The Corpse Bride Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)October 11th, 2005
Lively "Corpse Bride"
by Homer Yen
(c) 2005
Tim Burton's off-beat and sweet Victorian-era film tells of a murder most foul and a marriage misunderstood. Here is an animated offering that is so unexpected that it seems to bring a welcome breath of fresh air to the world of animation. And that's ironic because most of the characters in this film don't breath. They are dead.
Yet, the "Corpse Bride" (voiced by Helena Bonham Carter) is not the horror story as the name might imply. Its innovative idea is to make this poor woman the object of our sympathy rather than shock. When she was alive, she was deceived and left for dead. She swore off love until a man of noble heart would come along and avow his commitment for her. In a serendipitous chain of events, along comes Victor Van Dort (voiced by Johnny Depp) who mistakenly reawakens her. Whether dead people marrying live people desecrate communion law, that is a topic that is sidestepped here.
But this is not a good thing for the soft-spoken Victor. He'd rather be in another world and not in a netherworld. He is already betrothed to another, live bride-to-be. That would be the prim Victoria (voiced by Emily Watson). She is part of another subplot because her family are poor aristocrats. Victor, meanwhile, is the son of a successful businessman, although they are common folk. This marriage allows Victor's family to attain nobility and allows Emily's family to stave off bankruptcy. It is very weird that Victoria and Victor reside in the land of the living but their union could be described as a match made from Hell. Meanwhile, there is something bittersweet about the pairing of Victor and the Corpse Bride. And while they reside in the land of the dead, they are a match made in Heaven.
This counterbalance is evidence of how well-thought out and how well-constructed this story is. And so this film is skewed towards a slightly more mature audience who can appreciate wit and irony while simultaneously grin at a slightly decomposed bride with rotting flesh, brittle bones, and the occasional moment when an eyeball pops out. Macabre true. But its also lots of fun.
Another of its inspirations is its sort of Wizard of Oz dreaminess. The land of the living is drab and gloomy and the color palettes used are bleachy. The land of the dead is lively and colorful. It's as if they party like there's no tomorrow. And, of course, that's probably true since they are dead. But, the film includes some catchy song and dance numbers that remind you of hip jazzfests. The lyrics have a "scuba-b-doo, be-bop, yeah" energy, and the tunes will get you to snap your fingers in time.
Although a beautifully told tale, much of my joy was derived from the animation. It uses stop-motion photography, where one would build model figures and then laboriously move them a tiny bit between each frame. Today, with the prevalence of computer-generated animation, this kind of film is quickly becoming a lost art. It is a bold move to use it, yet its less-than-flawless flow matches perfectly with its creepily kooky tone. Skeletons shouldn't be graceful as they should be jerky. The film seems like a gamble, but the payoff is satisfying. The "Corpse Bride" is an enduring film of grace in its storytelling and animation.
Grade: B+
S: 0 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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