Vincent/Edward Scissorhands

Growing up as a child I was influenced heavily by two directors, whose work I would watch over and over again, The first was Steven Speilberg, and the other was Tim Burton. Tim Burton's bursting onto the scene in the mid-eighties left an indelible impression on my as a young child. His unique, often macabre vision of the work, his ingenuity, and his creativity seeps through with all his films. He deals with clashings of society vs. technology vs. outcast. Rube Goldberg machines, stop-motion, and fun scores define his earlier films. His presence among other directors was a breath of fresh air in the late eighties and early nineties. People saw his films as a reflection of a unique genius. Completely different ways of viewing the world were put up on screen to the delight of the audience. While still at Disney as an animator, Burton worked on a short that shows that spark of creative that would define his illustrious career. It was Vincent. Six years later, he would work with his idol, and the muse to his first professional short, Vincent Price in the imperfectly perfect Edward Scissorhands.

Vincent was created at Disney by Tim Burton and a small crew. A brave undertaking allowed by Disney and given to the somewhat proven Tim Burton. It used stop-motion animation, a form in which appears in the next three Burton films, and is scattered throughout the 80's, It was filmed in 1982, and is a mere 6 minutes long. Narrated by the minister of macabre Vincent Price. It tells the story of Vincent Malloy, who is obsessed with Vincent Price. It reads as a children's book, with its rhyming verses that play out in action for the audience. The fact that it's in black and white plays much better than if it were in color. It's simple and short, and touches on a lot of images that Burton has included in later films. It's as if the poem that comprises the dialogue in the film plays on the childhood of Tim Burton, who was into the dark and ghoulish. He was also into all things Vincent Price. This was a good hommage to the late, great Vincent Price, who said of this film, "it's the most gratifying thing that has happened. It was immortality--better than a star on Hollywood Boulevard." I tend to agree.

* 1/2

Our second film in this viewing pair is the magnificent Edward Scissorhands. There are very few films that have kept me in awe and wonder after every viewing. And still, I manage to tear up every time I watch it. It was also my introduction to Johnny Depp. I know so much about this movie that it will be hard for me to not write every little detail and trivia for this film critique. The title sequence with its accompanying music, is both haunting and fairy tale-ish, as we fade to an old woman starting the fairy tale that she was apart of to her granddaughter. It is Frankenstein story, but with a much more human and sympathetic main character. A man with hands that are scissors...No, scissorhands. It blends the lines of reality and fiction in a way that allows the audience to believe what they are watching. In fact, Tim Burton has said on fairy tales, "I've always loved the idea of fairy tales, but somehow I never managed to completely connect with them. What interest me is taking those classic images and themes and trying to contemporize them a bit. I believe folk takes and fairy tales have some sort of psychological foundation that makes it possible." It is set in a time in the past, perhaps the sixties or seventies, but we aren't sure. A gleaming, atomic family suburb, where the men go to work at the same time, and the women stay and cook, and where the colors are vibrant. The story is simple, but that's to be expected from a contemporized fairy tale. It tells the story of a man (whether he's human or machine we don't know...we know the characters don't want to label him a human), Edward Scissorhands, and his attempt through an adoptive family, to integrate himself into society, despite his social ineptitude and his scissors for hands. When things start to appear to gel, it decoagulates. Edward falls in love with a woman that he feels he can't have, and right when she starts to feel the same, he is forced out by the neighboring townspeople into his mansion on the hill. It truly is the story of outcast vs. society. When a society feels something is perverse or a stranger is encroaching, society rejects it. I often wonder if this is how Burton felt growing up in a colorful suburb of L.A. Edward is Burton.

The dialogue is trite and corny, and has very little depth. The performances, too, are one-dimensional and corny. Almost cringe-worthy. Depp, with his 169 words of dialogue manages to bring a warm performance. It's littered with discomfort, jealousy, estrangement, fear, and even joy. It's nuanced, and it's wonderful. Same goes for the very talented Dianne Wiest and Alan Arkin. Arkin should be singled out because of his very mannered performance as a suburban father. He blends in, and disappears. He manages to do his bits, without being distracting. The same cannot be said for the rest of the cast which borders on amateurish acting, and that includes Winona Ryder's stale and unbelievable performance. There are a lot of bits of humor, and sincerity throughout the film. However, the film plays as a series of vignettes, strung together loosely by the story. If it seems like I'm being overly critical, rest assured, what it lacks in script and acting, it makes up for in heart and humanity. The reasons why the film is so beloved is that it allows you to get in the mind of a person that is trying to fit in. A true misfit, misunderstood and hoping for something better. He's hoping to feel completed both physically with his hands, and emotionally with companionship. The scenes in the snow, and the scenes with Kim and Edward ("Hold me" "I can't"/"I love you") kill me. Just gut-wrenching. The scenes were well choreographed and shot. The art direction and make-up are both stellar in this film. And the thing that really puts a bow on the entire package is the score. Danny Elfman (surprisingly Tim's second choice) delivers an incredible and iconic score. When the movements crescendo, so do our emotions. The entire film is the most original, heartwarming, depressing, and sweetest of Tim Burton's films. It is the one that stands out in his oeuvre. And it is my personal favorite of his films. Burton is creative and original, just like Edward Scissorhands. This film will stand the test of time.

