Edward Scisssorhands was a Christmas film by Tim Burton released originally in December 7, 1990. The film was a blockbuster at the time as well as the beginning of a fruitful relationship between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. As it is always the case with this director, this is not a common story nor it fits the cliché of Christmas films. The film tells the story of Edward (Johnny Depp), a strange character with scissors instead of hands who lives isolated from the world until the joyful Peg (Dianne Wiest), a housemaid and Avon seller, crosses his path. Peg takes Edward to live with her family in a neighborhood where everything seems perfect and where not everyone is so willing to accept Edward as Peg. Edward comes to meet Peg’s daughter, Kim (Winona Rider), and instantly falls in love with her. From this moment on he will try to do anything to earn Kim’s heart.
Described as one of the best or, at least, more representative films of Tim Burton, the story is directly related to the director’s life. When Tim Burton was younger he claimed to have felt like a true monster in his hypocrite neighborhood where his eccentric looks did not fit in. The film was awarded with the Oscar for Best Makeup and Johnny Depp received the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture. This is indeed one of the best performances by the actor, who beautifully captures the essence of Edward, a peculiar as well as an endearing character who represents the sense of feeling lost in the world.
In the film, nothing is arbitrary. Edward’s looks, messy and chaotic, mark a huge contrast with Peg’s neighborhood, where everything is bright and colorful. Each family lives in the same type of house, they own the same type of car and they even leave for work at the same time. This sort of clones see Edward as an exotic character at first and want his attention. They also represent the hypocrisy of society and the inability to accept those who are different. At the end, the inevitable occurs: Edward cannot fit in in their rigid lives and ends up being rejected. Peg’s family, on the other hand, symbolizes the wish of turning against society impositions. They accept Edward no matter what. However, the social pressure is such that it prevents them from keeping Edward as a part of their lives.
In short, this is a Christmas tale carrying an important message: there are worlds and people so different form one another that they cannot coexist. The DVD released in 2010 on the tenth anniversary of the film includes an audio commentary both by Tim Burton and the soundtrack composer Danny Elfman, with whom Tim Burton has worked in many occasions, discussing some key elements of the film.
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