Edward Scissorhands - Film review

This review will showcase how Kitsch had a big impact on the film Edward
Scissorhands which was directed by Tim Burton in 1990. Key sources will therefore be
Hermann Broch’s book “Dichten und Erkennen“ who was one of the first critics to write
seriously about Kitsch as well as Vance Packard’s “The Hidden Persuader“ to connect
Kitsch products with the consuming behaviour of the 1960s.

The movie is about a young men called Edward who lives in a mysterious castle on the
top of a hill. He was made by a scientist who died before he could finish him and
therefore Edward remains with scissor blades instead of hands. One day a middle aged
women called Peg takes him into their suburban neighborhood. The new world revealed
many new challenges for Edward, such as falling in love for the first time. But at the end,
the perfect world isn’t as perfect as it might seems…

Kitsch is immediately recognizable because of its

unique junk style and often appears ironic or
humorous. Products that are considered as
Kitsch are often made in bright colours and have
an ornamental and decorative purpose rather
than being an artistic masterpiece. One of the
best examples for Kitsch is probably the “Hello
Kitty“ franchise ( Figure 1 ).
Fig 1 - Hello Kitty franchise

“The German word Kitsch has no equivalent in French. It refers to all genres of objects in
bad taste, of artistically pretentious junk, popularizing commonplace forms through their
mass-production, but it also applies to literary, artistic or musical works which aim for
easy effects (such as melodrama) and pomposity, and cultivate sentimentality or mindless
conformity. For want of being able to use the German word, we have translated it
depending on the context as “art de pacotille” [junk art] or “art tape-à-l’œil” [garish art].
(Kohn, 1955). The quote above is from the introductory note written by Albert Kohn, who
translated Hermann Broch`s book “Dichten und Erkennen“ into french. The fact that there
are two words in french to describe the meaning of Kitsch, confirms that there is no clear
definition for it. However its main purpose is to be an attractive and especially cheap end
product for the masses, but is also considered “over the top“ by a lot of people.

That “over the top“ phenomena can also be found in the film Edward Scissorhands. Not
only is every house of the neighborhood painted in a different color, but also the inside is
decorated in pastel colours. Every house is in an equal shape, but the different colours
make it look like that each of the inhabitants have an own taste. That image is supported
by the cheesy tree figures in the front yards of the town, which definitely represent Kitsch.

 Fig 2 - The Neighborhood in Edward Scissorhands

Gleibermann said that “Edward Scissorhands still has remnants of Burton’s fluky, over-
the-edge-of-camp wit. The movie is set in a color-coordinated pastel suburbia that’s like a
loving assemblage of ’60s kitsch. Only here, the synthetic bric-a-brac isn’t just amusing
clutter. It has become a kind of polyester dreamscape, as mythical a setting’’.

That “over-the-edge-of-camp wit“ atmosphere can also be found inside houses. They are
heavily decorated with extraordinary lights and different objects hanging on the walls,
such as giant keys or instruments. Therefore the interior design of the movie, as seen in
figure 3, is the best example of Kitsch.

Fig 3 - Interior Design of the houses

But also the characters stick out as Kitsch. When they are all in a group, every character
is wearing a different bright colour from one another
to keep that clash and separation. The happiness and
expression of bad taste is supported by the
excessive use of accessories and their non-traditional
hairstyles as seen in figure 4. Therefore the costume
design was highly influenced by the fashion of the
1960s combined with the Kitsch style. That is
especially reflected in the bright colours and use of
contrast in their clothing.
Fig 4 - Hairstyles
However Kitsch is a modern phenomenon starting in the early 20th century which was
caused by mass production and changing taste. Mass production and the advertising
industry has changed the consuming behaviour in our society. The famous journalist,
social critic and author Vance Packard said in 1957 that “many of us are being influenced
and manipulated, far more than we realize, In the patterns of our everyday lives“. In the
many books he published over the years he “warned Americans in the late 1950's about
the excesses of advertising, social climbing and planned obsolescence” (Severo, 1996)

Therefore Edward Scissorhands shows us this perfect world of the 1960s with the “over
the top“ Kitsch style that can be found in the set design but also in the characters. Even
though it presents us this harmonic living in an American suburb, you can’t help but feel
sick by all these pastel colours and use of contrast. The film showcases how our society is
manipulated by advertising and how it changes our consuming behavior. Everyone wants
to express themselves freely in world where individual needs doesn’t count since you are
forced to fit in this ideal world.

Harvard List

Broch, H. (1955). Dichten und Erkennen. Zürich: Rhein.

Gleiberman, O. (2018). https://ew.com/. [online] EW.com. Available at: https://ew.com/

article/1990/12/07/edward-scissorhands-3/

Nerdrum, O. (2000). On kitsch.

Packard, V. (1957) The Hidden Persuaders

Petrone, N. (2018). What Exactly Is Kitsch Anyway?. [online] Medium. Available at: https://
medium.com/@haroldpstinard/just-what-exactly-is-kitsch-anyway-616bde2ca580

Severo, R. (1996). Vance Packard, 82, Challenger of Consumerism, Dies.

At: https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/arts/vance-packard-82-challenger-of-

consumerism-dies.html.

Illustration List

Figure 1 - Hello Kitty - https://insideretail.asia/2015/06/09/hello-kitty-stores-destined-for-

us/

Figure 2 - The Neighborhood in Edward Scissorhands - http://zannaland.com/edward-

scissorhands-lived-in-my-backyard/

Figure 3 - Interior Design of the houses - https://justabouthome.wordpress.com/

2012/01/03/inspired-by-edward-scissorhands/

Figure 4 - Hairstyles - https://twitter.com/mermaidensblog/status/609145936355307520