How does the repeated use of Johnny Depp as an isolated character relate to Burtons personality and his status as an auteur?
Films:
Item 1. Edward scissor hands (1990) - Director Tim Burton
This is the first of many films burton directed staring Johnny Depp. An uncommonly gentle young man, who happens to have scissors for hands, falls in love with a beautiful adolescent girl. I chose this film as my main focus point as its the first that Burton and Depp worked together on and the start of the on going theme of an idiosyncratic style. Edward is alone in a tower for many years and after the little town welcome him down the story ends with him being alone in the tower again like a repetitive cycle, showing the start of many isolated characters created by Burton.
Item 2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) A young boy wins a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory
in the world, led by the world's most unusual candy maker. Not only does this film include Willy Wonka, 'the strange man with troubling childhood issues' but it also includes Depp playing Wonka, another point added to him being an auteur.
Item 3. Sweeney Todd (2007)
Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), a skilled barber, is falsely charged and sentenced to a life of hard labour by the corrupt Judge who lusts after Barker's wife. Now known as "Sweeney Todd", Barker returns to London with a vengeance. Finding out his wife poisoned herself Depp's character turns into the lonely murderer that takes over fleet street. This fits in with my question because although there started of with a happy family, events leads to the typical burton theme of isolation to occur which could how he relates it to his own life because although he is happily married they live in separate homes to keep there own personalities isolated.
Item 4. Alice in Wonderland (2010)
I've chosen this piece for my last film because there is more than one isolated character, as well as The Mad Hatter (Depp) there is also the main character Alice.
19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.
Throughout the film alice is always being left alone and scared, and The Mad Hatter has carried the same dismal view and broken spirit since The Queen took over, its only until the end where everyone has back their sense of wholeness, the difference in endings is why I used this film as my third choice however his distinctive style is still clearly noticeable throughout.
Mazagines
Item 5. Hotdog January 2004, Grim Fairy Tales written by Richard Edwards. This magazine talks about how the only elements Burton remembers from his childhood are fearful like scary movies. This could relate to the question because of how he felt isolated as a child relating to him personaly putting his own feelings into his work.
Item 6. Empire January 2008 an article on Sweeney Todd. This refers to my question because Depp and Burton talk about how they don't think about things they just jump straight in and go for it. Also Sweeney is a dead man walking which many fans have branded burton as.
Item 7. The fashion spot 2006- Depp has a personal interview talking about his relationship with Burton and how every time he's asked to do a film he has no doubts whatsoever and takes the part immediately.
Interviews
Item 8. Youtube Johnny Depp and Tim Burton on Today (4:21) this clip was useful because they mention is Burton portraying an alter ego through the films however they disagree and say its based on trying to make the character as individual as possible and how different types of madness is presented.
Item 9. Youtube Alice in Wonderland interview (3:02) The character Johnny plays is five characters rolled into one, there all based on craziness, they all have there specific craziness.
Item 10. Youtube Face to Face (8:42) the collaboration of Burton and Depp is what gives the movie what it needs, there like kids with a dressing up box having fun with an amazing budget, there friendship is what makes the films work
Item 11. Youtube Quirky Characters (3:40) Burton and the characters share similar sensibilities resulting back to his childhood and feeling isolated
Internet
Item 12. Google Definition, Definition of auteur. "A filmmaker, usually a director, who exercises creative control over his or her works and has a strong personal style."
Item 13. Empathising With The Outcast 2012 a biographical point of view with quotes from burton about how him being isolated as a child and having no social life gave him the opportunity to focus on his creative original take on drawings and and also gave him the impact on the films he has worked on to become weird and wonderful
Item 14. Youtube video of Vincent, although this doesn't include Depp, the animated character is like a self portrait of Burton himself with a overly imagined dysfunctional childhood that some may say elements were taken from the feeling of Tim Burtons personally
Item 15. The colider 2010- For Depp playing the mad hatter in alice and wonderland was challenging because although he looks like a happy character hes isolated and damaged and he needed to portray a past thats impacted him vastly
Item 16. Photo of Tim Burton, the way he is dressed, his hairstyle, all make up his status as an auteur, I'm using this in my presentation script to show the audience how his appearance links into his status a an auteur.
Item 17. Photo of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, on set working on Alice in Wonderland, I'm using this in my presentation script to show them working together and how close they are on set swapping ideas.
Item 18. Time Out London- Johnny Depp talks 'Alice in Wonderland'. He talks about his character in Alice in Wonderland, this will help because he talks about where the inspiration for the costume and his accent came from, and how he used different people in his life to make up one character.
Item 19. Youtube, Mad Hatter talks about the Jabberwocky. (0:45) This shows a side to his craziness and how he changes voices when talking about the past. He also uses this accent to act distant from alice and goes from the friendly Hatter to an isolated distant character looking pack into the past.
Books
Item 20. The pocket essentials, the way I interpreted this book is that its his own personal feelings put into his creations from his childhood, this relates to my question because of the reacurring theme of isolation creating his style of being an auteur
Rejected items.
A look inside Burtons imagination, this was helpful because it shows how he created some of the weird characters but had nothing to do with his personal life or the use of Johnny Depp
Tim Burton, IMDB, I will not be using the page as part of my presentation script because, although it has summed up Burton and his films well its not relevant to his status as an auteur or the repetitive use of Johnny Depp
