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!*

http://www.awooh.com/watch/edwardscissorhands90.html

GREAT SCENE - Edward Scissorhands

Vincent - Tim.Burton.Short.Animation.1982

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland

This new spin on C.S Lewis’s beloved classic, Alice in Wonderland has been transformed into something quite different than expected. This film is more of a sequel than a remake as it follows an entirely different plotline with many obvious references to other famous C.S Lewis works. I thought the weaving of the Jabberwocky (a well-known C.S Lewis poem) into this new Alice to be slightly bizarre and awkward and very far from the author’s original intention. However I still enjoyed the many perks of this quirky Tim Burton film.

Many of Tim Burton’s obvious trademarks are shown clearly throughout the film, twisted branches, dark themes, though the entirety of the film is not as dark as we have come to know Tim Burton works to be. There is a lot of light and shade in this movie, both literally and figuratively. The colours in the beginning are surprisingly bright and cheerful as we see Alice outside in her normal surroundings. Then the dark and twisted setting comes into play when Alice falls down the rabbit hole into the bizarre world of “Underland”. A dark and gloomy sky above and the twisted, dead spiral branches of trees can be seen as we cross into this magical world through the tiny door in the corridor at the bottom of the rabbit hole. It is only at this point that it can be recognised as a Tim Burton film as the beginning bares no real resemblance to his other works.

Tim Burton and Danny Elfman

Tim Burton is a director who is more identifiable for his visual effects than aural ones in his movies. However, it is 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. He has scored all of his films except for 'Cabin Boy', 'James and the Giant Peach' and 'Ed Wood' (scored by Howard Shore). Danny Elfman also starred in Tim Burton's 'A Nightmare Before Christmas', which he also wrote the music for, as Jack Skellington, the singing Skeletons in 'Corpse Bride' and was also the voice of the Ompa Loopas in 'Charlie in the Chocolate Factory'. It's needless to say that Tim Burton and Danny Elfman go hand in hand.

The begining of there relationship started with Burton's first feature length film, 'Pee-Wee's Big Adventure'. This project marked the start of a long partnership when Elfman's music successfully and cleverly captured the spirit of Paul Reubens' Pee-Wee Herman character. The music he wrote for the film alos added certain dementions to the film that Burton couldn't hope to achieve with other composers. We note Burton's appreciation of the music in his comentary on the DVD set, “We didn’t have money for a big credits sequence, so we had to try to set the tone as best we could right from the beginning so music certainly helps with that.”

Burton therefore decided to continue to use Elfman's music and the haunting melodies and orchestrations became a trademark for his films. For example in 'Edward Sisssorhands' in the opening sequence, the eeire voices and music are something I closely relate with the dark, gothic visuals. Their partnership is what has made many Tim Burton films so successful!

Finalised List of Films to Review and Analyse

Edward Sissorhands (1990)

Johnny Depp ...
Edward Scissorhands

Winona Ryder ...
Kim

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Johnny Depp ...
Ichabod Crane

Christina Ricci ...
Katrina Van Tassel

Miranda Richardson ...
Lady Van Tassel / Crone

Michael Gambon ...
Baltus Van Tassel

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Mia Wasikowska ...
Alice

Johnny Depp ...
Mad Hatter

Helena Bonham Carter ...
Red Queen

Anne Hathaway ...
White Queen

Crispin Glover ...
Stayne – Knave of Hearts

Matt Lucas ...
Tweedledee / Tweedledum

Alan Rickman ...
Blue Caterpillar

Early Notes

-> Tim Burton, labeled the Gothic King of the Bizarre!
-> Burton's first job was for Disney where he directed many shorts such as 'Vincent' (1982)
-> His worst mistake in film making was probably his remake of 'Planet of the Apes' in 2001 because he couldn't bring the racial and environmental politics to life.
-> Frequently casts Johnny Depp, for example:
- Edward Sissorhands (1990)
- Sleepy Hollow (1999)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
- Corpse Bride (2005)
- Sweeney Todd (2007)
and most recently:
- Alice in Wonderland (2010)
which i am watching tonight and will review shortly after! ^-^

Shortlist of Popular Tim Burton Films

Beetlejuice 1988

Batman 1989

Edward Sissorhands 1990

Mars Attacks! 1996

Sleepy Hollow 1999

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 2005

Corpse Bride 2005

Coraline 2009

Alice in Wonderland 2010