The charm of the haunted family “The Addams Family” [Mizumaru Kawahara’s CINEMONOLOGUE Vol.4]

Stylish movie version and pop original manga

1991's The Addams Family was Sonnenfeld's directorial debut. The characters are strange but realistic, including Mr. and Mrs. Addams played by Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston, the Monster Uncle Fester played by Christopher Lloyd, and Christina Ricci's eldest daughter Wednesday (then 11 years old), where the family lives. Although the mansion has many mysterious devices, the overall atmosphere is realistic and dignified.

The music by Marc Shaiman that colors the dark images is also unforgettable. The familiar theme song was used from the 1960s TV drama version, but it has been arranged into a more epic theme.

On the other hand, the original one-panel comics are much more comical. If anything, the atmosphere of the aforementioned TV drama version of "The Addams Family" is closer to that of the manga. All the characters have cute, confused expressions, and even though they do all sorts of weird things, I can't hate them.

One-panel comics go well with black humor. Since it is completed in just one frame, there is no need to over-explain it, and even without dialogue, you can convey that something funny or horrifying is happening in the picture.

For example, the scene in which the Addams family slowly tilts a cauldron of oil simmering from the roof toward the joyful Christmas choir that opens the film is taken entirely from the original story. Although there are no lines or captions, the composition is such that you can instantly understand what the family thinks of the nosy choir, what they are trying to do, and what will happen next.

The point is not to directly depict the ``tragedy''. I think this is the essence of black humor. Unless it's a shot of the scene just before something terrible happens, it's just bad taste.

These original manga can be seen in `` The Addams Family Complete Works '' (Charles Addams (author) / H. Kevin Miserocchi (editor) / Kazumi Yasuhara (translator) / Kawade Shobo Shinsha). This book is quite luxurious, including unpublished sketches and character introductions by Charles Addams himself.

The movie version seems quite pretentious compared to the cuteness of the original manga, but this is the 1989 Burton version of the live-action adaptation of comics from the 1990s and 2000s, which tried to depict it realistically and darkly. I think it's because it was part of the flow that started with Batman . If you think about it, it can be said that the live-action style of ``The Addams Family'' was indirectly influenced by Burton.

I like that it's a normal family somehow.