INTRODUCTION

Criticized by some and adored by many, Tim Burton has become an icon of modern cinema direction. Besides his dark ideas about dead and the way he plays them on screen, he has had an incredible success throughout the years. His work is said to be of the Gothic type but, which elements of this genre he uses and how does he make his style unique?

To answer this question we will focus on the literary part of making films which involves the writing of a story before screen playing it. It is important to see this part of film making because people can have a better understanding of the genre to which the movie belongs to and also to the writers intentions. The scripts that are going to be used in this work are from the films: The Nightmare before Christmas and Edward scissorhands, both written and directed by Tim Burton.

This work will be divided in two principal parts, in the first one the topic that will be detailed is gothic literature and cinema and the basic elements that are used in novels and films. Once this is explained we can move on to the second part which consists in a small biography of Tim Burton and then a deep analysis in the two scripts mentioned before to determine the characteristics of Gothic they contain and what makes Burtons style unique.

CHAPTER 1 GOTHIC

1.1 GOTHIC LITERATURE Throughout the evolution of Goth subculture, literature has played a significant role as it a way people can express themselves. There are two types of literature that stand out in this subculture; the classic romantic and the gothic horror are the most representative. As defined, Goth literature is a combination of romance, horror, and historical fiction.1 The ideas and undertones in the novels could range from Roman Catholic criticism over the Spanish Inquisition, to melodrama, to the romantic mysteries of having an ancient medieval past.2 The Gothic novel or story began with Horace Walpoles The castle of Otranto in 1764, which was enormously popular and quickly imitated by other novelists so the genre soon became popular. In Gothic literature we also find Edgar Allan Poe, an American writer who did a lot of short stories that belong to this type of literature because of the mystery and macabre found in his tales. The gothic novel established much of the iconography of later gothic literature and cinema, such as graveyards, ruined castles or churches, ghosts, vampires, nightmares, cursed families and melodramatic plots. The elements of the Gothic novel can be divided in three principal groups. The first one is the setting, the action takes place around an old castle that can be abandoned or occupied. It

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http://gothic.info/gothic-literature.html http://gothic.info/gothic-literature.html

may contain secret passages, trap doors, secret rooms, dark or hidden staircases, and possibly ruined sections. In this group we also find that in the setting, the must be an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, this means that a threatening feeling, a fear enhanced by the unknown is needed to make the story more interesting. In fact the plot should be built around mystery, meaning there should be an event like a disappearance or some other inexplicable situation. The last element of this group is the metaphors of gloom and horror which means to use a physical element to show something abstract such as an emotion. An example of this can be that rain represents sorrow. The second one is the plot; in this we have several characteristics. First of all, there must be an ancient prophecy which is usually connected to the setting where the novel takes place; it has to be obscure, partial or confusing. An example of a prophecy can be: It is said that the soul of Mr. Hall still wanders this castle. Then, visions or retrospectives must be used; the main character may have a dream or vision that allows him/her to know some event about the future that is usually bad. It can also happen that the character has a retrospective that allows the reader to have a better understanding of the character. Another element is the supernatural or inexplicable events that can also be dramatic; meaning they are supernatural things that are impossible to explain by human reason, such as the apparition of ghosts or other mythical creatures. The last one in this category is the overwrought emotion this is when the narration is highly sentimental and the characters may have to face emotions such as anger, sorrow, surprise and specially terror. Besides they have to overcome nervousness, emotional and panic situations. Another common action is screaming and also crying. The last group is the characters; a villain and a hero are a must in gothic literature, as well as the female heroine that ends up being saved by the hero. Other characters that are necessary are: a woman in distress who often ends up screaming, fainting or terrified. Usually, a lonely, thinker and oppressed heroine is one of the principal characters of the story; they often suffer because they are abandoned. This character is also known as a woman3 threatened by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male as this girl is, most of the times, ordered to do something thats intolerable for them by the one who has power over them. And finally we can say that there must

Hanson, Helen, Hollywood heroines: women in film noir and the female gothic film, I.B Tauris and Co ltd. , New York, 2007.

