Many of my readers know I that am a huge Tim Burton fan, and that my favorite movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas. Years ago, after graduating from RISD*, me and two of my friends from college bunked at my aunts' apartment, in the Kensington section of Brooklyn. We would not have been able to launch our artistic careers without having that place, splitting the low monthly maintenance fee on our starter salaries. One of my dear college friends is a talented, professional animator. He went to see the movie first, with my other roommate.
They came home excited to tell me all about it. I'll never forget what my friend said to me: "Marie, you have got to see this movie. It's you! It's everything that you and your work stand for!" Wow. Pretty powerful stuff. How could I say no? My animator roomie readily agreed to take me to see it again, because he enjoyed it so much. We went to a theater so crowded, I had to sit in the first row and off to the side, craning my neck the entire time. I saw it tilted and crooked, at a showing featuring a worn copy of the film that kept skipping or stopping, and it didn't make a difference at all.
Those of you into 80s music trivia might remember the band Oingo Boingo, and their hit "It's a Dead Man's Party", a Halloween party staple back in the day. Lead singer Danny Elfman went on to become an extraordinarily successful composer for film and t.v. He did the score to Nightmare, and many other Burton films. You might remember him from such t.v. theme songs like "The Simpsons". This cool intro goes into a whole overseas sweatshop riff. Awesome!
Elfman's score to Nightmare sets the tone for this Halloween world, which is basically the backdrop to what is essentially a coming-of-age tale and a love story, both universal themes. It's a story about being true to yourself and authenticity; how to keep your sense of self intact, as you move about the world. Jack Skellington, the main character, mistakenly believes he was made for something other than the Pumpkin King.
In a misguided attempt to change his destiny, he tries on the Santa Claus persona, with disastrous results. In the end, he realizes he has strayed too far from his roots, and he learns to embrace his role as the King of Halloween. Along the way, he falls in love. A classic hero-on-a-quest arc, though in this case, he's sort of a dark, Gothic "anti-hero", but not really. He has a heart of gold, or at least he used to before dying!
I also love that Jack has a ghost dog sidekick named "Zero" that he plays fetch with in the graveyard, using one of his ribs. There's so much lavish detail, and humor, too. It's a labor of love, with work-intensive, hand-made characters filmed using the stop-motion animation technique. It would be impossible to achieve the movies' look using other technologies.
I adore the interview Mr. Burton did for his MOMA show, as he explains what his work means to him:
Brilliant, isn't he? There's nothing quite like hearing a master explain their work, in their own words. At the core of all Tim's different works, there's a recurring message that I draw from and respond to, which boils down to this: Don't let the bastards grind you down.
Shine on, you crazy diamond, for this Halloween and the next.
And so on, and so on, and so on....
* Rhode Island School of Design.