****1/2

Next set

We'll be taking on two of Tim Burton's original and creative projects. Vincent, and Edward Scissorhands. Enjoy!

The Old Man and the Sea/Jaws

The original post for these two films was both well written and insightful. However, my computer did not save it, and so, I am obligated to attempt to re-write it. It will lack the appeal and magic of the original article*, but should have some of the same details. I will be writing about two films, one of which I have seen multiple times (Jaws), the other, the first time for this blog (The Old Man and the Sea).

The Old Man and the Sea by Aleksandr Petrov was a delicate and beautifully crafted piece of cinema. It was created on glass using paints and the directors own hands. The sheer scope of the short, coupled with the medium shows bravery and sheer lunacy. How could the Petrov have decided on this way of retelling Hemingway's story, and who would've funded such a unique and audacious film? Whoever greenlit and funded the piece should be patting themselves on the back, because it's clear we are watching a piece of art. The colors used are light and airy. The action on screen comes alive, and we almost forget we are watching animation. It tells a simple story, but a relatable one, as each one of use struggle to do what we were born to do.

****1/2

I'd first like to say that growing up my older brother was obsessed with Jaws. He had all the posters, some memorabilia. He loved them. I saw Jaws for the first time in my adolescence, and it's hard not to like it. It was one of the films that created what we call a 'blockbuster' Watching Jaws, I am reminded of summer. The sun through the hair, the gritty sand between the toes, the ocean breeze with its salty taste. I see why Spielberg is so revered as he is as I watch this film. It must have been a disaster filming. And he encountered problems after problems. He would come home, I'm sure, exhausted, terrified, worried, and struggling to understand how he could make this picture work. How he could overcome the obstacles, and put his vision on the celluloid despite the constant problems with the production. The actors, not arriving literally and creatively. Sometimes drunk. Sometimes being forced to leave set. Animatronic malfunctions, and weather mishaps. It must have been a nightmare. But Spielberg rose above it all. He overcame the obstacles and used his creative mind to think of better ways to get the shot, to improve the actors' acting, to develop a more compelling and complex story. Jaws was one of the highest grossing films of the 70's and with good reason. Loosely based on Peter Benchley's best-selling novels, it captivated an entire nation. They were afraid to go into the water. This was the summer hit that took a page from Friedkin's The Exorcist. The build-up of suspense, and the eventual release is a rarity these days, and Spielberg uses it to good effect, accompanied brilliantly by the simple, yet haunting score from frequent collaborator John Williams. The highlight of the entire film is the calm before the storm where three known actors are letting loose and talking like chums amongst the chummed waters. They tell their sea-tales, share their scars, and sing a diddy. A downside to the film is the overuse of dialogue overlap, especially when the townspeople talk at the same time the main actors talk. It's talking for the sake of talking, and doesn't flow as it would in an Altman film. The special effects are wonderful, a page Spielberg would bookmark and come back to with Jurassic Park. Though, sometimes impractical, sometimes contrived, the story lends itself to going all in and enjoying the ride (sidenote: Universal Studios closed down the Jaws ride, a ride in which I have fond memories). I enjoy just about everything about this movie. It's a revenge film in its most unexpected form. Like the townspeople, torches/pitchforks in hand to kill Frankenstein's monster, it is a simple retribution for the panic stricken people of Amity, and the grief and bereavement that they have suffered. The viewer doesn't suffer, but one thing: enjoyment overload.

****



*Boy, ain't that the truth.

Next Set

Our next set is the Oscar winning short The Old Man and the Sea, coupled with the wonderful Jaws.

Street of Crocodiles/ Seven

Now we get into the nitty gritty of film. Stomach churning, and unsettling cinema. I present to you two interesting works. The first, Street of Crocodiles by visionary film brothers Quay. Followed by the great Seven by David Fincher. Both films seem to mesh well in terms of tone and stark and dreary imagery/setting.

