Tim Burton in Glorious Colour; A deep dive into Burtonism.

by Emily Costello

A genius mind and rich, varied career like American filmmaker and artist Tim Burton’s comes along very rarely. Only he has such a unique perspective of the world, with a deep affection for German Expressionism and a clear adoration of all things spooky and frightening. Burton started his career working for Disney, but was fired in the mid eighties. During this time he was making lots of short films to explore his creepy ideas away from the company. My favourite, Vincent has a simple plot, a young boy obsessed with everything ghostly whose deepest desire is to be just like Vincent Price, the horror icon himself. Price narrates the film which adds to its magic.

Colour is a hugely important part of Burton's work. Whether it's the strategic use of black and white in Frankenweenie (2012) , or his gorgeous incorporating of deep blues and greys in Corpse Bride (2005) , or the multicolour spectacle of Beetlejuice (1989) , he always has an appreciation of the effect colour can have on a spectator.

Beetlejuice.

The waiting room scene in 'Beetlejuice', 1989, Warner Bros.

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Whilst not his first feature film, nor even his first to incorporate his dark aesthetic, Beetlejuice is one of his most popular and successful films, and my favourite, along with Sweeney Todd! Starring Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as a plain New England couple Barbara and Adam who suffer a terrible car crash, killing them and leaving them as ghosts in their magnificent country house, which is quickly sold and taken over by a modern and vaguely insufferable city couple (Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O’Hara) as well as their death infatuated daughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder). Ryder and Jones go on to become two of Burton's most frequent collaborators. Beetlejuice uses beautiful colour schemes to represent both its comical and horror elements as well as provide differences between the realm of the dead and the land of the living. A particular scene that stands out is when Adam and Barbara descend into a waiting room filled with the dead, in an attempt to chase the trendy family out of their cosy house. As Barbara and Adam enter, they are surrounded by a startling neon green, to signify their entry into the Netherworld. Their plain, old fashioned clothing sticks out amongst the other dead, especially the worker, whose green skin and red hair make her a colourful and exciting character, further emphasising how boring the Maitlands are. Another way Burton uses colour to translate his aesthetic is through his wonderful costumes. Ryder’s Lydia is a misunderstood goth, who wears all over deep black, an obvious nod to the goth subculture prominent at the time. With her long skirts, flowy jumpers and teased hairdo, the costume is inspired by the likes of Robert Smith, Siousxie Soux and Peter Murphy. The presentation of Lydia as a goth reflects her nihilistic attitude on life, as well as perhaps making a cynical statement about the moodiness of puberty and the fickleness of teenagers.

Edward Scissorhands.

Edward Scissorhands, 1990, 20th Century Fox.

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Edward Scissorhands (1990) , which is most likely Burton's most famous film, was actually inspired by his childhood and teenage years, as he felt he had little to no connection with his peers. He translates this beautifully, with a kind and sensitive portrayal of Edward as a loveable mute outcast. Edward Scissorhands is probably the most influenced by German Expressionism of all his films, with many scenes almost direct copies from The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (Robert Weine, 1920) a film hailed as the beginning of the German Expressionist movement and its style. Edward, played by Johnny Depp, wears an all black latex suit, with pale ghostly almost purple makeup sticks out like a sore thumb in the brightness of the suburbia he enters into. His colour scheme of black and white, amongst the brilliant colours in his surroundings only further emphasise him as an outsider. Winona Ryder plays Kim Boggs, the girl next door type. Her brilliant white dress and strawberry blonde locs whilst paired with Edward’s entirely black outfit symbolise their difference, and his otherworldly otherness. By the end of the film, her white dress is splotched with bright red blood, showing that whilst she never sees Edward again, he made an impression on her and her traditional suburban life.

Sweeny Todd.

Sweeney Todd, 2007, Warner Bros.

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Sweeney Todd; the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) is one of Burton's darkest and depressing films. Filled with uncharacteristic gore and tinged with the grimness only Victorian London possesses, the famous penny dreadful story of the murderous Barber Sweeeny Todd (Johnny Depp) and his cannibalistic accomplice Mrs Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) is rendered incredibly by Burton set to the music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The fake blood in Sweeney Todd is often discussed at great lengths by those who love and hate the film alike. With its thickness and striking scarlett colour, it’s obviously fake, yet I feel this was a conscious choice by Burton. The darkness and dank grey filter over the majority of the film means the blood stands out and every act of violence Sweeney commits shows his descent into obsession with revenge and how killing is the only relief for this obsession. Burton uses this idea that colour reflects the characters emotions frequently in Sweeney Todd. His flashbacks to his past life of happiness have a rich warm yellow tone, which once you return to the greyness of his present, shows his true suffering. Constant references to the colour of his wife and daughters yellow hair reflect why this colour was used. The imaginary scenes by the seaside with Mrs Lovett are filled with colour, but it is heavily saturated almost where the characters look sickly or too brilliant to be real, implying that life is not right for Sweeney. By the end of the film, the colour filter takes on a more reddish tone, as Sweeneys desire for revenge has bled completely into all aspects of his life, ultimately resulting in his demise.

Frankenweeine.

Frankenweeine, 2012, Walt Disney.

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Frankenweenie is an animation based on a short live action film of the same name, made whilst Burton still worked under Disney. The original short was actually a contributor to Burton getting fired as it was considered too ‘dark and scary’ for children. It is interesting that Burton then went on to make many more films aimed at children, even creating a market for spooky yet strangely heartwarming animations. He certainly greatly inspired my own interest not only in the creepy, unusual and supernatural but also film as a whole, as well as the German Expressionism movement. Frankenweenie is a 3D stop motion animated film, originally shot in colour but released in full black and white. The film itself contains constant callbacks to classic horrors like Frankenstein and Dracula and it makes sense Burton would choose not to use colour, to further these references and emulate the monster movies popular in the 1960s. It shows that Burton is thinking about the effect of his colour usage, even whilst making films sans colour.

The best thing about Tim Burton is undoubtedly his dedication to his aesthetic and his own appreciation of all things horror, making his films a staple for fans of Halloween and horror across the world.

by Emily Costello, October 2022.