be fantastic creatures, the ones that are most used are: vampires, ghosts, beasts, skeletons, zombies, magicians, werewolves, demons, dragons, fallen angels, devil and objects that by nature are unanimated.4 Theres another characteristic that is very important but it doesnt apply to any of the groups that were mentioned before and it is the use of the appropriate vocabulary which is what influences the most in gothic literature. 1.2 GOTHIC FILMS Gothic films are also part of this subculture and they are characterized principally by their mystery and darkness. In this genre of films we can find well-known titles such as Frankestein directed by James Whale, Dracula directed by Tod Browning and The phantom of the Opera directed by Arthur Lubin in the classics while in modern films we can find Edward scissorhands directed by Tim Burton. Most gothic films are also considered as horror films because they contain characteristics of both genres. Films are mostly a visual representation of a gothic novel or story. As they always are a story at first, they have the characteristics mentioned before but there are some modifications as films are more modern than novels. For example, in modern filmmaking, the setting might be in an old mansion or house, this last one can also be a new one, where unusual camera angles, close ups, darkness and shadows create the same sense of mystery. Another thing that has changed in the past few years is that, when we talk about the atmosphere of mystery and suspense, the inexplicable event that is presented in the plot is often related to murder. The last aspect that has changed is the metaphor of gloom and horror as we often find in movies elements that help to create the atmosphere of sorrow, horror or mystery. An example of this can be that usually in a film, it rains during funerals or sad situation. The other characteristics remain the same as every film is made from a novel.

Huckvale, David, Touchstones of Gothic horror: a film genealogy of eleven motifs and images, Mc. Farland and company, 2010.

CHAPTER 2 TIM BURTON AND HIS WORK

2.1 TIM BURTON

His complete name is Timothy William Burton and he was born in Burbank, California on August the 25th of 1958. He spent most of his life as a recluse, drawing cartoons and watching old movies5 says Michael Brooke, the writer of a mini biography of the director and Burton affirms this himself: I occupied my time going to see monster movies, watching television and playing in the local cemetery6. The films he enjoyed the most were: Godzilla, the Hammer horror films from Great Britain, the work of Ray Harryhausen and one of his heroes was actor Vincent Price7. Even though he was not particularly good at school and he did not quit enjoy reading, he liked Edgar Allan Poes work who was one of Burtons greatest influences. He was always very imaginative but he was not outgoing and most of the people considered him as an outsider at school where he had few friends.

Tim Burton is very introverted and likes to keep his private information just to himself and people who are really close to him. One of the things we know about Burtons personal life is that he was once married to Lena Gieseke even though it did not last more

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http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000318/bio Burton Tim, He Jenny, Magliozzi Ron, Tim Burton, Syfy, New York, 2009 7 http://www.timburtoncollective.com/bio.html

than two years. He is said to be the kind of man that likes being lonely 8 but he is currently involved in a relationship with the actress Helena Bonham.

His first works were short films he did in his backyard in Evergreen street, in these works he used basic effects. He was very talented and as soon as he finished high school, he decided to attend to California Institute of Arts that was founded by Disney. He got his first job as an animator in the studios of Disney in 1979, the first film in which he took part was the Fox and the hound even though the style of this institution was not exactly the same as Burtons. 9

He made his first short cut in 1982 and it was called Vincent, just as his childhood hero. After that, he worked on several films and in 1990 he became the director of Edward scissorhands which was a complete success and then in 1993, he came with his new hit The Nightmare before Christmas. 10After some time, he left Disney studios as his ideas were not accepted in this institution.

Nowadays Tim Burton is recognized as one of the best directors of our era and has worked on great projects like Alice in wonderland, Batman and some other films that have made him famous thanks to his amazing skills.

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Burton Tim, He Jenny, Magliozzi Ron, Tim Burton, Syfy, New York, 2009 http://www.timburtoncollective.com/bio.html 10 http://www.timburtoncollective.com/bio.html

2.2 TIM BURTON: THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND EDWARD SISSORHANDS Tim Burton is recognized for his unique style and in the 1990s he released two of his greatest works: Edward scissorhands and The Nightmare before Christmas. Even though they are films now, they were a written story before and we can find that on the script of the two movies. Each of the films is very different from the other but they have something in common, Gothic is the dominant genre in both of the films. In order to prove this we will analyze Gothic elements that are used by Tim Burton in these works of his.

