A Dark Auteur: Tim Burton

Paper by Ruth Salcedo. Viewed on DVD.

The Auteur theory has been broadly discussed and analyzed by many scholars, critics and cinema experts. One such scholar, Andrew Sarris, was the first to suggest that a director who works within the studio system and succeeds in imposing his personality on material written by others should be elevated (Levy 88). In order to be elevated to an auteur status, the director must juxtapose his artistic presence and stylistic vision to play a role in the cinema arts. The director’s personal tendencies used must appear across his body of work. Timothy William Burton, mostly known as Tim Burton, has developed a strong visual and rare style that is palpable in his films. By means of interviews, books, and articles concerning the director, this paper examines crucial sequences of three of his cinema works to demonstrate how this director is suitable for the Auteur category. Edward Scissorhands (1990), Sleepy Hollow (1999) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) all illustrate Burton’s alienation themes, his narrative and gothic tendencies concerning outsiders and how innocence is eradicated by society. He emphasizes the bizarre, and incorporates elements of his obsession with 1950s horror movies  in his intuitive and highly imaginative mise-en-scene. In addition, he represents his main characters as having an alter ego and explores their past via a series of flashbacks, all of which are concise elements that elevate him to an auteur director status. While some may claim that Burton’s filmography reveals a weak narrative line in his movies, he adds specific characteristics and relevant story guide to develop the central themes of his movies. His works consistently confirm and establish a continuous visual signature, techniques and attributes, across genre, and decades. Hence, this analysis on Tim Burton will prove my case for director authorship.

The films chosen for this analysis parallel on another to a high degree. The movies are of different genre, tone, and decade, but the cinematic characteristics fitting with Tim Burton’s eccentricity and visual style are very similar.

Edward Scissorhands is the story of a modern Frankenstein. An inventor who lived in a hill castle creates Edward; unfortunately the the inventor dies before finishing him, leaving Edward with scissors as hands. One day, an Avon lady discovers Edward and decides to take him to her home, where Edward learns about civilization and its contradictions. He falls in love and ends up in solitude.

Sleepy Hollow is the adaptation of Washington Irving’s book, with a little touch of Burton’s ideology. Constable Ichabod Crane is called in to investigate three murders by the headless horseman, in Sleepy Hollow, where he meets Katrina Von Tassel and falls in love her. Crane discovers the truth and ends the mystery of the headless horseman.

Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is the adaptation of the musical, where Benjamin Barker is sentenced to exile for a crime he did not commit, since the corrupt Judge Turpin lustfully desires Barker’s wife Lucy. The tragic begins when Barker returns to London, and finds out his lovely wife drank poison and his daughter is in the hands of the man that unjustly sends him away. Barker adapts the name of Sweeney Todd and opens a barber shop, where he looks for revenge by slicing any aristocrat’s throat. Todd is blinded by rage and ends up discovering a fatal truth when he murders the love of his life. In all of these movies, the most significant similarity is the main characters alienation.

Tim Burton’s narrative tendencies and alienation themes are compiled in highly recognizable characteristics. The narrative tendencies include outsiders as main characters, trying to adapt and/or change society, the influence of society over the loss of innocence, criticism against justice and religion, death, and the role of women in the film. For Burton, being different is a virtue more than a defect. Burton’s main characters are outsiders whose personality or psyche does not fit into society’s mold. Therefore, they become alienated from their worlds. For instance, in Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Todd is an exiled man who looks to exterminate society.  Blinded by revenge, he is lonely and hurt inside, and it seems that nobody understands his pain but his “friend” the razor blade. Todd is different from the others, an outcast, it that seems his soul has been corroded by fury and his desire for revenge against Judge Turpin has demolished his perspective. From the opening of the film, when Tood arrives to London from his long journey, it is evident that Todd is an outsider. In one scene he sings in the street, but it seems he is invisible to the people. In Edward Scissorhands, it is explicit that Edward too is an outsider. He has scissors instead of hands. He speaks, looks and thinks differently than the people who surround him.  It has been said, “Edward Scissorhands can be read as a paranoid, undoubtedly autobiographical teen fantasy, about a misfit who is incapable of finding his place in the adult world” (Smith 106). Thus, Edward is an outsider. He does not fit into the suburbia below his castle.  He tries to understand normality, even dress like the others, but deep down he knows is different and he will never fit in completely. From the first look, even the Avon lady knows he is atypical; Edward represent those teenagers who feel out of place because they have a different perspective of themselves related to society. In Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane is a science man who believes in logic. He loses his faith at a very young age. He is different from the rest because he incorporates science and logic to his life in a time where religion was the primary factor in a person’s life. He is an outsider, literally, because he comes from New York to Sleepy Hollow. All of these references add to the outsider protagonists’ character, and they are also at some point alienated.

