Tim Burton Film Characteristics
...story patterns, the 1950s horror films is nevertheless a prime source of material for all of his work. The monster movie is especially relevant in discussing Burton's themes and recurring preoccupations. That which is perceived as monstrous is never associated with evil in Burton's films; his "monsters" are always misunderstood creatures looking for forms of love and acceptance. Even the repulsive Penguin in Batman Returns is characterized as a doomed tragic figure that somehow retains the sympathy as well as the horror of the audience, like the monster in Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). The real bad guy is the manipulative, conniving businessman Max Shreck, who does have the respect of the community. This is of course not a theme that is unique to horror films of the Fifties --Universal's gothic horror from the early 1930s offers similar characters and situations--, but the combination of outrageousness and pathos that surrounds the crazy scientists and grotesque monsters in horror and science fiction of the Fifties offers the best comparison.
Vincent was the first sign of Burton's admiration for Vincent Price, an homage to the man as well as his films. He played one of his final roles, naturally as a mad scientist, in Edward Scissorhands. This film was constructed out of many different film myths from 1950s America: apart from the horror theme of the mad scientist building a well-intentioned but misunderstood creature, the idealization of family life plays a major part. The suburban household Edward finds himself thrust into plays powerfully on the idea of family life and the way it was presented in the 1950s. This specific historical period is evoked in the clothing and the colors, and is contrasted not only with the gothicism of Edward's castle, but also with the contemporary appearance of Kim's boyfriend Jim and his friends. Frankenweenie offers a...
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