In The Dark, no cinema de Tim Burton: a construção da personagem gótica e o estilo Burtonesque em Vincent e Edward Mãos-de-Tesoura

Abstract

Regarding the cinema which has been produced by the American director Tim Burton since the 1980s, it is possible to perceive a very singular aesthetic configuration, which can be named as dark or gothic. Such aesthetic expression has a strong appeal in contemporary media, being constantly presented in fashion, cyberculture, pop music and cinema. The present study aims to analyze the aesthetic posture adopted by such director in the production of the films Vincent (1982) and Edward Scissorhands (1990). Also, it aims to perceive the ways in which the production of meaning are established in the aforementioned films. Especifically, the study investigates how the construction of the main characters occur, by focusing on their theoretical inspirers, e.g., Gothic Romanticism and Science Fiction, as well as observing the ways in which body, gesture and clothing are structured. The theories for this study included research on cinema per se, its processes and visuality, as well as on gothic expression and its significance. The selected authours include Ariano Suassuna and his studies on Aesthetics; Joan Hawkins and Sophie Mayer for their studies on goth and cinema, and several authors in the fields of Cinema, Arts and Communication.