This may or may not be Tim Burton’s greatest film but is inarguably his first personal one. Prior to “Edward Scissorhands”, Burton had success with “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure”, “Beetlejuice”, and “Batman. These blockbusters afforded Burton the luxury of being able to call the shots as to what projects he wished to tackle. Fortunately for us, this offbeat yet sweet fable was Burton’s pet project.
It also gave Burton carte blanche as to who he would cast in the title role. There was nothing in Johnny Depp’s past to suggest that he could tackle the demands of this role. Yes, he had a small role in “Platoon” but he was primarily known as a teen idol on the fledgling FOX network’s “21 Jump Street.” But Depp was eager to break from that straightjacket and as Edward Scissorhands does he ever. If you examine his performance closely it’s a very intricate one. Despite the Robert Smith of the Cure getup and razor appendages Depp is able to convey the poignance that’s at the heart of his character. If you also notice his character speaks very little and it’s usually very softly. Depp, like a great pantomime or silent movie actor, does it mostly with facial expressions and gestures.
Burton assembles a great supporting cast here(Dianne Wiest, Winona Ryder, Alan Arkin, Kathy Baker). There’s also highly imaginative art direction by Bo Welch and another clever score by Danny Elfman. I hadn’t seen this film in ten years or so but along with “Ed Wood” and “Big Fish” this is one of Burton’s crowning achievements.
Special Features:
-Digital Copy
- Featurette (1080p; 4:39) is a vintage EPK with behind the scenes footage and interviews.
- Commentaries:
- Audio Commentary with Tim Burton
- Audio Commentary by Danny Elfman
- Theatrical Trailers (1080p; 4:17)
