After two tries, I saw this one today. Last night me and my brothers went all the way up to a nice theater 45 minutes away to see it, only to be evacuated because of a fire about ten minutes into the movie. I liked what I saw so much that I went back today to finish it.
And wow, is this a cool movie! I loved it; by far it's the best animated film of the year, and I like it better than The Nightmare Before Christmas. The animation and visual design are amazing, and the characters are very well-rounded, believable, and likeable.
All in all, darn good stuff. I sense a couple of Oscar nominations, come January.
Oh, one more thing: I know that the maggot living in the Bride's head was a movie-reference of some kind. He looked like that creepy guy from Looney Tunes who was always trying to kill Daffy Duck. But I think that even in Looney Tunes, that was still just a reference to some real-life Hollywood figure...Anyone here know anything about that?
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The Corpse Bride
Started by
Clint M
, Dec 23 2004 10:03 PM
39 replies to this topic
#22
John
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Posted 25 September 2005 - 05:39 PM
Hey Mister Jeff, the maggot is a reference to Peter Lorre, an actor maybe best known for supporting roles in Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon, as well as his wonderful starring role in Fritz Lang's M. And I think you're right that he was referenced in Looney Tunes as well.
Edited by John, 25 September 2005 - 05:40 PM.
#23
Josh Hurst
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Let's all just pray on it for a while.
Posted 25 September 2005 - 06:59 PM
Boy oh boy...
For a film that boasts the voice talents of Johnny Depp, Christopher Lee, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Emily Watson...
And is directed by Tim Burton...
And features the best stop-motion animation I've ever seen...
It's utterly amazing that the film ultimately belongs to composer Danny Elfman.
Seriously. The big musical numbers are the film's most memorable scenes. I want the soundtrack IMMEDIATELY.
For a film that boasts the voice talents of Johnny Depp, Christopher Lee, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Emily Watson...
And is directed by Tim Burton...
And features the best stop-motion animation I've ever seen...
It's utterly amazing that the film ultimately belongs to composer Danny Elfman.
Seriously. The big musical numbers are the film's most memorable scenes. I want the soundtrack IMMEDIATELY.
#24
Jeff
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Posted 25 September 2005 - 07:26 PM
QUOTE
Hey Mister Jeff, the maggot is a reference to Peter Lorre, an actor maybe best known for supporting roles in Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon, as well as his wonderful starring role in Fritz Lang's M. And I think you're right that he was referenced in Looney Tunes as well.
Ah, I see. Thanks for setting me right. Like I said, I always just thought of him as the guy who wanted to kill Daffy Duck.
QUOTE
Seriously. The big musical numbers are the film's most memorable scenes. I want the soundtrack IMMEDIATELY.
I agree. The opening number was really good, but man, those dancing jazz skeletons stole the show.
#25
Anders
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Posted 25 September 2005 - 07:32 PM
I've been sorely dissapointed in the last few Burton outings (Apes, Charlie, Big Fish and even the films of his that I enjoy a fair bit (i.e. Sleepy Hollow) for their outstanding visuals suffer from what I percieve to be a weak instinct for storytelling. However, with stuff like Corpse Bride I'm reminded why I keep giving him my money. It just looks so fantastic. I love dancing skeletons. I love the look of the Land of the Dead: the greens, reds and blues. The manic Bonejangles character is brilliant. 
I liked the storytelling more here than most (probably on account that it's simple and its folktale origins shine through), however I still think it ends way too fast and that the ending requires a bit of a leap on the part of one character whose motivations aren't entirely clear. And I felt Lord Barkis was a bit of waste of a character.
But the strengths outshine the weaknesses and I think this is probably my favourite Burton film in many a year. I especially liked the Victorian setting, not only in the designs, but also in the bit about the penniless aristocrat trying to regain glory by marrying the "nouveau riche."
Really, this is a great Halloween movie, and I think it fits in well with a lot of what SDG wrote in his review and with the appropriate use of these elements. Really, I found so many of the characters to be charming and interesting, I would like to see another film set entirely in the Land of the Dead.
I liked the storytelling more here than most (probably on account that it's simple and its folktale origins shine through), however I still think it ends way too fast and that the ending requires a bit of a leap on the part of one character whose motivations aren't entirely clear. And I felt Lord Barkis was a bit of waste of a character.
But the strengths outshine the weaknesses and I think this is probably my favourite Burton film in many a year. I especially liked the Victorian setting, not only in the designs, but also in the bit about the penniless aristocrat trying to regain glory by marrying the "nouveau riche."
