Edward Scissorhands Scene Analysis

Mise-en-scene is used in many ways in the film Edward Scissorhands. The diachronic shot played a significant role during the film, it had a variety of focuses, and point of view. For instance, in the film there are two types of focuses that are often used which are; soft focus and rack focus. Soft focus is used in the film when Peg Bogg opens a canned good, it reflects back to Edward who then has a flashback to a bad memory of a machine that makes cookies. This scene relates back to the subtext which is conformity since the flashback relates to Edward’s past and how Peg and the neighborhood is conforming him to become someone who is not. Rack focus is used in the beginning of the film when Peg (an Avon sales lady) is going around selling products around the neighborhood, she gets into her car and in the rear-view mirror we can see Edward’s dark dungy mansion in the background. The camera then goes out of focus from Peg and into the dark mansion upon a hill. This …show more content…
Throughout the film, hidden themes are unearthed using principal readings of colour. Mainly, certain colours are used to display the contrast between two worlds. In particular, bright pastels are applied in the local area contrary to the dark colours which predominate to show the world of Edward, his home. The small mountain and the house on its top are presented in a gray shade and that, in fact, sharply differ from the pastel tones of the suburbs below the mountain. Similarly, that is possible to notice in the clothing of inhabitants. Overall, black and white are the dominant Edward's colours while others are mainly dressed in light and simple colours. At first glance, it is possible to assume that Edward is an antagonist due to his dark appearance and indeed it is highlighted by his hands. It is hard to imagine the film with the same story, where Edward is dressed in white. In other words, it would not create the same effect on the