by Jon Partridge
Twenty five years ago Tim Burton and Johnny Depp brought to the screen a Gothic fairy tale that is regarded by many as the finest product of their long collaborative history. To celebrate this anniversary Fox Home Entertainment has issued a newly remastered Blu-ray edition.
For the unknowing, Edward Scissorhands tells of the titular character, a lonely soul left with razor-sharp scissors for hands after his creator left him unfinished, his work interrupted by his untimely death. A kind Avon lady (the superb Dianne Wiest) stumbles across him and, taking pity, invites him into her home in a vibrant neighborhood known as Suburbia. His appendages, long a curse to his ability to function and interact physically, are soon wowing the residents with displays of ice sculpting, topiary, and designer haircuts. When he falls in love with young Kim (Winona Ryder), his status as an outcast comes to the fore once again and the once fanatical residents begin to turn on him.
Edward Scissorhands is essentially a Burton fairy tale, a twist on Beauty and the Beast. He often relishes depicting outsiders and outcasts, and none of his characters illicit such empathy as Edward. This is complemented by a wonderfully moving and subdued (by today’s standards) performance from Depp. His journey from loner to one embraced by this new community is a wonderful one that only makes his eventual status as a pariah all the more impacting.
At the core is the love between Edward and Kim, the daughter of the family he comes to stay with. Ryder shows her abilities with a touching performance, reigning in what could be something unconvincing and perhaps cheesy and imbuing a genuine sincerity to her developing relationship with Edward.
As you’d expect with Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands is strikingly beautiful. The dilapidated mansion Edward is abandoned in contrasts with the vibrant hues of Suburbia like a twisted version of a Baz Luhrman 1950s vision of a homogeneous America which Scissorhands sculpts into a more exotic vision. But what makes it all the more special is that it is as emotionally impacting as it is visually. The film is peppered with moments to bring a wry smile to your face (waterbed anyone?) or draw a tear from the eye. There is a a lot of heart buried amidst the emotional turmoil of the tale and it makes for a magical tale.
THE PACKAGETo the point, the film looks great. The transfer on this new edition looks solid, with deep, dark, blacks, bold and vibrant colors, crisp images, and detailed textures. The film maintains its cinematic feel, which can often be lost with these remastering projects. From a little investigation it seems this transfer used a improved source as opposed to some earlier Blu-ray releases, and so some of the artifacts and blurring evident on those is absent here. While the extras bundled have not been enhanced from earlier releases, the picture clarity seemingly has.
Speaking of extras, the special features include a short Tim Burton featurette and two audio commentaries. The first is with Burton himself, which seems rather sedate. While he confesses it to be his most personal film, he seemed to lack engagement, but maybe that in itself is the reason. A second commentary comes from composer Danny Elfman, who is even more subdued. Understandably he waits for quieter moments (score wise) to talk, but this does leave some long segments without any contribution to the commentary. Both lack any real detail to make them memorable or insightful.
Note. There is also a Limited Edition set which includes a collectible heart-shaped cookie cutter, topiary air freshener, and paper dolls. I cannot comment on these additional features but I’m sure they smell wonderful.
THE BOTTOM LINEEdward Scissorhands remains an incredibly enjoyable and beautiful piece of work. While this new release adds little features-wise, the film has never looked better, and its 25th Anniversary is a great excuse to embrace the magic of one of Tim Burton’s finest films.
The 25th Anniversary edition of Edward Scissorhands is available from Fox Entertainment from 13th October, 2015.