Isolation themes are regular in Burton’s films. In Edward Scissorhands, Edward is alienated by the neighbors, especially s religious zealot Esmeralda, (who yells at him, “Perversion of nature!”) as well as sexual psychotic Joyce, and Kim’s jealous boyfriend. In the last sequence, the neighbors even isolate Avon lady’s family by not attending her Christmas’ party. The same thing happens to Ichabod when he starts to suspect Katrina’s Father. In the carriage scene where he is trying to return to New York, it is clear that he is lonely. Sweeny too is alienated because he murders those who come to him, or he drives them away. These themes are apparent not only in these films but also other Burton movies such as Batman (1989), Beetlejuice (1987), Ed Wood (1994) and others. Alienation and outsiders are important to Burton’s stories because in his youth, he experienced loneliness and being an outcast himself. A reviewer mentions “All of the central characters in a Burton film…exist in personality vacuums; they’re self contained oddities with no connection to the real world” (McMahan 67).  In Burton’s own defense, he explains “I always liked strange characters” (Burton’s interview). Being an outsider or alienated is not necessary wrong, nor signifying of any malevolence, but rather could instead mean that the outsiders are the heroes (Smith 219). Normal people are often empty and to a certain degree there is not a definition of normality for society–there only some rules and aspects that guarantee acceptance, such as appearance and money. But Burton’s film conveys a different view of people from both categories: the so-called normal and outcast.

Other characteristics included in Burton’s narratives are the exposure of corrupt people in honorable positions, the significance of death, and the role women plas in the film. In Sleepy Hollow, Crane confronts the town elders who abuse their positions through corruption and conspiracies. For instance, the priest is unfaithful to his chastity vow, and Crane’s father is a religious inquisitor who executes his own wife because he suspects her of witchcraft. Crane stresses “a bible black tyrant behind a mask of righteousness.” As in these cases, Burton claims to have an aversion to bureaucrats and other establishment figures (Smith 218). In Sweeney Todd, unmistakably, the source of the problem is the hypocritical and morally malignant Judge Turpin, who eradicates any innocence and good from Barker (Todd) by condemning him into exile and raping his wife. There is also a reference to a pedophilic priest whom might end in a meat pie. Burton’s perspective on women is palpable across his works. Burton divides the roles into opposites from blonde and beautiful heroines to diabolical females. “Pretty women” is one of the songs interpreted by Sweeney Todd. Yet, while all women might be pretty in Burton’s films, not all are virtuous. Edward Scissorhands contains the evil spirits of Esmeralda and Joyce, who incite an angry mob to catch and follow Edward. In addition there is Lady Von Tessel, who is the main villain from Sleepy Hollow, and last Ms. Lovett from Sweeny Todd, who is a perverse mind. All of these females are the ruin of the protagonist. Death is also a recurring theme in his films, including at least two fatalities in each film. The loss of life can be separated into two categories: one of significant and emotional importance, usually a family member or a dear character, while the other deaths will be violent and bloody. In Edward Scissorhands, only two deaths occur: the inventor’s death, which is very dramatic and distressing, and the violent murder of Jim by Edward. There are also two types of deaths in Sleepy Hollow: the murder of his mother versus all the decapitations. And, finally, in Sweeney Todd’s there is the suggested suicide of Lucy, and the serial murders of the antihero. Burton’s themes appear to be correlated with each other, coinciding with a vision of society’s wrongs, almost like a satire, where some attributes of the characters (or the characters themselves) should be rejected. However, there are holes in some of the themes.

