Tim Burton’s films are well known to emphasize visual artistry often at the expense of story line. The art of filmmaking is on display in “Big Fish”, which provides plenty of “eye candy” as Edward tells stories of his past.

“Big Fish” is a kind of fairy tale, taking place in three different time periods. Each time period is a “chapter” in the life of Edward Bloom. Identify the three time periods and track what happens in each. Using a bullet list will help you follow the plot of the film, which can be confusing.

As is the case in most films, the characters in “Big Fish” face conflicts, and those conflicts help define the genre of the film. As you watch, identify any conflicts for these characters:

• Edward Bloom (middle and late time periods)
• Sandy, Edward’s wife (middle and late time periods)
• Will Bloom
• Jenny (as a girl and as an adult)
• Carl the giant

Questions:

1.      With regard to his father, what is Will’s main problem?

2.      Do Edward’s stories have any effect at all on the other characters? Are these effects, if any, positive or negative?

3.      Ultimately, what does Edward want from Will?

4.      How is the film a romantic love story?

5.      How is the film a coming of age story?

Use of color: Any time there is a flashback scene, pay attention to Burton’s use of color to indicate symbolically a certain mood. Choose a flashback scene and write about how Burton used color to enhance the “message” and “mood” of the scene.