Auteur Director Tim Burton - Essay Example

rnered for himself “an international audience of fans and influencing a generation of young artists working in film, video, and graphics.” (“Tim Burton”, 2010). Among the many successful and critically acclaimed films of his, Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice are two of the prominent ones. In line with his unique filmmaking genre, both the films had a mix of fantasy as well as gothic elements, but still had certain distinct aspects, which has enabled us to study the films in comparative way.

Thus, by focusing on the films, Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice, the common themes, recurring motifs and filming practices in the films will be compared. In Edward Scissorhands (1990), Burton ‘told’ the story of an ‘artificial’ man named Edward, who is an unfinished creation, and so had scissors instead of normal hands. When Edward was taken in by a suburban family from his isolated existence in a dark mansion for many years, he fits in well initially, only to be manipulated and made as an outcast.

On the other hand, in Beetlejuice (1988), Burton ‘revolves’ the plot around a recently dead young couple, who transform into ghosts and continue to haunt their former home. However, with the entry of new ‘normal’ inhabitants, Deetzes family, the couple gets threatened, seeking the services of an abhorrent and scheming exorcist named Beetlejuice, leading to repercussions. The common themes that are visible in the films, Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice are appearance and the related issues with acceptance.

The theme of acceptance is shown through how the characters accept or find it difficult to accept other characters, who may be “different” from the majority. That is, when an individual is different from the majority of the people, in the physical sense, he/she would not be welcomed nor accepted. Although, few characters would accept, certain other characters may not accept, causing problems to many of the characters involved. In Edward