December 4th – Edward Scissorhands

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There was a time when Tim Burton movies were not generic emotionless set pieces with Johnny Depp dressed up like a woman. Edward Scissorhands is probably my favorite Tim Burton movie, representing the trio (Burton directing, Depp acting and Elfman composing) behind many other movies at their highest point.

Johnny Depp not yet being the magnet of shrieking fangirls and a guaranteed boxoffice draw was able to actually show his tremendous acting skills. A great gift that has been buried beneath make up and weird looks today.

The movie is about an inventor creating a person with scissors instead of hands. What follows is a beautiful, magical tale about the love between Edward and Kim, an engrossing drama since Edward is unable to touch people without hurting them.

As with most Burton movies Edward is a social outcast having to bear the cross of his mechanical hands and unlike modern day Burton movies, this movie utilizes the conflict to the maximum, never compromising to give us a melodramatic ending but instead showing a beautifully tragic fairy tale accompanied by marvelous sequences of snow sculptures being forged by Edward to get oneself in the wintery mood – especially when everything here in Vienna is covered in snow…