Burton on Burton, Revised Edition

Burton, Tim

ISBN 10: 0571205070 / ISBN 13: 9780571205073

Published by Faber & Faber, 2000

Seller Inventory # 0571205070-4-35068035

Synopsis:

With the Batman films, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton established himself as one of the great visionaries of cinema. He continues to fabricate his own utterly distinctive cinematic universe, one that teems with fantastic figures like the gleefully malevolent aliens of Mars Attacks! and the implacable Headless Horsemen in Sleepy Hollow.

Formerly an animator with Disney, Burton's ascent through the studio system to his present status as one of Hollywood's most successful directors has been swift. But while his movies have consistently been box-office gold, he has never compromised his vision or shied from fathoming the darkness inherent in his material.

In this enlightening and fascinating book of interviews, Burton talks about his Burbank childhood, his experiences at Disney, the recurrent themes of his work, and the ways in which his films are fuelled by emotion, symbolism, and - sometimes - inner torment. The book is studded with Burton's own drawings and sketches of the characters who populate his imaginative world.

Johnny Depp, Burton's trusted collaborator on Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow, offers a personal tribute to his friend in the foreword.

Review: Hollywood's relationship with Tim Burton has always been a little uneasy. A fiercely individual artist working within the constraints of the studio system, Burton has made some incredibly successful films--notably the 1989 blockbuster Batman and its first sequel--but the industry just doesn't know what to make of him. In the Foreword to this book, Burton favourite Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow) observes that "I have never seen someone so obviously out of place fit right in. His way."

Taking the form of an extended interview, Burton on Burton allows the director space to discuss his films, and to digress where this seems illuminating; it also includes an impressive selection of film stills and Burton's drawings. Mark Salisbury does not so much question Burton, as guide the director through his own career, commenting where necessary but managing never to seem intrusive. Burton discusses his childhood and his often unhappy time at Disney ("I would sit in the closet a lot of the time and not come out"), before moving on to offer a fascinating insight into his idiosyncratic body of work.

Burton comes across as a man in love with "the joy of creating", but one who is refreshingly lacking in pretensions. He describes himself as a "commercial director", taking the financial investment which is put into his films very seriously, and saying of his work that "I'm very wary of analysing it too intellectually." At the same time, he has a genuine enthusiasm for cinema, discussing his influences--which range from Godzilla to Fellini--but stressing that he never aims for a literal homage to a favourite film. The director's enthusiasm is infectious. This an essential volume for Burton's fans, and an entertaining read for anyone else--it's hard not to like a director who (discussing Mars Attacks) declares that "It seemed like a good idea to just blow away celebrities with ray-guns." --John Oates

Bibliographic Details

Title: Burton on Burton, Revised Edition
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Publication Date: 2000
Binding: paperback
Condition: Fair