Tim Burton: The Iconic Filmmaker And His Works: Unofficial And Unauthorised by Ian Nathan (book review).
We’re all familiar with most of director Tim Burton’s films and know his odd reputation for the bizarre. Reading his back story in Ian Nathan’s book ‘Tim Burton: The Iconic Filmmaker And His Works: Unofficial And Unauthorised’, other than an absence of comicbooks in his background, he is very much as geeky as any of us. His taste in film-making even goes back as far as school and left me wondering why no one has thought to release these collectively as they did win awards. Considering his original ambition was to be an animator at Disney, Burton was spotted early enough to be re-directed into other work that led to direction and the studios wanting to use his talent. It also presents a good argument that directors need to present the material in their own way than necessarily conform to the ‘norm’.
The one obvious thing that comes out of Nathan’s text is how much Tim Burton uses his films as a framework to relate things from his own childhood. The fact that it resonances with so many of his viewers, that’s some of us reading here, does tend to suggest that it is very much a shared experience. Considering the number of times Johnny Depp stars in his films, I have to agree with Nathan that he really is Burton’s screen alter-ego. Oddly, Burton relies on scriptwriters and tweaking than other directors of his calibre who tend to write their own scripts. Burton admits he doesn’t have much of a reading habit which might explain some lacking in plotting but in film it seems to have found his mark. It might just indicate that there is an innate understanding of plot in some people. From a director’s point of view, their job is often to bring style to script and its scriptwriting directors that are the rarity. Burton just brings a lot more gothic style than most.
![Title: NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THE ¥ Pers: BURTON, TIM ¥ Year: 1993 ¥ Dir: SELICK, HENRY ¥ Ref: @NI001AF ¥ Credit: [ TOUCHSTONE/BURTON/DI NOVI / THE KOBAL COLLECTION / ANINAS, ELIZABETH ]](http://sfcrowsnest.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Tim-Burton-by-Ian-Nathan-p82-300x164.jpg)
Title: NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THE ¥ Pers: BURTON, TIM ¥ Year: 1993 ¥ Dir: SELICK, HENRY ¥ Ref: @NI001AF ¥ Credit: [ TOUCHSTONE/BURTON/DI NOVI / THE KOBAL COLLECTION / ANINAS, ELIZABETH ]
![Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (2016) | Pers: Asa Butterfield, Ella Purnell | Dir: Tim Burton | Ref: MIS146AG | Photo Credit: [ 20th Century Fox / The Kobal Collection / Maidment, Jay ] | Editorial use only related to cinema, television and personalities. Not for cover use, advertising or fictional works without specific prior agreement](http://sfcrowsnest.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Tim-Burton-by-Ian-Nathan-p169-300x200.jpg)
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children (2016) | Pers: Asa Butterfield, Ella Purnell | Dir: Tim Burton | Ref: MIS146AG | Photo Credit: [ 20th Century Fox / The Kobal Collection / Maidment, Jay ] | Editorial use only related to cinema, television and personalities. Not for cover use, advertising or fictional works without specific prior agreement
![Batman Returns (1992) | Pers: Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Keaton | Dir: Tim Burton | Ref: BAT052FN | Photo Credit: [ The Kobal Collection / Warner Bros/DC Comics ] | Editorial use only related to cinema, television and personalities. Not for cover use, advertising or fictional works without specific prior agreement](http://sfcrowsnest.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Tim-Burton-by-Ian-Nathan-p66-300x202.jpg)
Batman Returns (1992) | Pers: Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Keaton | Dir: Tim Burton | Ref: BAT052FN | Photo Credit: [ The Kobal Collection / Warner Bros/DC Comics ] | Editorial use only related to cinema, television and personalities. Not for cover use, advertising or fictional works without specific prior agreement
![Burton, Tim / Beetlejuice (1988) | Pers: Tim Burton, Geena Davis | Ref: XBU047AD | Photo Credit: [ Geffen/Warner Bros / The Kobal Collection ] | Editorial use only related to cinema, television and personalities. Not for cover use, advertising or fictional works without specific prior agreement](http://sfcrowsnest.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Tim-Burton-by-Ian-Nathan-p15-216x300.jpg)
Burton, Tim / Beetlejuice (1988) | Pers: Tim Burton, Geena Davis | Ref: XBU047AD | Photo Credit: [ Geffen/Warner Bros / The Kobal Collection ] | Editorial use only related to cinema, television and personalities. Not for cover use, advertising or fictional works without specific prior agreement
GF Willmetts
October 2016
(pub: Aurum Press/Quarto. 176 illustrated large square hardback in boxcover. Price: £25.00 (UK), $34.99 (US), $45.99 (CAN). ISBN: 978-1-78131-595-8)
check out website: www.quartoknows.com