Digging the Dirt on: "Corpse Bride"

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! The EOY exams are over! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Okay, sorry.

So - I went out to JP with Shina and Chuan Min today to watch "Corpse Bride". I must say that this show is a classic - not only is the rendering good, even the choice of colours, the themes presented in the show, the characters, everything - the movie is GOOD, no, wait, VERY, VERY GOOD.

First off I must say - contrast plays a very very heavy role in "Corpse Bride". The title itself is contrasting - we wouldn't normally associate a "corpse" with a "bride". A "corpse" is dead while a "bride" is filled with life. This oxymoronic title exemplifies the contrast so strong in the play.

The first thing that comes to mind when the movie begins is the heavy use of black, white, and bluish-grey shades in rendering the city. Set in the Victorian times, this is actually quite befitting - since in the Victorian times, much of England was bleak and many lived in destitution and utter poverty. A sweeper is shown alongside a clock, moving in unison with the pendulum of the clock. The monotony that prevails in the opening scenes suggests that the Victorian times were times of bleakness and monotony.

This bleakness of the living world stands in utter contrast with the liveliness of the world of the dead - yes, the world of the dead is a LIVELY place. It is ironic, yes, but it strengthens and emphasises the bleakness of Victorian England. Dancing skeletons and singing bones, all decked in a range of colours from red to blue - the brightness of the world of the dead stands in total opposition to the bleak, grey world of the living.

The people are in contrast as well - the parents of Victoria (the living bride) are an example. The mother is thin and tall - the father is fat and short. Only Victoria and Victor (the main protaganist) appear as being the most balanced characters in the play - human-like and with a coloured appearance, unlike the standard grey-black-or-white of the people around them.

The corpse bride Emily is an interesting character - she is dead, but continues to shed tears and even has a bed to sleep on. Indeed, the dead in the movie seem more living than the living themselves - the dead lack the monotonous and clockwork "life" of the living - instead, they live exciting lives, squeezing into bars and gulping down gallons of alcohol (albeit having the beer run down their throats and leak out of their bare ribs) whenever there's a "new arrival", cheering and singing when Emily gets married, and preparing a large, wobbly wedding cake for the newlyweds. Another contrast appears here - when the large wobbly cake is being shown, the focus then switches back to Victoria - and her puny, tiny wedding cake.

Of course, how can we forget about the beautiful ending? It was sad when Emily had to go - but having been freed by Victor's compassion, it is only right for her to go back to where she rightfully belongs. Her worries resolved and the bride-cheater-and-murderer finally dealt with - she can leave in peace. She becomes a thousand butterflies and flies up to the moon. There is an interesting point to note here - there is a slight irony that she should become butterflies. Indeed, butterflies are beautiful, but they are also short-lived - contrasting, or perhaps reflecting, the fact that she has been dead and yet living for so long.

"Corpse Bride", I can conclude, is a movie with a well-thought-out story, interesting characters, and beautifully-done movie - all I can say is, "KUDOS!" - and I definitely recommend this movie for anyone who wishes to see something sad, beautiful, moving, funny, romantic, and thought-provoking.