Really, this is a great Halloween movie, and I think it fits in well with a lot of what SDG wrote in his review and with the appropriate use of these elements. Really, I found so many of the characters to be charming and interesting, I would like to see another film set entirely in the Land of the Dead.
Edited by Anders, 25 September 2005 - 07:42 PM.
#26
Josh Hurst
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Let's all just pray on it for a while.
Posted 25 September 2005 - 07:37 PM
Two more things I love about this film (possible 
ahead):
1. Unlike, say, Big Fish, this film doesn't celebrate irresponsible behavior; instead, it honors the importance of a vow, and allows for Victor to remain faithful to BOTH women.
2. The land of the dead is potrayed in bright, vibrant colors-- a sharp contrast to the drab palette of the land of the living. And isn't that as it should be? I left the theater thinking of C.S. Lewis and his Shadowlands; though Corpse Bride hardly gives us a Christian view of the afterlife, it rightfully shows us that-- at least for some-- the next life will be far greater than the current one.
ahead):1. Unlike, say, Big Fish, this film doesn't celebrate irresponsible behavior; instead, it honors the importance of a vow, and allows for Victor to remain faithful to BOTH women.
2. The land of the dead is potrayed in bright, vibrant colors-- a sharp contrast to the drab palette of the land of the living. And isn't that as it should be? I left the theater thinking of C.S. Lewis and his Shadowlands; though Corpse Bride hardly gives us a Christian view of the afterlife, it rightfully shows us that-- at least for some-- the next life will be far greater than the current one.
#27
Peter T Chattaway
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Posted 25 September 2005 - 07:45 PM
Josh Hurst wrote:
: 2. The land of the dead is potrayed in bright, vibrant colors-- a sharp contrast to the
: drab palette of the land of the living. And isn't that as it should be?
Yes and no. The underworld here is more like the Hebrew She'ol or the Greek Hades than the Christian Heaven -- it's a place where life goes on much as it did before, only it's kind of missing something. (Yeah, it's colourful there, but the bodies still lack a complete set of parts.) And the film's final scenes suggest that this underworld may be only a pit stop on the way to something else -- but what IS that something else?
: 2. The land of the dead is potrayed in bright, vibrant colors-- a sharp contrast to the
: drab palette of the land of the living. And isn't that as it should be?
Yes and no. The underworld here is more like the Hebrew She'ol or the Greek Hades than the Christian Heaven -- it's a place where life goes on much as it did before, only it's kind of missing something. (Yeah, it's colourful there, but the bodies still lack a complete set of parts.) And the film's final scenes suggest that this underworld may be only a pit stop on the way to something else -- but what IS that something else?
#28
Cunningham
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Posted 25 September 2005 - 08:01 PM
I just saw this today and I frickin loved it. I couldn't stop smiling through the whole thing.
The maggot's voice reminded me of the voice of the character of Dr. Einstein from Frank Capra's Arsenic and Old Lace....
edit: looking up A&OL on imdb tells me that Dr. Einstein was played by Peter Lorre, who was already mentioned in this thread.
The maggot's voice reminded me of the voice of the character of Dr. Einstein from Frank Capra's Arsenic and Old Lace....
edit: looking up A&OL on imdb tells me that Dr. Einstein was played by Peter Lorre, who was already mentioned in this thread.
Edited by solishu, 25 September 2005 - 08:02 PM.
#29
SDG
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Posted 25 September 2005 - 09:14 PM
QUOTE(Peter T Chattaway @ Sep 25 2005, 08:45 PM)
Josh Hurst wrote:
: 2. The land of the dead is potrayed in bright, vibrant colors-- a sharp contrast to the
: drab palette of the land of the living. And isn't that as it should be?
Yes and no. The underworld here is more like the Hebrew She'ol or the Greek Hades than the Christian Heaven -- it's a place where life goes on much as it did before, only it's kind of missing something. (Yeah, it's colourful there, but the bodies still lack a complete set of parts.) And the film's final scenes suggest that this underworld may be only a pit stop on the way to something else -- but what IS that something else?
What Peter said. (For the purposes of discussing this film and Just Like Heaven, Peter and I are apparently interchangeable.)
: 2. The land of the dead is potrayed in bright, vibrant colors-- a sharp contrast to the
: drab palette of the land of the living. And isn't that as it should be?
Yes and no. The underworld here is more like the Hebrew She'ol or the Greek Hades than the Christian Heaven -- it's a place where life goes on much as it did before, only it's kind of missing something. (Yeah, it's colourful there, but the bodies still lack a complete set of parts.) And the film's final scenes suggest that this underworld may be only a pit stop on the way to something else -- but what IS that something else?