Edward scissorhands is the story of an artificial man named Edward; he was created by an inventor who was supposed to be the creations father. Unfortunately the old man died, leaving an abandoned and incomplete Edward with scissors instead of hands. Edward never left the big mansion, where he lived with his father, until he met a nice lady named Peg who felt very sorry for the boy and took him to her house. There Edward met the whole family and was very attracted to Kim, Pegs teenage daughter. Throughout the story he has to face a lot of bullying from Kims boyfriend but on the other hand he is appreciated by the rest of the village. The story takes place in Burbank, California and as time passed his feelings for Kim grew bigger and she began to feel the same way almost at the end of the story but they could not stay together as Edward was accused of attacking some people on the street and he had to leave. In the end he has to stay alone at his mansion once again.11

The Nightmare before Christmas is the story about a skeleton named Jack who is the Pumpkin king in Halloween Town. He is used to the routine they make year after year on the day they celebrate the most: Halloween, but Jack is already tired of this. One day as he was walking in the cemetery, he found a door that led him to Christmas Town. When Jack saw the inside of the place, he was fascinated and went back to his own town to tell everyone his plan: This year they were going to take over Christmas. The people on the town supported him but Sally, a rag doll who seems to have feeling for Jack, tries to convince him not to do it as she thinks is dangerous. For the plan to work, a trio of kids kidnapped Santa Claus and took him to the Oogie Boogie. Jack takes over Christmas and plays the role of Santa Claus but things go wrong when
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people discover he is not the real one and they chase him until he suffers an accident. Then Jack is depressed because his plan failed but suddenly he realizes that he should appreciate what he is: The Pumpkin king. Meanwhile Sally went to save Santa Claus but was not able to defend herself from him but luckily for her, Jack arrived just in time to save them. Finally Santa decides to forgive them and makes snow fall over Halloween town and Jack realizes he likes Sally and they kiss under the moon.12

The first characteristic to analyze is the setting, on Edward scissorhands the place where the story takes place is a small town named Burbank but the most important place for this story is the old mansion where Edward lives. It has beautiful gardens and is very big. We can see this in the script when this phrase is mentioned: Disappointed Peg sees a mansion She is attracted by the beautiful garden there and enters the mansion.13 But in the inside is a scary place, we can see this by Pegs reaction while entering the house: Oh, my goodness. During the whole story there is an atmosphere of mystery as no one knows very much about Edward and the thrilling emotion is in the air as the story turns around the inexplicable man himself. In this movie there is not an ancient prophecy or an inexplicable event but what makes it enthralling is the inexplicable main character as he is a little dark and surrounded by unsolved questions. On the other hand, on The Nightmare before Christmas the story takes place in a spooky town named Halloween, it is a dark and scary place as we can deduce from the script when they say

This is Halloween, everybody make a scene Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright It's our town, everybody scream In this town of Halloween.14

The setting in this story helps to create the atmosphere of mystery and suspense as the whole place was created with the purpose to scare as it is Halloween Town. Finally the inexplicable event that happens is the sudden change from Halloween to Christmas that is, for the habitants in Halloween town, the unknown.
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Burton, Tim, The Nightmare before Christmas script, N.E, 1993. Burton, Tim, Edward scissorhands script, N.E, 1990. 14 Burton, Tim, The Nightmare before Christmas script, N.E, 1993.

The next characteristic is the characters. In both of the movies we can find the hero and the villain. In Edward scissorhands, he is the hero that saves Kim from the attacks of her boyfriend when she tried to defend him and the villain is Kims boyfriend. In The Nightmare before Christmas the hero is Jack who saves Sally, Santa Claus and makes everything go back to normal, the villain in this case can be Dr. Flinkestein who is against Jacks plan or the Oogie Boogie who wants to harm Santa. In both of the stories the two types of female characters, which are presented in a gothic novel, are found in one character. In Edward scissorhands Kim is a female oppressed by her boyfriend who pushes her to do things she doesnt want to as she says Jim, I don't want to15 when he tells her the plan; she is also a heroine as she fights to save Edward when hes fighting with Jim. In the other film we have Sally who is pushed by Dr. Flinkestein to do as he says but she usually refuses and fights back without caring about the consequences No I'm not![Sally pulls out the thread that's holding her arm on].16She is also a heroine as she tries to save Jack by releasing Santa, sadly she fails. Finally, in both of the stories we find supernatural characters, in Edward scissorhands is him as he is a created man and in The Nightmare before Christmas all of the habitants of Halloween Town are fantastic creatures like Jack who is a skeleton and Sally a rag doll.