Many critics of Burton’s films have issues with the coherency of his narrative. Burton’s opinion on this subject, according to his interview with David Breskin in 1991, when he ask him this question: “You don’t feel that your ‘problem with narrative’ is really a problem?” Burton answered “Well I feel that less and less. Because now has became redundant” (Burton 57). The narrative holes some find in Burton’s movies are due to the confusion of use of different generic elements. A Burton film has many aspects of a fairy tale, which allow him to play with his imagination. As Burton puts it, ‘it’s abstract, it’s certainly not a literal movie” (McMahan 102). The narrative and themes are supported by a choreographical set of elements combined to give the appropriate image and to complemet the narrative.

The elements used by Burton are characteristically reflected in his highly visual pieces, elaborated by the imaginative mise-en-scene. Burton’s mise-en-scene composes an aesthetic style with a gothic and bizarre fascination for 1950 horror films, which exists alongside the characteristic use of protagonist’s flashbacks. In the three movies there are specific aspects conveying Burton imagination. The elements are often opposites: light and dark, good and evil, normality and strangeness, vice and virtue. His characters are very pale and with an inclination towards the rare. The ambient often is beautifully created by a combination or real and surreal characteristics, contrasted by light and shadows. Splashes of color and black and white are well delivered throughout the sets and photography. His composition is divided into a dark world and a light world (referred to Figure 1,2,3,4,5,6,) Burton uses pastel and vibrant tones for some sets, lighting is very bright and he uses soft focus to anesthetize the frame. Costumes and makeup gives the characters a softer look, portraying tranquility, normality or happiness. We see this in the suburbia of Edward Scissorhands, the dreams of Ichabot’s mother in Sleepy Hollow, and the sweet memoirs of Barker’s wife and daughter in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. On the other side are the gray tones and obscure and shadowy sets: there is not much light, fog and clouds are often the central climate, makeup and costumes are old and depressing all of which indicates oddity, alienation,  and problems. This composition often is represented by bizarre and gothic elements, such as Edward’s clothes or Scissors, Ichabot’s instruments and props, like the Headless horsemen grave or the forest witch’s cave, and Todd’s props such as his daughter’s doll or the asylum set.

The other similarity in the three films is the reference to 1950’s horror film: the modern Frankenstein, the headless horsemen, and the psychotic murderer. In addition, Burton cast Vincent Price as the inventor in Edward Scissorhands. The writer Ben Anzac, in his piece on Burton, recognizes “a fact he acknowledged by casting Vincent Price (who narrated Vincent) as Edward’s Frankenstein-like creator. Burton’s love of the old A.I.P./Vincent Price horror movies is one of the key sources for his visual sense.” Burton’s fascination with the horror movies and bizarre characters inspires him to implement attributes of that genre in his own creations.

Another distinctive Burton trait is the use of flashbacks to reveal information of the main characters in order to expose their situation and why they act the way they do. In the three movies analyzed in this paper, the flashbacks reveal a lovely memory that becomes painful memory, a traumatic event. All of the flashbacks are triggered by an ordinary object. In Edward Scissorhands, Edward’s memory of his early years with the inventor, and the inventor’s death flashbacks, were produced by a can opener. In Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod’s memory of his mother’s life and murder is triggered by the bird and cage illusion object. And finally, in Sweeney Todd, Barker remembers, when he finds his old daughter’s doll the happy and obscure memory of himself and his family in the market when he is deliberately attacked and taken away. The use of flashbacks (Figures 2, 3, 5) permits the characters to express their emotions, and for Burton it helps him to represent life as a whole, filled with tragedies and happiness.  He suggests that unless people learn how to cope with tragedy, they will  fall into an abyss like Todd did. All the characters have another similarity–the fact that the actor playing them is the same.  Johnny Depp interprets these roles with efficacy.

