Digital: Pick of the Day

TIM BURTON, the idiosyncratic director of such original films as Beetlejuice and Ed Wood, turns his attention to fantasy in Edward Scissorhands (8pm FilmFour, right). It tells the tale of a young freak (Johnny Depp) constructed by a mad professor (Vincent Price) who died in mid-creation, leaving the boy with shears in place of hands. In what could be read as a parable about discrimination, Scissorhands is taken in by the kindly local Avon lady (Dianne Wiest) and her daughter (Winona Ryder) but soon goes from hero to zero.

Schindler's List director Steven Spielberg has proved himself capable of handling a range of diverse topics. In his 1997 offering, Amistad (8pm Sky Premier), which stars Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins, Spielberg tells the moving story of a slave rebellion on a ship bound for America.

James Rampton