbolism. At least I had trouble finding things that did. But we hear the same music when Edward has his romantic momentic moments with Kim. To see the difference between Edward's life at the inventor's house and the neighborhood, we see Edward having flashbacks of his past. 

     My response to the look of the film was overall positive. It's the classic Tim Burton look that helps make it what it is. As you can see, design is what sets each film apart from the rest. And Edward Scissorhands is no exception. Design will always effect your primary reaction to the film. The design in Edward Scissorhands is made to create different feelings. The melancholy of Edward's problems.,  the slight cheerfulness that the neighborhood brings, and the romantic longing that is seen between Edward and Kim. I noticed an almost magical sense when I hear the soft music. I know when there will be something foreboding as I watch the opening scene. These are all the things I saw in the elements of Edward Scissorhands.

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