Silver Screen Inspiration

        I love when a movie bends my mind, my way of thinking, and my way of viewing something, the world in general. That is why I find them so inspiring. When I sit and think about movies that have stuck with me The Princess Bride, Nightmare before Christmas and Corpse Bride come to mind. Alice in Wonderland may be one in the future but hasn’t been around long enough to know yet.

        But what about them is so inspiring to me. Eveything, the dialog, scenery, costumes, you name it. The images are vivid for me. Who could ever forget how Robin Wright looked in her flowing gown jumping into Fezzik/Andre the giant’s arms? Or her red fire-swamp gown? Or the grace of Inigo/Mandy Patinkin?

       

        The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride really resonated with me when I first saw them and every time after. First of all, Hallowe’en and Christmas combined? Holy Shit! Best thing ever! Just saying. Then when I got over that, the characters and their world real moved me.  I love the style; I find these realms very aesthetically pleasing. But the idea of a whole world devoted to Hallowe’en or Christmas or Easter. That our fantasies come alive having their own little kingdom to rule was an amazing concept to me. Did they manifest because we believe in them or do we believe in them because they manifested? (If they were real) And do they live just on the fringes of our reality so we never have real confirmation of existence? The use of grey/ black shades with stunning colour also inspired me. Wait until you see my Jack Skellington coat. 

        Corpse Bride was a real mind bender for me. The idea that society being so restrictive causes life to start after death was very profound to me. You can see it in the lack of colour in the living world. It is also very apparent in the songs. They are much more lively and vibrant in the world of the dead. It also give a sense of class division, we see very little of poor class in the living world except as servants. They have no class division in the world of the dead and no one seems to mind. Although most of them seem to be servants, except the general, maybe it is saying they worked themselves to death and now get to live it up. So make the most of your life while you can.

         A theme I also like in both movies was things are not as they seem. The scary monsters and the dead are not to be feared. They had no malice. They just have different ideas about social norms, like being scared and want to share their joy.  A divergence in taste from what most people if you like. Jack actually believes he can bring joy like Santa. The intentions are good but the executing is off. Oh well maybe next time.  

Tim Burton has a mind I would like to take a walk though sometime. I think it would be fascinating. How is develops his characters and subtle themes. I love his work. I want to make my own Mad Hatter hat and coat to walk around in.  (Maybe they will make the list).

There are so many more movies I could mention, I may come back to this subject. But not today. Have a great night.