batman returns-penguin die

I am a man! I have a name!

Music

Tim Burton is closely related with his use of spooky soundtracks in his films. Burton was originally better known for his visual techniques in film but the music and sounds in his films have become more and more well known as they shape and reflect the general creepiness and darkness of what we see. Danny Elfman, a talented composer, has worked in close relation with Tim Burton on the vast majority of his films having scored all but three of his works ('Cabin Boy', 'James and the Giant Peach' and 'Ed Wood'). Elfman has also had many voice roles in Burton films. It is needless to say that Tim Burton and Danny Elfman go hand in hand.

As far as Burton’s placement of this eerie music in his films goes, you will see that it always reflects the dark and creepy nature of the mis en scene (everything in the shot) as demonstrated in the opening credits of Edward Sissorhands …

Another example of this would be in Sleepy Hollow where Burton uses music a lot to enhance the mood created by his stunning and shocking visuals ...

But Burton knows how to place music not only to make the audience uncomfortable and creeped out but also to invoke sympathy and other emotions. I am going to play Penguin's death again but this time I want you to play closer attention to the music ... The music changes when he dies, the violins are sombre and slow and then as the penguins come out an oboe starts playing. The music is sad but still has a creepiness to it with the tingling bells, which are heard in many Burton films, over top. This stays true to Burton's style whilst invoking sympathy in the audience.

Edward Scissorhands (Clip 1)

Misunderstood Monsters:

Another main feature of Tim Burton films is the ‘misunderstood monster’. His ‘monsters’ are always misunderstood creatures often looking for some form of love and acceptance. Penguin from Batman Returns, Edward Sissorhands, Sweeney Todd and to some degree, the Headless Horseman from Sleepy Hollow, are some of the classic examples. In these movies who are the real villains? Penguin? Or the guy pulling the strings? In Edward Sissorhands is it Edward or society? Sweeney Todd or Judge Turpin? The Headless Horseman or the person who wrote his hit list of victims? Burton makes us think beyond what we see and shakes the line between good and evil.

Burton likes to show his audiences that there are two sides to everything and everyone. He does this effectively through the use of colour, as I have previously showed you in his last technique, and through the concept of misunderstood monsters. In Edward Sissorhands, Edward at first appears to be a very dark and scary character, but we are quickly shown that this is first impression that is entirely wrong as we soon see that he is a sweet and innocent creature who has never experienced the outside world or the love and comfort of a family. He’s shy and awkward but like a cute little kid he is curious and fun loving as we can see in this scene. *clip*

In Batman Returns, Burton makes us feel sorry for Penguin by revealing his misfortune and reminding the audience that he is a man, just like everyone else. Penguin gains sympathy by being given a reason as to why he turned out this way, he was an outcast, abandoned by his own family just because he looked strange and different and is left to be raised in the sewers by penguins. Anyone doomed to that fate is likely to go a little crazy. One of Penguin's famous quotes that illustrates this is "I am a man. I have a name", this scene I will show you now. *clip* Also, when Penguin dies we are again given sympathy towards this poor misunderstood monster despite all of his evil deeds as he is carried off into the water by the only family he ever knew, the penguins. *clip*

Master of Colour

TIM BURTON! Gothic King of the Bizarre! Visionary! Weirdo? He has been called many things, but one of the titles that intrigues me most is Master of Colour.

Master of Colour:

There are two sides to Tim Burton that come across in most of his films. Through the use of a variety of light sources, colour tones, and his hand-painted characters, he expressively creates two separate, colorful worlds that captivate viewers and tickle their imaginations: a dark, grey scale Gothic world, and a goofy world, filled with bright colours and striped patterns.

Colour in Films:

Edward Scissorhands

In this film the first thing that strikes the viewer is the use of colours. The small mountain and the mansion on top of it are set in a gloomy, dark grey setting, a shade that strongly contrasts with the brighter colours of the suburb below. This can also be found in the clothing of people. While Edward’s clothes are mostly black the others in the film are dressed in soft, brighter colours. Black is usually a symbolic colour for death and misfortune. This is fitting as Edward experienced the death of his creator before he was able to complete him as he was very old, leaving Edward alone to wallow in a pit of despair and gloom. Black is also the traditional colour to signify the bad guy, so we of course assume at first glance that Edward is evil, or at the very least severely troubled. This is also emphasized by his hands, which are razor sharp scissors, not something you would want to run into in a dark ally. His hair is also a black tangled mess and his face chalk white, which also adds to the horrific and ghostly effect of his appearance. If we imagine this film with Edward dressed in white or some brighter colours it would not have the same effect as white is a colour associated with pureness and innocence, and the softness of pastel or brighter colours would not suit his character.

The suburb consists of many bright and happy colours, found on the cars, the houses and the inhabitants. The sky is a bright blue and the overall colour of the lighting is soft but vibrant and cheery. I associate the colours that I see in the suburb in this film with things like My Little Pony and little girl’s dresses with puffed sleeves and lace. These are very harmless colours making the suburb look like a utopia from the 60's, in contrast to the dark nightmare image of the mansion and high mountain lurking in the background. This use of colour in the suburb distances Edward from the others and shows that he is an outsider. This contrast between him and the residents of the suburb is used throughout the movie.

Toward the end of the film there is a slight change in the colours. Kim and Edward form a unit and she is now dressed in white, which reflects both her innocence and that she is the only one that still believes that he is good and that he does not mean any harm. Edward also has white clothing on, linking the two together. *CLIP!*

After this scene Edward goes storming off in a jealous rage down the street, tearing and snipping off his white clothing revealing the original, creepy, black garment! *CLIP!*

Sleepy Hollow

Again the main colours in this film are dark and sinister. A lot of black is used, symbolic of death but what intrigued me most was the extreme contrast of the protagonist, Ichabod Crane’s flashbacks. One scene in particular, which I will show you, the extensive use of the colour white is used to portray the innocence and purity of his mother, and his father, drenched in black clothing symbolic of death and evil, walks through it disrupting and tainting her innocence with the evil deed he has just committed, her murder. *CLIP!*

Tim Burton's Mad Hatter

The original Disney Alice in Wonderland featured a bright Mad Hatter adorned mostly in green. Tim Burton's Mad Hatter takes on a much darker quality, with sensual shades of black and maroon velvet. The face, surrounded by frizzy neon colored hair, is a ghostly pale save for dramatic pink cheeks and dark pink rings under the eyes

Vincent

An example of some of his very first work reflects his style perfectly and has carried through to almost all his other work. The colour is all black and white and very gloomy with lots of shadows, portraying the dark and warped side of a little boy's mind. *CLIP!*

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