“Corpse Bride” (2005)
The Best of Tim Burton — Vol 4.
The Best of Tim Burton — Vol 4.
Originally written over a decade ago as part of the huge opus blog article on the career of the magic man behind the camera Tim Burton, my writing is rather weak here as well as not truly conveying my love for a film I rank as the director’s 4th finest achievement of a stellar filmmaking career. I need to re-watch this gem once more (any excuse!) and I’m sure my ten year older self can pen a fresh, more illuminating review.
I also hold this film very close to my heart as it was one of the first animated films I shared with my then very young son and even then, I was introducing him to a lifetime of films from one of the finest storytellers of our generation.
The Magic of Tim Burton
1985–2016. 18 films. Couple of clunkers! But a whole lot of magic. All lovingly appreciated and spoiler free.medium.com
“I love you Victor, but you are not mine”.
This joy of a film and first time Oscar nomination for Director Tim Burton seeps into the consciousness. Only 77 minutes of sublime screen time but from the original music score of Danny Elfman which is a real joy and really engages you in the wonderful story, to the surreal otherworldly and bizarre aspects of the characters and the world they inhabit. Tim Burton at his most flamboyant? Probably! A Stop motion animated film, Burton creates all of his characters with love and care despite their frailties and their often bizarre appearances. Each character is truly unique in appearance, elongated faces, tall spindly characters to obese, to small almost indistinct characters, all are created with definition and care. Voiced by a wealth of the finest actors and actresses our generation, each Burton creation is wonderfully brought to life. From regular collaborators Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Christopher Lee, through to Emily Watson, Paul Whitehouse, Tracey Ullman, Albert Finney, Joanna Lumley and Richard E Grant.
The Premise: A proposed arranged marriage between “Victor” (Johnny Depp) and “Victoria” (Emily Watson) is interrupted as in the process of practising his wedding vows in a nearby forest, Victor marries a “Corpse Bride” (Helena Bonham Carter) and is spirited away into the Land of the Dead! And with that premise, Tim Burton comes into his own.
Opening with saturated black and white/greyish tones, the only rich colour seen in the opening minutes is the released butterfly as she flies from an open window. The use of colour/non colour is clearly a metaphor for the film, and a juxtaposition often used in Burton’s films. The saturated grey tones of present day are seemingly only illuminated by the colour red (fire, red wine, gold ring), otherwise the general tone is staid and grey but deliberately so. This is completely reversed when entering the Land of the Dead, as rich, vibrant colours replace the grey, as does the madness and ultra surreal goings on in the Land of the Dead, as opposed to the more respectable and sober life in present day, or indeed, above ground!
The colour changes are apparent throughout the film, as is the juxtaposition between life above and below ground. Again, both are imagined brilliantly by Tim Burton, the near gothic feel and tone of present day to the utterly bizarre, tongue in cheek adventures in the Land of the Dead. So many meaningful juxtapositions, one in particular stands out and is hauntingly beautiful. Victor/Victoria playing the piano is a joy — Victor/Corpse Bride doing likewise is heart breaking. Interspersed throughout with Danny Elfman’s magical score and songs, the occasional sprinkling of Tim Burton magic, plus the occasional smack in the face of his genius too! This film will utterly charm you.
Thanks for reading. Just for larks as always, and always a human reaction rather than spoilers galore. My three most recently published film articles are linked below or there’s well over 200 blog articles (with 400+ individual film reviews) within my archives from which to choose:
“We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)
“The people on TV, inside the TV, they’re watching TV”.medium.com
“O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
My Coen Brothers Top Ten — Vol 5.medium.com
“Blonde” (2022)
Brutal tale of American heartbreak.medium.com