Johnny Depp could be identified as Tim Burton’s alter ego, another aspect of Burton’s auteur style. The relationship between Depp and Burton is examined in an interview where the interviewer asks “how does it feel to work with each other?” Burton expressed “Rare experiences where you meet with somebody, connect with them as a person, as an artist and you know pretty much immediately,” where Depp answers “Working with Burton is like going back to the most comfortable place you can be, is like going home” (Tim Burton and Johnny Depp ‘Unscripted’). The relationship between the two (Figure 7) is an exchange of personalities, where Depp seems to know the expectations of the character he will develop. Burton has worked in six films with Depp, where the relationship between them grows and develops, each of the characters representing a little bit of Burton’s persona revived by Depp. In Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, and Sweeny Todd, Johnny Depp is the main character, expressing the ideals and style of Burton.

Tim Burton’s signature style is highly recognizable for his visual tendencies, but he also possesses a natural ability to incorporate his thoughts in his narrative lines. The narrative might not be as impressive as the visual ideas, but Burton’s psyche is present in every film he directs. The stunning mise-en-scene, the static criticism of society, and his relationship with Depp, demonstrate across his body of works that Burton is an auteur.

Work Cited

Andac, Ben. Tim Burton. Feb 2003. Senses of cinema. 14 Apr. 2009. < http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/03/burton.html>

Burton, Tim. Tim Burton: interviews. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2005.

Dream Pink [film image] available http://www.alicia-logic.com/capsimages/sh_015DreamPink.jpgvElectric. 15 April. 2009.

Edward Scissorhands. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, Vincent price, and Wynona Rider. DVD. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. 1990.
Johnny Depp & Tim Burton Laughing. 23 Jan. 2009. YouTube. 17Apr. 2009.

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton “Unscripted”. 21 Dec. 2007. YouTube. 17 Apr. 2009.

Levy, Emmanuel. “Citizen Sarris, American Film Critic: Essays in Honor of Andrew Sarris.”Great Directors Reader. Com. Emily Carman. Santa Barbara, CA. 2009. 77-90.

McMahan, Alison. The films of Tim Burton: animating live action in contemporary Hollywood. New York: Continuum, 2005.
Photos from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [film image] available http://www.imdb.com/media/rm911710208/tt0408236. 14 Apr. 2009.

Sleepy Hollow. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, Christopher Walken, and Christina Ricci. DVD. Paramount Pictures. 1999. Sleepy Hollow. [Film image] available
http://www.freewebs.com/viddingmaster/Sleepy%20Hollow%20131.jpg. 12 Apr. 2009

Smith, Jim. Tim Burton. London: Virgin, 2002. Suburbia [film image] available http://thorunna.wordpress.com/2008/02/. 14 Apr. 2009.
Sweeney Todd Fan [film image] available http://www.yougofurther.co.uk/photos/groups-
gallery-groups-gallery-sweeney_todd_fan/images/991187/thumb.aspx,/photos/groups-
gallery-sweeney_todd_fan/images/991187/thumb.aspx 19 Apr. 2009

Sweeney Todd: The demon Barber of Fleet Street. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alan Rickman. DVD. DreamWorks Pictures. 2007
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. [Online image] avalable http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/johnny-depp-tim-burton-alice-in-wonderland-mad-hatter.jpg. 19
Apr.2009

Tim Burton (I). IMDb the Internet Movie Database. 14 Apr. 2009. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000318/

Vincent Price [film image] available http://img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/medias/nmedia/18/63/17/98/18843817.jpg 20 Apr. 2009