Stylistic patterns are inherent components of any film. In most cases, filmmakers resort to identical patterns and salient techniques in several films organized around one element. In this regard, Tim Burton, a filmmaker who is famous for such films as Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, adheres to similar techniques to render the emotional atmosphere and original idea. In the film under consideration, Burton resorts to grotesque, alienation, and isolation when describing characters suffering from isolation through shooting, acting, costumes, and setting. The filmmaker applies these techniques in order to contrast the viewers’ stylistic expectations because both films have strange settings and architecture to emphasize the fabulousness throughout the stories. In addition, such contrast representation of costumes and setting is aimed at highlighting the heroes’ alienation and isolation from society. Finally, Burton also makes use of music being a powerful technique in emphasizing the overall mystical and fabulous atmosphere of the films.
In both films, Tim Burton provides an unusual, even mystical, presentation of the setting. Hence, in The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a huge accent is made on the architecture and setting, which is timeless and refers to different architectural styles. The village where Charlie reminds of the Middle Ages where the Chocolate factory refers to modern times being adherent to a fascist architecture. In the scene when Willi Wonka invites the children to his factory, everyone is terrified of the building because it differs greatly from their usual image of chocolate factories. Similarly, the film Edward Scissorhands provides a depiction of Edward’s house whose style reminds of Gothic architecture. Notably, the house contrasts greatly with other buildings in the town that can also be considered as a weird place where everything seems to be unreal or two ideal. Perhaps, this town can be associated with the concept of the American Dream that is also present in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Here Tim Burton makes use of design as a special technique to emphasize the mystery and fabulousness of the scenes. For example, the viewer can definitely perceive specific spirituality while watching the very first scene depicting perfectly cut lawns and beautiful flowerbeds. Locating a dark and creepy house in the background of this perfect world breaks the established balance in a perfect world where people are obsessed with a stereotypic way of thinking. In addition, the atmosphere of a fairy tale where scenes are filled with characters that seem to be real at a glance, but a closer look reveals that they are capable of doing surreal things. In this final scene, the viewers can observe how Edward can create ice sculptures. Therefore, when presented as a realistic film, the movie does not provide much for considerations, but when analyzed as a fairy tale, its ideas are clearly justified.
Another important technique used by the filmmaker is the character’s costumes which complement the overall idea about Burton’s skillful use of such stylistic devices as grotesque to highlight the moments of excess and to present viewers with a better image of the film’s fictional world where realistic pictures are distorted by perfect costumes and eccentric characters. Hence, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory makes use of mysterious and hilarious music that harmonizes with the melancholic tone of the film, although it still contains comic moments. Interestingly, although the film narrates dramatic and realistic events, the filmmaker decides a classical Hollywood format wherein music emphasizes the illusion of reality and debunks the slightest hints on realism. While referring to the first scene once again, we see a perfect lawn that looks unreal and Gothic-style house accompanied by creepy and mesmerizing music. On this background, this perfect landscape looks absurd and inappropriate. In the same way, viewers can notice that the events narrated in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are accompanied by thrilling music which is more typical of fairy tales, although some moments and deeds are reminiscent of the real world. Considering the scene when the children saw the Chocolate factory for the first time we see the sincerity of Charlie’s amusement. The boy looks real but he finds himself in a fairy tale country.
In order to provoke the viewers’ attention, the author develops unconventional characters whose features and feelings rigidly contrast their appearance that does not fit well into the realistic picture of the films. The filmmaker makes viewers see a great gap between Wonka’s fictional, even illusionary world where everything is made up of sugar and chocolate and Charlie’s severely real world where people look quite realistic to drown in daily routine. Charlie’s character reminds the Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, because of his unusual make, straight and glitter hair, the awkward theatrical costume is distinguished as compared with Charlie’s appearance who looks like a mediocre boy. Using such technique, Burton attempts to show that Wonka is indeed lonely; he looks like a doll, a fictional character being delineated from the real world and his decision to invite children to his factory shows that he wants to be ordinary and find family and friends. The same can be seen in the Edward Scissorshand where Burton makes an accent on make and appearance to create invisible theatrical effect and to show that the depicted world is fictional. It should be stressed, however, that the film does not comprise fabulous landscapes and characters as compared with the second film under consideration. With the help of such devices, both films look quite pata-physical; the author as if wants to deceive the reality. Moreover, he creates a parody of the real world where Burton symbolically endows the object with properties.
In conclusion, the filmmaker resorts to stylistic techniques in both films under consideration to contrast viewers’ expectations. First of all, the scenes described above are pata-physical where the author endows fictional characters with real character traits. Second, both Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory have grotesque settings and architecture that emphasize the fabulousness of the narrative structure. Third, by making an emphasis on costumes and appearance, Burton strives to emphasize the heroes’ isolation from society, which is also enhanced by mysterious music being a powerful technique. In general, the stylistic techniques used by the filmmaker have aimed at creating a necessary impression on viewers. Therefore, such effects as crane shots, setting, and strong narrative often reinforce and highlight various stylistic effects, such as grotesque, alienation, and spiritual transcendence. What is more important is that both movies skillfully combine those effects and techniques to render all narrative features of a fairy tale and provide a mysterious atmosphere.
Works Cited
Burton, Tim. dir. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Twentieth Century Fox, 2005. Film.
Burton, Tim. dir. Edward Scissorhands. Twentieth Century Fox, 1990. Film.