DVD Review: Edward Scissorhands

Director Tim Burton's 1990 fable Edward Scissorhands is a surprisingly touching film, anchored by the wonderful performance of Johnny Depp as the title character, a young man created by an eccentric inventor (Vincent Price) who has built Edward with scissors for hands. The inventor dies before he can finish his creation by giving him real hands, leaving Edward alone in the inventor's gothic mansion.

Avon lady Peg (Dianne Wiest) is in her neighborhood trying to make a sale, but no luck. She decides to pay a visit to the mansion where Edward lives.

The art direction and sets for Edward Scissorhands are great, evoking a sort of 1950s kitsch aesthetic version of suburbia, with all of the houses painted in pastel colors. The inventor's mansion looms improbably over the community, a dark and foreboding structure. Tim Burton has always had a great eye for imaginative visuals, and Edward Scissorhands is one of his best films in that regard. As usual, longtime Burton collaborator Danny Elfman provides the film's fantastic score.

Back at the mansion, Peg has wandered in and discovered Edward cowering in a corner, dressed in a black leather outfit that wouldn't be out of place at a Cure concert, with wildly unruly hair and a pale face marked with scars. Peg can sense that Edward is lonely and offers to bring him home with her. Edward agrees, and is transported into Peg's pastel world.

The neighbors are curious at first, as the town gossips phone each other to wonder who it is that Peg has with her. Peg returns home to her husband Bill (Alan Arkin) and son Kevin (Robert Oliveri). They are curious but accepting of Edward (Kevin wants to bring him to school for "show and tell"). Peg puts Edward into her daughter Kim's (Winona Ryder) room for the night. Kim has a waterbed, which proves to be something of a challenge to sleep on when you have scissors for hands.

At first, the community is accepting of Edward. He's carved their hedges into topiaries and proves to be not only a talented sculptor, but also a whiz at grooming the neighbor's dogs and giving the neighborhood women stylish haircuts. Edward's outlet for his emotion and creativity is through his sculptures, since he doesn't have the vocabulary to express those thoughts verbally.

Article Author: Scott C. Smith

Scott C. Smith is a freelance writer from Happy Valley, Oregon. He has a cat and likes pop culture a little too much.

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