Corpse Bride(2005)

Plot Summary

• Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp), the son of newly rich fish merchants, and Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson), the neglected daughter of impoverished aristocrats, prepare for their arranged marriage, which will simultaneously raise the social class of Victor's parents and restore the wealth of Victoria's family ("According to Plan"). Victoria lives with Maudeline Everglot (Joanna Lumley), her abusive, large-chinned, unloving mother, and Lord Finis Everglot (Albert Finney) her abusive toad-like, unloving Baron father. Victor lives with William Van Dort (Paul Whitehouse) his absent-minded and tactless fish merchant father and Nell Van Dort (Tracey Ullman) his socially ambitious mother who loves her son, but holds too much contempt for him. Maudeline and Finis are not happy that Victoria has to marry into the family of the newly rich fish merchants, but they have no choice as their own safes are empty.Although the two are initially nervous, they become smitten and fall in love instantly when they meet at the Everglot mansion. Victoria likes that Victor can play the piano and has a sensitive side. Pastor Galswells (Christopher Lee) is a haughty and bad-tempered priest who is hired to conduct Victor and Victoria's wedding ceremony. Galswells is very intense and scares Victor with his constant criticism and badgering.The nervous Victor ruins their wedding rehearsal by forgetting his vows, dropping the wedding ring and clumsily setting Lady Everglot's dress on fire. Galswells declares that the wedding cannot take place until Victor is properly trained and learns his vows. Fleeing to a nearby forest, he practices his vows with a tree and places his wedding ring on a root. However, the root is revealed to be the finger of a dead woman named Emily (Helena Bonham Carter), who, gowned in a wedding dress, rises from the grave and proclaims herself as Victor's new wife. Victor is petrified and tries to run away, but Emily chases him and spirits him away to the Land of the Dead, a colorful and whimsical realm in which the spirits of the deceased reside.The Land of the Dead is full of deceased spirits such as The Maggot (Enn Reitel) Emily's sarcastic friend who lives inside her head and acts as her conscience, General Bonesapart (Deep Roy) a diminutive skeleton in a military uniform with a sword stuck in his chest, Mrs. Plum (Jane Horrocks) a dead chef working at the Ball and Socket Pub, The Black Widow Spider (Jane Horrocks) an affable seamstress, Paul the Head Waiter (Paul Whitehouse) literally a severed head, among others.Meanwhile, the town crier had seen Victor in the arms of a mystery woman at the bridge (on the edge of town) and announced the same to Victor and Victoria's families.During his time with her, Victor learns that Emily was murdered years ago by an unnamed perpetrator, on the night of her elopement, and he stole the family jewels she had brought ("Remains of the Day"). Emily reunites Victor with his long deceased dog, Scraps, and they bond. Desperate to return to Victoria, Victor tricks Emily into returning them to the Land of the Living by claiming he wants her to meet his parents. Emily brings Victor to see Elder Gutknecht (Michael Gough), an ancient and rickety skeleton who rules benevolently over the underworld, who grants them temporary passage. Victor, feeling guilty for tricking Emily, asks the bride to wait in the forest.He successfully reunites with Victoria and confesses his wish to marry her as soon as possible. Before the pair can share a kiss, Emily discovers them and, feeling betrayed and hurt, drags Victor back to the Land of the Dead ("Tears to Shed"). Emily confronts Victor and claims Victoria to be the other woman, but Victor says she is the other woman, and he didn't want to marry her. Victoria quickly tries to tell her parents of Victor's situation, but neither believe her nor assume he has left her. Against her will, they decide to marry her to a presumed-wealthy visitor named Lord Barkis Bittern (Richard E. Grant), who appeared at the wedding rehearsal. Lady Everglot is relieved since their financial situation is perilous and nobody would ever marry Victoria if the word got out that she is mad.After reconciling with Emily (Victor tells him that it was wrong to trick her, but he wanted to let Victoria know so she didn't worry about him), Victor learns of Victoria's impending marriage to Barkis from his family's newly deceased coachman Mayhew (Paul Whitehouse). Upset over this news, Victor decides to marry Emily, learning that this will require him to repeat his wedding vows in the Land of the Living and drink a deadly poison in order to join her in death.The dead swiftly prepare for the ceremony and head "upstairs" ("The Wedding Song"), where the town erupts into a temporary panic upon their arrival until everyone recognizes their departed loved ones, and joyously reunite. The chaos causes a panicked Barkis to expose his own poor financial standing and his intentions to marry Victoria only for her supposed wealth, leading her to reject him.Victoria follows everyone to Victor and Emily's wedding as Victor completes his vows and prepares to drink the poison, only for Emily to stop him when she realizes she is denying Victoria her chance to live happily with him. Just as Emily reunites Victor and Victoria, Barkis arrives to kidnap Victoria. Emily recognizes him as her previous fiance and reveals he was also her murderer. Victor duels with Barkis to protect Victoria, and Emily intervenes to save Victor's life.Barkis mockingly toasts Emily for dying unwed and unwittingly drinks the poison that Victor nearly took, causing him to die and allowing the dead - who cannot interfere in the affairs of the living - to take retribution against him for his crimes. Emily, now freed from her torment, frees Victor of his vow to marry her and returns his ring, allowing him to marry Victoria, whom she throws her wedding bouquet to. As she steps into the moonlight, she fades away into hundreds of butterflies and flies into the sky, finding peace, as Victor and Victoria watch and embrace.

Storyline

• Set back in the late 1800s in a Victorian village, a man and woman by the names of Victor Van Dort and Victoria Everglot are betrothed because the Everglots need the money or else they'll be living on the streets and the Van Dorts want to be high in society. But when things go wrong at the wedding rehearsal, Victor goes into the woods to practice his vows. Just as soon as he gets them right, he finds himself married to Emily, the corpse bride. While Victoria waits on the other side, there's a rich newcomer that may take Victor's place. So two brides, one groom, who will Victor pick? — XxCherrySodaxX When an arranged marriage between Victor Van Dort and Victoria Everglot reaches the rehearsals, Victor starts to worry. Spending time alone in the forest, Victor decides to practice on his own. Everything seems to go well, until he accidentally puts the ring upon the hand of a corpse. Before he knows it, Victor is in the land of dead and now has a corpse bride. Whilst everyones worries about who Victoria will marry in the land of the living, Victor desperately finds a way to get back. — FilmFanUK Victor Van Dort, son of fish merchants, finds himself in an arranged marriage with Victoria Everglot, a high-society woman whom he's never even spoken to. After Victor horribly messes up the wedding rehearsals, he ventures deep into the woods while practicing his vows. However, once he finally gets them right, he discovers he accidentally recited them to a corpse. His new, dead bride takes him with her to the Land of the Dead, while his living fiancé waits desperately for his return in the Land of the Living. With two brides both pining for him, Victor must decide between his love-at-first-sight fiancé Victoria, or his tragic corpse bride Emily. — Kamezumi Victor messed up his vows during a wedding rehearsal, and is traveling through the woods, reciting his vows. He stops to rest in the woods,and while practicing, he gets them right and puts his wedding ring on a finger-shaped stick in the ground and says his wedding vows. The stick turns out to be a rotted finger belonging to a murdered girl, who returns as a zombie and insists that she is now Victor's lawfully wedded wife. — Jojo Mac 1 more See all