Power And Corruption In Tim Burton's Film

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Tim Burton is an American Director whose directed movies like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Big Fish, and Edward Scissorhands.There's no doubt about it that Burton establishes a distinct dark and similarly a delightful theme in his films. His notorious revisionings on children’s stories bring a new spin that is opposite of the typical enchanted childhood stories. You can see the inspiration he takes from Roald Dahl in his cinematic techniques and symbolisms. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Burton applies the theme of power and corruption. He demonstrates power and corruption by using non-diegetic sound. Willy Wonka allows the archetypes to help themselves to any of the the candy in the candy forest, as this occurs music grows to …show more content…

Burton emphasizes this by using high key lighting as well as low-key lighting. Burton juxtaposes the upbeat community and Edwards grotesque mansion with high-key lighting for the community and the low key lighting of Edward’s mansion; Low-key lighting is used to show mystery and fear compared to high-key lighting which is used to show happiness and cheeriness. This argues the theme of darkness and light because the darkness can be thought of to be the seemingly upbeat community; Peg is shown to be selling cosmetics door to door and cosmetics is symbolic for beauty although makeup is used to hide imperfections. This expresses that archetypes in the community are held by the shackles of consumerism or are in darkness because the ideology of consumerism is agreed upon to bring society unhappiness due to the loss of community and the focus of materialism. Compared to Edward’s mansion which is portrayed as dark but is the light of the theme because as Edward lived in isolation from society he had still retained values of community and integrity; as Edward starts to open up when he lives with Peg his retained values become more apparent when he gives the community