Edward Scissorhands is Tim Burton’s crowning achievement, marking a significant departure from his more comic or action-oriented films, lending the eccentric aesthetic for which he is known a deep emotional gravitas. It also marks the first time Tim Burton collaborated with Johnny Depp, who would later star in seven of his films.
Depp plays a newborn man with scissors for hands who is taken in by a kind-hearted Avon lady. With minimal dialogue and a modest presence, his performance is reminiscent of a mute film actor. In habitual close-ups, Johnny Depp communicates so much through his melancholy brown eyes: confusion, childlike innocence, a broken soul. Winona Ryder plays the blonde cheerleader Edward falls for, and their unspoken, empathetic bond draws the viewer into the classic story of the ostracized “beast” who falls for the beauty.
Unlike other Tim Burton films, which often emphasize the comedic elements of his fanciful settings, this one juxtaposes the drab rows of pastel-colored houses with the inky black Gothic castle where Edward lives to make thoughtful observations about society’s rejection of outsiders and people with differences. There are so many moments that seem straight out of a fairy tale, such as when Kim swirls around in the “snow” created by Edward, accompanied by an enchanting score by Danny Elfman’s choir.
Edward Scissorhands is not only Tim Burton’s best film, but also one of the greatest state-of-the-art fairy tales ever told.