#30
Josh Hurst
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Let's all just pray on it for a while.
Posted 25 September 2005 - 09:19 PM
QUOTE(Peter T Chattaway @ Sep 25 2005, 07:45 PM)
Josh Hurst wrote:
: 2. The land of the dead is potrayed in bright, vibrant colors-- a sharp contrast to the
: drab palette of the land of the living. And isn't that as it should be?
Yes and no. The underworld here is more like the Hebrew She'ol or the Greek Hades than the Christian Heaven -- it's a place where life goes on much as it did before, only it's kind of missing something. (Yeah, it's colourful there, but the bodies still lack a complete set of parts.) And the film's final scenes suggest that this underworld may be only a pit stop on the way to something else -- but what IS that something else?
: 2. The land of the dead is potrayed in bright, vibrant colors-- a sharp contrast to the
: drab palette of the land of the living. And isn't that as it should be?
Yes and no. The underworld here is more like the Hebrew She'ol or the Greek Hades than the Christian Heaven -- it's a place where life goes on much as it did before, only it's kind of missing something. (Yeah, it's colourful there, but the bodies still lack a complete set of parts.) And the film's final scenes suggest that this underworld may be only a pit stop on the way to something else -- but what IS that something else?
Perhaps, but I thought Burton's version of the underworld was too cartoony to be associated with any real-life religious tradition, be it Hebrew, Greek, or whatever. I simply appreciated it for its portrayal of the afterlife as something to rejoice in rather than something to fear.
#31
Russ
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Posted 26 September 2005 - 02:49 PM
We dug this movie. Sure, Burton can't do a movie that doesn't center on a misfit or outcast, but this one doesn't bore in on the well-trod social ostracism and self-acceptance angle, as he typically does. He gets the sacrifice role story right, I think.
Though, was it just my theater (which is very likely; we don't call it "Blowcase North" for nothing), or was the sound mix too indistinct? We had to strain to make out most of the lyrics to the songs, and couldn't figure out if that was intentional to throw us off the scent of some recycling by Danny Elfman.
Though, was it just my theater (which is very likely; we don't call it "Blowcase North" for nothing), or was the sound mix too indistinct? We had to strain to make out most of the lyrics to the songs, and couldn't figure out if that was intentional to throw us off the scent of some recycling by Danny Elfman.
#32
Jeff
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Posted 26 September 2005 - 03:34 PM
QUOTE
Though, was it just my theater (which is very likely; we don't call it "Blowcase North" for nothing), or was the sound mix too indistinct? We had to strain to make out most of the lyrics to the songs, and couldn't figure out if that was intentional to throw us off the scent of some recycling by Danny Elfman.
It's interesting you should say this; you see, the first time I tried to see the film right before we were evacuated, I was very impressed by the music and the sound mix. I was in a large AMC theater, and the picture and sound were very good.
However, the next day, I finished the movie at a lame Regal Cinema nearby, and just like you, I had a hard time understanding song lyrics, quiet lines of dialogue, etc. I think that usually bad sound quality in a theater can be pegged on poor presentation more so than the sound mix itself.
#33
opus
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Posted 26 September 2005 - 04:02 PM
QUOTE(Mister Jeff @ Sep 26 2005, 02:34 PM)
However, the next day, I finished the movie at a lame Regal Cinema nearby, and just like you, I had a hard time understanding song lyrics, quiet lines of dialogue, etc. I think that usually bad sound quality in a theater can be pegged on poor presentation more so than the sound mix itself.
We had the same problem at the screening we attended. One of the speakers right above us was blown, which meant there was all sorts of crackling during some of the musical numbers. Combine that with the loud volume, and it was rather difficult to clearly hear a lot of the songs.
#34
SDG
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Posted 26 September 2005 - 05:09 PM
QUOTE(Josh Hurst @ Sep 25 2005, 10:19 PM)
Perhaps, but I thought Burton's version of the underworld was too cartoony to be associated with any real-life religious tradition, be it Hebrew, Greek, or whatever. I simply appreciated it for its portrayal of the afterlife as something to rejoice in rather than something to fear.
Eh. The more salient point for me is that the land of the dead comes across as something broken-down and falling apart in relation to this life rather than something more glorious or in any way restored or redeemed.
I'm with Peter: The best bet for a hint of transcendence or redemption is not in the land of the dead, which really is a cartoony analogue of Sheol or Hades, but in the climactic image.
