K and I went to the Tim Burton exhibition at LACMA today, which I believe is the same one put together by MoMA back in 2009. I don't think I've ever seen so many people at a museum. There was a one-hour-plus line to get Mr. Burton's new book signed. We didn't do this. Plenty of young goth girls did, though. Some dressed up in dark-and-stripey Burtonesque attire for the event. (These are not my photos, by the way.)
I have an uneasy relationship with Mr. Burton, having been something of a fanboy back in high school and early college. When you revisit his early work, it's hard not to have the same impression. At the time, he was such a fresh and visual young presence in the film world. Looking back, it seems truly insane that this young Disney animator was tapped to reinvent the Batman franchise.
It has become clear, however, that Burton is very weak on narrative. Very. I don't think he can tell a story properly, which is really the whole thing, isn't it? I actually walked out after an hour of Sweeney Todd; I couldn't take Big Fish, either. I did enjoy Corpse Bride, which he co-directed, but it's been since 1990 (Edward Scissorhands) since I've been able to endorse any of his films--and even this, I'm sure, doesn't really hold up. Indeed, if you go back far enough, I'm willing to bet that Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is the only film of his that stands the test of time.
The Nightmare Before Christmas is still as fantastic ever, but I attribute this to genius director Henry Selick, who keeps the story moving along and the puppet characters emotional and interesting. There is a great note in the show from Selick to Burton about changes he wants to make during Jack Skellington's "Jack's Lament" song. He signs his note: "Respectfully, Henry S." I love that!
Still, the exhibit is inspiring for the sheer volume of art that Burton has created over the years. He draws because he must draw, and although much of the show is made up of doodles and sketches, there are some finished pieces supported by acrylics or watercolors that are remarkable. He also completed a series of large-format Polaroids (24x20) that are truly beautiful -- gloriously saturated and staged, with inches of ginormous Polaroid goop encroaching on the edges of the frame. No, a digital camera can't and will not ever be able to come close to this.
This feels like the best way to access Burton's mind: as framed visual pieces that the viewer can spend a lot of time or a little bit of time on. There's no story to contend with -- no tension, no rising action, no conflict, nothing. It's visual candy, and a lot of it, and the viewer is free to linger or leave -- as he or she sees fit. The opposite of being chained to your theater seat and enduring slack editing and dialed-in performances just to have the crazy design rationed out to you over two-plus hours. Perfect!
After shoving our way through the dense crowds of fans opening up their wallets at the exhibit-ending, money-making Tim Burton store, we head over to Ray's, based on Hightouch's thumbs-up, but there was a 45-minute wait, so we camped out in the bar and had some snacks instead. Perhaps next time!
I noticed in my literature that there's a Tim Burton film retrospective at LACMA's Bing Theater over the coming weeks, which seems appropriate. For a moment, I thought I might try to rekindle the old enthusiasm and see some of these films big. If I were twenty-five and idle I might take up this task. As it is, we're probably going to give it a miss...
1 comment:
That giant blue lightbulb shaped thingie was there when we visited. Also, there was a fantastic little exhibit of art from LACMA's permanent collection that Burton supposedly curated, of art that was an influence on his aesthetic or whatever. I wish I could tell you very much about it, but it was wonderful. They had a loop of a couple of film excerpts going--Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was one of them. Anyway! I still like Burton, though it mostly feels like lesser Burton, these days. I thought Sweeney Todd was great, and I also thought he got something credible out of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. And I will stand by Beetlejuice, to me one of the great comedies. His visual work there just sails. (But Pee Wee's Great Adventure: sublime.)
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