Edward Scissorhands: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [SOUNDTRACK]

Danny Elfman

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 13, 1990)
• Original Release Date: December 14, 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000002OFD
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,213 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!, November 3, 2000

By	Daniel A. Fincke "thegreatfandincke" (Bronx, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

So far this is the best I've heard from Danny Elfman and I'll be stunned if I ever hear him do better.

This is a most magical, sad, fun, beautiful, touching, wintery experience. A musical journey. This is one of those rare and special times where the score of the movie carries it along and punctuates it in such a way that the movie could be seen as, on one significant level, a story told in pictures and music. This is a score without which the movie would be just inconceivable.

Danny Elfman is the perfect musical counterpart to genius Tim Burton. This music like Tim Burton's movies has the truly unique ability to convey the dark and the cold and the tragic in a way which is tender, melancholic, hopeful, innocent, heartbreaking and magical, rather than evil.

Every track is wonderful. The instrumentation and the use of magical, "wintery" choruses create a fantastic feel. The Introduction is so sweeping and inviting, Storytime beautifully conveys the opening context of the film as a bedtime tale of a grandmother's youth, The Castle On The Hill puts us back in time and into that story made vital in its telling, Beautiful New World is charming, The Cookie Factory is so much fun, the Ice Dance, short, climactic, romantic and (not to overuse this word!) magical. Edwardo The Barber features some delightful, quirky, skillfully mad violining to accompany Edward's charming haircutting exploits. Death! is so tragic, and the ending tracks tell the story of the rest of the exciting action and fated climax of a poignant and beautiful film in a way analagous to the film itself, with subtlety and power rather than sentimentality. And the music comes full circle with the return to the grandmother and the closing credits. And just for fun, there's the perfectly odd and slightly melodramatic Tom Jones "With These Hands" thrown in as an extra treat.

Elfman at his best. Perfect winter music. Gets better with every listen. I don't know how better to describe this experience.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for the soft of heart..., May 23, 2000

By	Pat Harris (Maine) - See all my reviews

My first exposure to any form of "Edward Scissorhands" was hearing "The Grand Finale" on one of Danny Elfman's compilation discs. I must admit, I was reduced to tears only a minute into it. The sense of melancholy tragedy and childhood sweetness blended together in the cue is nothing less than heartbreaking, even outside of the context of the film. The score is worth getting for that one track alone, but there is much more here to enjoy as well. Elfman runs the full range on this ablum, from goofy to dramatic to bittersweet, all building up to that spectacularly devastating finale. I've been listening to scores for years now, but I have yet to encounter one which has such profound emotional impact (especially if you've seen the film). I guess I'm just a romantic at heart, and that's right where this music hits you.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elfman's most Enchanting, December 30, 2001

By A Customer

Self-taught Danny Elfman says to the effect that the one thing he *loves* is sad music. His film music has a haunting, dark quality to it, but it's not so much sad (not as in lamenting) as it is poignant. And unless there's something else more poignant running through Elfman's head that he hasn't written down yet, the score to *Edward Scissorhands* could be the one complete statement of his love. The music here reflects the musicbox innocence, the snowy purity, and the dark mystery, as well as the quirky humor in some of the jazzier, big-band arrangements that helps move Burton's film along. The themes here are melodically simple, and, like Horner's score to *Glory*, which also uses very simplistic themes, the boys choir helps give the music a delicate color of beauty. With strings and celeste unfolding the harmony, Elfman's score is not only a perfect match with the atmosphere of the movie, but stands as enchanting absolute music.