Fig.

1: Edward Scissorhands film poster (1990)

 Edward Scissorhands Review

This review will focus on Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands (1990) and the way The American dream
is portrayed within the Film. Key sources are Variety, Edward Scissorhands’: From box office misfire
to cinema classic by Matthew Chernov, what is the American dream? The History that made it
possible, and Time Burton and 1950s America. The review will also look at how the film is critical of
the idea of The American Dream, and how the American dream has changed over the years.

Edward Scissorhands (1990) follows the story of Edward an animated human created by a scientist,
but before he could finish his creation he dies, and Edward is left with scissors for hands. In later
years the friendly neighbourhood saleswoman by the name of peg visits the Abandoned mansion
where Edward still lives. She decided to take in Edward and bring him down to the town with her,
the rest of the story follows how Edward tries to cope with the new changes in his life.

The American dream as a term was first mentioned by historian James Truslow Adams in the 1930s
in his book Epic of America. In his book he said, "That dream of a land in which life should be
better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or
achievement." (Adams, T.J. 1933). This Term has loosely been used over the years to describe
many other depictions of the So-called “American dream”. The American dream was originally
described as the right to have a better life and equal opportunities. Due to the great depression that
shifted the American dream to be more about material things. Many of the presidents at the time
started supporting this ideology of owning material things As the American dream, in the hopes of
stopping Nazism socialism and communism effecting America.

Going back to the Film we are first

presented with this over the top
depiction of the American dream,
with it’s over the top colours and a
symmetric housing. By doing this the
Film is trying to make a point to the
viewers of how Dull and lacklustre
people’s lives are. The first character
we meet in the Film who shows
Fig. 2: Town (1990)
exactly that is Joyce; she is flirting
with the repairman and is trying to make her life more interesting doing so. In an interview Burton
said, “speaking to the repairman, Joyce Remarks that she feels alone.” (Burton, W.T. 2006), This
shows us that Even with that American dream in place people in the town still are lacking something
in their lives.

Production Designer Bo Welch said the set designers was looking for “a king of generic, plain-wrap
suburb which they then made even more characterless by painting all the houses in faded pastels
and reducing the windows sizes to make it look a little more paranoid” (Smith and Matthews, 2002).
This can be seen through the beginning of the film where all the houses are characterless with
nothing but the different colours to distinguish them apart.
 When Edward first comes into their lives they
are also paranoid wandering who this new
character is in their neighbourhood; But at the
same time, they are looking for something new
and Edward essentially becomes that new thing
in their lives that was missing. He is the one that
adds character back into the town with his
sculptures and the haircuts. But behind this
acceptance there is those in the town who are
Fig. 3: Edward garda sculptures (1990) still paranoid about Edward. Burton does a
great job at Showing the viewers this paranoia by establishing Esmeralda one of the wives as just
that, a reminder that Edward is not like them and that he is not welcome.

In a way Esmeralda was there to show viewers how easily people dismiss those around them that
are different like Edward. Tom Duffield Art Director of the film said, “I think that Edward
Scissorhands was sort of a veiled autobiography of Tim’s – that was always my take on it” (Tom
Duffield, 2015). In a way many of the things we can see in the Film can be contributed to Burtons
childhood and how he felt about the American dream overall. In a way Esmeralda could be a
character Burton used in the Film as a representation of that paranoia people have when someone
knew enters their life.
At the end of the film this pressure of the perfect American Dream and the paranoia we see in
Edward Scissorhands takes over; and the people start to question Edwards and how different he is.
To the people of the Town he becomes more of an abnormality in their perfect dream a parasite
they must get read of. Despite the fact he made their lives interesting and unconventional.

Mark Salisbury said “Edward Scissorhands (…) began as a cry from the heart, a drawing from
(burton’s) teenage years that Expressed the inner torment he felt at being unable to communicate
with those around him, especially his family (Mark Salisbury, The book Burton on Burton 1995). In a
way burton was trying to tell us the story of his teenage life and how it felt to live that American
dream, everyone parses, dull and lacklustre.
Edward in a way, could be described as Burton’s teenage years. An imaginative, and creative, person
who did not Fit into that American dream and was outcast by the rest of his community who could
not express his emotions to others.
Overall, the film depicts the American dream as this dull and lacklustre dream everyone wants to
have but does not realise how boring their lives would become. But mostly it’s a way of telling the
story of Burtons teenage years and how he felt about living the American dream. The way he felt
isolated because of his views and creativity over others, and his critic of how imperfect the American
dream can be.
Bibliography:

Trey Taylor. 2015. Dazed. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/28715/1/the-secret-history-of-edward-
scissorhands. [Accessed 28 October 2018].
Kimberly Amadeo. 2018. The balance. [ONLINE] Available at:
https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-the-american-dream-quotes-and-history-3306009.
[Accessed 28 October 2018].
Matthew Chernov. 2015. Variety. [ONLINE] Available at:
https://variety.com/2015/film/news/edward-scissorhands-25th-anniversary-johnny-depp-tim-
burton-1201653236/. [Accessed 28 October 2018].
Sarahjay. 2008. Tim Burton and 1950s America. [ONLINE] Available at:
https://sarahjay.wordpress.com/#_ftn1. [Accessed 28 October 2018].
MIcharl lewyn. 2008. Planetizen. [ONLINE] Available at:
https://www.planetizen.com/node/30899. [Accessed 28 October 2018].
Sam Fisser. 2013. Generation Popcorn. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://generationpopcorn.blogspot.com/2013/05/mocking-american-dream.html. [Accessed
28 October 2018].
Illustrations:
Fig. 1: Edward Scissorhands film poster (1990) [film still] [online]

Fig. 2: Town (1990) [Film still] [Online] at:

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjFhpCn4KneAhUFExoKHVF
mBXwQjxx6BAgBEAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegeektwins.com%2F2015%2F08%2Fwhat-
edward-scissorhands-
neighborhood.html&psig=AOvVaw1g8W7PQyV9dvCJB8j3vbfV&ust=1540837276723719 (Accessed
on 28 October 2018)

Fig. 3: Edward garda sculptures (1990) [Film Still] [online]

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099487/mediaviewer/rm2404602624 (Accessed on 28 October
2018)