Finally we have the plot. None of the stories have an ancient prophecy and in the Nightmare before Christmas there is no retrospective or visions neither. On the other hand, in Edward scissorhands we can find some retrospectives when remember about his father. One of these retrospections happens when Kim holds him and he remember when the inventor showed him his new arms and died: I know it's a little early for Christmas, Edward, but I have a present for you.17 In both of the stories there are supernatural events, in Edward scissorhands it is explained that snow never fell on Burbank until Edward came so the fact that it snows is supernatural. before he came down here, it never snowed. And afterwards it did. If he weren't up there now, I don't think it would be snowing. 18In the Nightmare before Christmas the event might be that people all around the world are receiving scary presents instead of nice ones as
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Burton, Tim, Edward scissorhands script, N.E, 1990 Burton, Tim, The Nightmare before Christmas script, N.E, 1993 17 Burton, Tim, Edward scissorhands script, N.E, 1990 18 Burton, Tim, Edward scissorhands script, N.E, 1990

Jack took over Christmas. Attacked by Xmas toys? That's strange. That's the second toy complaint we've had.
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This is what a cop said on a phone call he answered on the Christmas

night where Jack was supposed to be Santa Claus. All of these characteristics make Tim Burtons films gothic but, what makes his style unique? The first thing that makes his films unique is the story theres behind them. This means on what he was inspired to make these stories. For The Nightmare before Christmas he thought of normal kid tales like the Grinch and Rudolph the Red nose reindeer, Burton himself says I had grown up with those and had a real feeling for them, and I think, without being too direct, the impulse was to do something like that.20 In this phrase he is talking about the fact that child stories like the ones mentioned before, stay with you and you cant erase them. Beside this, The Nightmare before Christmas is a story for people of every age. Most of gothic films are rated for a certain age as they can be too scary for children but, even if it has some darkness on it, this story is suitable for young people as it combines a special holiday with songs that even reading them you can imagine the whole scene and it also leaves you a moral.

When we talk about Edward scissorhands, it is said to be his most personal work. If we analyze this, the statement is true as the story is about a talented outsider that always ends up being rejected by society.
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If we think about it a little, is somehow the case of Tim Burton

during his life; He has always been very talented but he also has been left out because of his weird ideas that are original and scary sometimes. Tim Burtons work always has a part of him.

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Burton, Tim, The Nightmare before Christmas script, N.E, 1993. Burton Tim, Depp Johnny, Salisbury Mark, Burton on Burton, Mackays of Chatham, England, 2006. 21 Fraga, Kristian, Tim Burton: Interviews, Cataloguing in publication data, Mississippi, 2005.

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CONCLUSSIONS After this analysis we can determine that both of Tim Burtons stories used in this work belong to the Gothic genre because, even if they do not contain absolutely every one of the characteristics, they posse the majority. The most remarkable one is without any doubt the characters he created; it is, in my opinion, they work of a very imaginative and artistic person as he managed to put his ideas on paper and that way share them with the world even if he had to face some harsh critics because of his odd style.

Tim Burton is one of the most admirable directors as he has a unique style that consists in putting part of himself in each of his works and that way he makes it more personal. This helps the author to transmit emotions in an easy way because reading or watching one of his stories is like going into his mind and maybe find out a little more about him. Beside he was able to combine children stories and make them his own by adding a slight touch of darkness, in the case of the Nightmare before Christmas, or show in an entertaining way a part of his feelings of being an outsider or maybe being rejected by society, in the case of Edward scissorhands.

To conclude we can say that Tim Burton is a great director and writer of Gothic art in general as he writes, draws and directs. With the elements that the Gothic genre has provided him, Burton has created a style of his own. It represents him and what he thinks of life is what we can see in his movies and scripts, he is sincere in a way as he tries to express himself through the characters of his stories. In the end, what makes a good story is the fact that you are able to feel the emotions deeply and that is what Tim Burton does by putting a part of him in each of his works.

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