Appropriation Of Edward Scissorhands

How does the appropriation of your key text sustain interest in the values represented in your key text?

Postmodern American film Edward Scissor-hands directed by Tom Burton is a variation of Mary Shelley’s classic horror novel of Frankenstein written in the Romantic Era of the nineteenth century. A man-made monster enters and apparently peaceful community and disrupts their serenity. Frankenstein written in 1818 during Britain’s industrial revolution portrays the result of the incredible advances in science and technology and potentially the negative consequences of Victor Frankenstein’s creation. Tim Burton manipulates the 1818 horror story using his protagonist Edward Scissor-hands on many occasions to fulfill the 1990’s audience
expectations by maintaining the same values of responsibility and consequences of the uses of technology, prejudice and discrimination and uses cinematic techniques to reflect the gothic nature presenting a mixed genre of horror, comedy, romance and fantasy.

Mary Shelley uses a narrative technique to show the protagonist Victor Frankenstein recounting his story of creating a misfit to society.
Likewise in Edward Scissor-hands, the film begins in a romantic way with an elderly Kim who Edward loved, telling her grand-daughter the story of her relationship with Edward Scissor-hands. The opening scene of Edward Scissor-hands reveals many of the elements associated with the horror genre which are offset by elements of romance and fantasy. Ass the beginning credits toll in and eerie music is played, the graphics of the cast are coloured white on a black background in a font resembling jagged scissor shapes. The motifs of the colours help establish the movie to be of a horror genre. The gothic nature being evidently exemplified with a haunted castle isolated on a hill seen with huge doors, large spiral stairway, cobwebs and disused machines. However the intensity of music decrease creating a more playful and pleasant atmosphere and a few children’s toys strewn remind the audience that it is not just a horror
film.

Victor Frankenstein was a pursuer of knowledge, he was fascinated by life and death. “The dissecting room and the slaughterhouse furnished many of my materials; and often did my human nature turn with loathing from my occupation, whilst, still urged on by an eagerness which perpetually increased, I brought my work near to a conclusion.” He created a monster by grace robbing and collecting bits of the undead corpses and bones form charnel houses without being potentially being aware of the negative outcomes it caused. The sight of the monster filled Victor with “breathless horror and disgust”, and he was therefore abandoned. Thus neglected, the monster was incapable of distinguishing between right from wrong and grew into adulthood with no true sense of responsibility for his actions. Unable to differentiate and accept responsibilities, he murdered Victor’s loved ones in order to get his attention. The creature, having the mind of a newborn, began as an innocent loving creature until the society inflicted violence on him because of his horrifying appearance, consequently he developed hatred. “I am malicious because I am miserable.” The astonishing advancement of scientific knowledge is highlighted by the arrogant and naeive character of Victor Frankenstein as potentially dangerous and alluring. It is Victor’s and the society’s actions that moulded the creature into a more violent and dehumanized being than was originally portrayed.

Similarly, Edward Scissor-hands was man-made. He was created by an aged inventor who appeared briefly in flashbacks, was desperate for companionship and died before completing Edward as a human. Edward Scissor-hands was left unfinished with blades instead of hands and fingers. Edward is an innocent gentle young man who can distinguish the basics of right and wrong. When a car came close to running over Kevin, Kim’s brother, Edward saw and risked his life to save but also cuts Kevin. “Are you ok?” “Help! Edward help!” “I’m your friend.” “Stop! Don’t! Stop! Get away, now! Somebody help us! Help!” Clearly he is kind hearted and does try to demonstrate his good intentions but yet unaware of the possible effects his dangerous scissors are capable of: his touch draws blood. “What are you doing? Get away!” The people residing in the neighbourhood mistakenly thought that Edward tried to Kill Kevin.
Although Edward had good intentions, he lacked social graces, social skills and life experience. As a result, he is unable to communicate properly, retain friendships and thus left to defend himself. The consequences of trying to change things are soon realised by Peg, Kevin’s mother who brought Edward down from the castle. “Sometimes you just can’t change things.” “I really didn’t think this through and I didn’t think of what could happen to him, and to us, and the neighbourhood.” The inventor and Peg are both characters that are responsible for Edward who the society was unprepared
for.

Prejudice alludes society to continue to alienate the undesirables of the community. This incident repeats itself in Frankenstein’s journey. Frankenstein seeks asylum in the farm-house of the De Lacey family and saves the starving family by harvesting their crops. Frankenstein approached the blind man alone to try gain his sympathy and friendship because “he would talk in a cheerful accent, with an expression of goodness that bestowed pleasure even upon me” and the horror of his appearance will not interfere with the man’s judgement. When the rest of the family had returned, they beat him violently with a stick until the monster leaves the cottage and return to hovel. “Overcome by pain and anguish, I quitted the cottage, and in the general tumult escaped unperceived to my hovel.” This suggests how hurt Frankenstein was, and he realised how appearance is privileged and plays an important part in trying to gain a position in society. This reaction of repulsion originates from a preconception, a fear caused by the human nature to prejudge based on their past experience.

Prejudice is a main theme that also runs through Edward Scissor-hands. This is illustrated in the scene where Joyce, an oversexed housewife attempted to seduce Edward hence shows the interaction between characters and society placed within. Joyce attempts, but fails to seduce Edward, and she takes revenge by claiming he attacked her. “He practically raped Joyce, you know threatening her with those knives? It’s a miracle she escaped.” Initially the neighbourhood was thrilled at his amazing talent at hedge clipping and hair cutting, but having heard of Joyce’s encounter, their view of Edward changed completely. They distrust him because of his dangerous condition and criminal nature. Edward Scissor-hands is depicted as a strange character worthy of sympathy. He was rejected from the community because of his physical appearance, thus this correlates to the issues of prejudice and discrimination portrayed.

In comparing the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley with its film appropriation Edward Scissor-hands, it is evident that the portrayed values have been maintained or changed as a consequence of the time that the texts were created in. The vastly different contextual era generate altered values towards social and cultural issues such as responsibility and consequences of the uses of technology and prejudice and discrimination. Both characters are isolated by society because of their physical abnormalities. As victims of prejudice, they needed to prove their good nature and innocence in an attempt to fit into society.