There are several adjectives synonymous with the name ?Tim Burton.? Bizarre. Unique. Twisted. Beautiful. Schizophrenic. Artistic. It?s not Burton?s fault that words like ?introspective? and ?thought-provoking? aren?t on the list; he?s been involved in films like ?Beetlejuice,? ?The Nightmare Before Christmas? and ?Edward Scissorhands,? all of which were great but never won much more than a cult following.
But a funny thing happened on the way to Burton?s latest film, ?Big Fish.? Some people say the director/producer grew up. Others say he got a grown-up screenplay. Whatever the case, introspective and thought-provoking are somehow the words that come first to mind when discussing ?Big Fish,? one of the most underrated films of 2003, and now one of the few must-have DVDs in 2004.
?Big Fish? is one of the most touching films and best examples of pure storytelling since ?The Green Mile,? yet it still manages to communicate Burton?s flair for the unusual. Father and son bonding shown side-by-side with a 12-foot, sheep-eating giant. Stories of an MIA soldier presented in the same breath as beautiful conjoined twins who help him escape his captors. ?Big Fish? certainly covers mature subject matter, but with Burton at the helm, it strays far enough from the norm to keep viewers wondering what?s real and what?s fantasy.
The one element that?s undeniably real is Burton?s masterful exploration of the family dynamic. A father on his deathbed. A son longing to know more about his dad. A storyteller who never told a lie yet never told an unembellished story. A journalist who wants nothing but the facts and must come to terms with his father?s creative license. The story draws on experiences we all have at some point, and that?s precisely what makes ?Big Fish? so surprisingly memorable. Tim Burton may indeed have grown up, but it?s just as likely that the audience grew up, too, and can more easily recognize the interpersonal elements Burton?s exploring.
With such a ?realistic? story, Burton had to ensure that the screenplay allowed him to exercise his own creative freedoms in art direction, plot points and special effects. Ensure it he did, giving ?Big Fish? as much quirky imagery as any Burton film to date without losing its somehow-believable ?small town? feel. Just as impressive as the special effects and art, though, is that Columbia TriStar was able to translate the big-screen presentation onto DVD. ?Big Fish? looks incredible, particularly on an HDTV, and its use of Dolby Digital 5.1 brings the fantastical universe of Burton?s tale to incredible life.
The ?Big Fish? DVD also includes a handful of bonus features to help round out the complete presentation. Rather than a long ?making of? feature, though, the behind-the-scenes features are divided into two themed segments, each of which is further divided into brief chapters.
The first feature, ?The Character?s Journey,? encompasses three distinct but short elements: Edward Bloom at Large, Amos at the Circus, and Fathers and Sons. Edward Bloom at Large recounts the making-of stories as they relate to the main character, while Amos at the Circus explores some of the behind-the-scenes moments for Danny DeVito in his role as circus ringmaster. The third chapter, Fathers and Sons, has a different take on the meaning of ?behind the scenes,? interviewing cast members and some of the production staff about their own experiences as a father and/or son, and how the movie intersects with certain parts of their own lives. This is a uniquely personal touch for a behind-the-scenes feature, but given the context of the movie and its focus on the family dynamic, it?s incredibly appropriate.
The second feature, ?The Filmmakers? Path,? is divided into four chapters. The first, Tim Burton: Storyteller, is the traditional directorial behind-the-scenes expose, and the second, A Fairytale World, is the equally stereotypical exploration of the movie?s art and creative direction. Likewise, the third chapter in this feature, called Creature Features, discusses the process of making the film?s props and animals, including a brief interview with Stan Winston about his involvement with the film.
By far the most intriguing portion of The Filmmakers? Path, though, is an extended discussion with the original author of Big Fish, Daniel Wallace. This discussion, packaged with the name ?The Author?s Journey,? covers Wallace?s inspiration for the story and the process of helping convert his book to the final screenplay. Essentially, it amounts to a biography, but Wallace?s story is interesting enough to warrant the attention, and it acts as a nice introduction for anyone interested in seeing how scripts and stories can change as you move from the printed to visual medium.
The final two bonus features are ?Fish Tales,? a commentary-like track that introduces certain behind-the-scenes elements when an icon pops up on the screen, and ?The Finer Points: A Trivia Quiz,? which quizzes DVD owners on Tim Burton?s previous films. With this latter feature, viewers are asked to answer all the questions correctly, and if they do, they?re rewarded with a brief explanation of how the filmmakers used camera movements, special effects and good old-fashioned standing still to achieve the famous circus scene.
?Big Fish? is bizarre. It?s unique. It?s beautiful. It?s schizophrenic. It?s also thought-provoking and one of the most touching films I?ve seen in years. If you missed the movie when it hit theaters, this is one DVD you absolutely must not overlook.
