Edward Scissorhands (dvd)

Sunday 2 January 2005 Edward Scissorhands (1990, Score: * * * * ½) is another one of those movies I have always wanted to see, but for some reason never got around to actually doing so. It has several elements that I always dig very much, like Tum Burton in the director's chair, Johnny Depp in the lead, Winona Ryder on support and a twisted fairytale as the background. Needless to say: the movie is wonderful, and I am already looking forward to seeing it again.

Edward Scissorhands takes place in a small town, somewhere in America. Peg Boggs is going door to door, trying to sell make-up, but she is not having a very successful day. As a last resort, she tries the old, deserted mansion up the hill, but only finds a young man there, who has scissors where his hands should be. This Edward is an invention of the local mad genius, who died before he could remove Edward's scissors and put hands in their place. Peg feels sorry for Edward and decides to take him home with her. At first, everybody in the town loves Edward. He looks mysterious, is amazingly friendly and knows how to use his scissors! He cuts trees into the most wonderful figures, trims dogs with ease and turns the local ladies boring haircuts into little works of art. Edward is a hit.

Things slowly start to go wrong when Edward meets Kim Boggs, Peg's daughter. Edward falls for her immediately, but Kim is the girlfriend of Jim, the local bad boy, who thinks Edward is weird and starts using Edward for his own personal gain. Some other bad things happen, completely outside Edward's responsibility. The people start to wonder whether or not they can still trust Edward, even though he is still his charming self, and Kim starts to wonder if Ed is not maybe a better suitor for her than Jim...

When Tim Burton lets his imagination run free, magic happens on the screen. Especially when he includes Johnny Depp into the mix, who is wonderful here as the tragic hero. His Edward is sad and gentle, and probably one of the most lovable characters in the history of the movies. You root for him, and feel sorry when things turn sour. Besides that, his Edward is also a very funny character, although most of the comedy comes from his reactions to the real world. And although it is Edward that is out of place in the small town, you almost start to wonder if Edward is not maybe the most sane character of the whole movie. But is not only Depp who shines. Dianne Wiest is great as Peg, Alan Arkin hilarious as her husband and then there is Winona Ryder. Ryder has always been one of my favorite actresses, and she has never looked more beautiful than in this movie. You can understand why Edward would fall so head over heels in love with her, especially in the scene where she is dancing while Edward is making an ice sculpture of her. Besides that, she is not your typical heroine who needs rescuing all the time, taking matters into her own hands when it is needed.

The movie looks stunning. At times I was reminded of the look of the two Dr. Seuss movies, The Grinch and Cat in the Hat, but then a little less manic. It fits the movie perfectly. The same goes for the story, which lets us explore the character of Edward Scissorhands and the people around him, before things start to happen rapidly. It's all done in a very relaxed manner, taking the time to establish things and not rushing into the action headfirst. It makes Edward Scissorhands a movie that is like it's hero: gentle, enchanting and very lovable.