#35
Crow
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Posted 27 September 2005 - 01:58 PM
I just saw this, and this was a really fun film to watch. I loved the uniqueness of the physical attributes of these characters, how they moved, the subtleties of their facial expressions. This is the kind of stuff Tim Burton does best. The song and dance numbers were quite entertaining as well. And the story does have the feel of an old fable, and fits the look and feel of the animation quite well.
And now we have the Wallace and Gromit movie to look forward to. Stop-motion animation rules!
And now we have the Wallace and Gromit movie to look forward to. Stop-motion animation rules!
#36
Jeff
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Posted 27 September 2005 - 02:07 PM
QUOTE
And now we have the Wallace and Gromit movie to look forward to. Stop-motion animation rules!
Amen to that. The Corpse Bride reminded me of how good clay animation is, and of how boring and formulaic computer animated films have become (except, of course, for Pixar's efforts). Wallace and Gromit can't come soon enough.
#37
Bill Moore
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Posted 27 January 2006 - 11:20 AM
Now with the DVD out, I was wondering if anyone had seen the disc, and had any comments about contents. I'm thinking of doing at least a rental for this weekend
I've not seen the movie at all yet - missed it in the theater. Do y'all recommend I pre-screen before letting the kids watch it? (Actually, I'm not sure they will have much interest in it... they expressed a "it's too creepy" opinion back when we were seeing commercials for it...)
B
I've not seen the movie at all yet - missed it in the theater. Do y'all recommend I pre-screen before letting the kids watch it? (Actually, I'm not sure they will have much interest in it... they expressed a "it's too creepy" opinion back when we were seeing commercials for it...)
B
#38
Josh Hurst
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Let's all just pray on it for a while.
Posted 27 January 2006 - 11:24 AM
QUOTE(Bill Moore @ Jan 27 2006, 11:20 AM)
Now with the DVD out, I was wondering if anyone had seen the disc, and had any comments about contents. I'm thinking of doing at least a rental for this weekend
I've not seen the movie at all yet - missed it in the theater. Do y'all recommend I pre-screen before letting the kids watch it? (Actually, I'm not sure they will have much interest in it... they expressed a "it's too creepy" opinion back when we were seeing commercials for it...)
B
It's actually not out until next Tuesday, the 31st-- at least it's not supposed to be...
#39
Bill Moore
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Posted 27 January 2006 - 11:47 AM
My bad... I misread the announcement.
Dang... now I have to find something else to watch this weekend...
B
Dang... now I have to find something else to watch this weekend...
B
#40
David Smedberg
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Posted 08 May 2006 - 11:05 PM
I just saw it, and I was reasonably impressed - the animation was as superb as reports said, the music was entertaining (if a bit show-stopping) and the story held up surprisingly well (praise the cinema gods that they didn't try to pad the running time any further).
This movie made an interesting double feature with Steamboy, in which Otomo offered up some thrilling action but failed to give his characters enough character, IMO. In Corpse Bride, sure the Bride's veil was gorgeous and the lighting was fascinating, but what really sold me was the degree of expressiveness which the puppets got, particularly in the face. The featurettes indicate that they managed that degree of expressive detail by concealing mechanics within the head which could offer a very fine degree of control to the animators. Hey, whatever works!
The featurettes also offer a different view of the underworld than that I see in the comments in this thread, where it's supposed to be perceived as more lively and interesting than the real world. It's the "low" (embodied by the jazz) as contrasted to the "high" (embodied by the piano), in terms of culture. The color pallette of the land of the living is certainly quite drab, whereas that of the underworld is certainly unkempt (in that uniquely Burton way) but still vibrant and fun.
This movie made an interesting double feature with Steamboy, in which Otomo offered up some thrilling action but failed to give his characters enough character, IMO. In Corpse Bride, sure the Bride's veil was gorgeous and the lighting was fascinating, but what really sold me was the degree of expressiveness which the puppets got, particularly in the face. The featurettes indicate that they managed that degree of expressive detail by concealing mechanics within the head which could offer a very fine degree of control to the animators. Hey, whatever works!
The featurettes also offer a different view of the underworld than that I see in the comments in this thread, where it's supposed to be perceived as more lively and interesting than the real world. It's the "low" (embodied by the jazz) as contrasted to the "high" (embodied by the piano), in terms of culture. The color pallette of the land of the living is certainly quite drab, whereas that of the underworld is certainly unkempt (in that uniquely Burton way) but still vibrant and fun.