Street of Crocodiles is a film that came out in the eighties that brought a great deal of attention to the works of the brothers Quay. These American brothers felt more suited in Europe with their unique style and stop-motion techniques. Street of Crocodiles is the most popular and more beloved work in their oeuvre, and rightly so. It's dark and brooding, sinister and dusty. With sound effects and music utilized to great effect. The two songs featured in the film seem to come straight from frequent Burton collaborator Danny Elfman. And indeed, this is Burtonesque before Burton was Burton. No doubt, Burton, a fellow stop motion Beetlejuice. The mind wanders. It is stunningly remarkable how they shot this film. It is done with precision. The camera movements along with the stop-motion animation are so smooth, you would think it's live action. It's brooding subject matter, and macabre and Gothic mise-en-scene make it less than inviting, but the sheer curiosity of the main character exploring a world that is not his own, invites us to explore with him. The Svankmajer elements (i.e. smooth animation, and utilization of real life body parts) show the audience the reverence that the Quay brothers had for the genius Czech filmmaker. It is a film, not for everyone. There is something unsettling about the passage of time visually presented, and the usage of screws and needles, and animal flesh. It leaves one wanting a happier, lighter affair. A musical perhaps. But, the time, effort, and attention to detail for this twenty minute short, should leave the viewer highly impressed. It's the type of work, so imaginative and so much a project of passion that you can't help but leave unsettled, but satisfied.

animator, admires the Quay brothers' work. I wonder if he was even directly influenced by this particular short, while he was filming

***

Moving along to a film, not lighter, but all the more unsettling. The great film Seven by acclaimed filmmaker David Fincher. Fincher’s sophomore film takes a look at a subject that would essentially define his later films, and cement him as one of the most unique, creative, and gritty filmmakers of our generation. The film’s intro sequence, one that only Fincher could put together (save for Brakhage), sets the tone for the collage-esque scenes strung together; scenes that have meaning when you line them up together, just as the random images collaged together have meaning, at least to the onlooker. There are seven days left before Det. Sommerset, who teams up with Det. Mill’s an eager detective who’s green around the collar. They embark on a case that involves the deaths and potential deaths of seven people based on the seven deadly sins. They search for the killer before he completes his life's work.

The problem with this film is that the film’s characters seem to always ask the right questions, and look in the right places. Although it’s extraordinarily incredulous, we suspend disbelief to see the next tragic and gruesome depiction of a sinful death. We take a journey with Milton, Alighieri, and the mind of a serial killer, and piece together cryptic clues, and sinister scenarios to nab a man who had been planning these atrocious murders for years. In typical Fincher fashion, the actual film is developed darkly to add to the dark subject matter. The presence of rain in almost every shot allows the heightened tension for the audience, like the rain used in Psycho or Identity. When rain falls, something bad is gonna happen. Brad Pitt's portrayal of Mills is scattered, and amateur, the only scene that reflects Pitt now is the dinner scene with his wife, and Sommerset. It's fantastic to see how much he's grown as a performer in twenty years. Freeman's acting is monotonous and tiresome. It's a role that could be played by just about anyone. The sole hint of levity is the very same dinner scene where he laughs at the misfortune of the newly moved couple and the trains that shake the apartment as it passes. Kevin Spacey is dynamite as John Doe. It's no wonder Fincher wanted to keep his involvement in the film a secret, going to great lengths to not having his name be on any of the advertising for the film. It's mannered, stale, indignant, angry, and psychotic. He adds flairs of just about every one of the the seven deadly sins facially or otherwise, and it's refreshing to watch. The sets are awfully full of detail, and it makes you glad that smell-o-vision doesn't exist. Because my nose would be assaulted at the human spectrum of bodily secretions, let alone the dust, and dank hellholes we see throughout the entire production. There are several visually appealing shots, that contrast to the abhorent scenes of violence. The film's use of quick cuts, a technique used a lot by Fincher, especially in Fight Club, make an appearance. The use of the number seven throughout the film is almost like an Easter egg. Seven sins, seven days, seven shots in the last scene, many more that I don't care to name. The film is set up so brilliantly, that it makes you wonder if Sommerset is in on the murders. I've often wondered what a great sequel it would be to see that Sommerset had orchestrated the entire thing, that he was the mastermind, and John Doe was merely a puppet. Or, at the very least, Sommerset being an accomplice. It was a treat to watch this film the first time many years ago, and allows me to get into a sinister and sickening mindset for a couple of hours. This film is also not for everyone, especially the faint of heart or the easily woozy. But, in its grotesque sequence of events, there's beauty there. The underlying message is that the world is a mess, but the ability to rise above the horror of an imperfect world, there's an ability to change it into, at the very least, a better world. A world worth living in. And what would the world be like if it didn't have inventive directors telling their stories about serial killers in a beautiful and brilliant way? 

***1/2

We'll be postponing Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. In lieu, we'll be watching Street of Crocodiles by the brothers Quay, and Seven by the brooding Fincher.