“Ed Wood” Review
Johnny Depp (Right) portrays film director Edward D. Wood Jr. in Tim Burton’s biopic “Ed Wood” concerning one of the most likable people in the history of film.
Whether you love his work like I do or just dismiss him as a weirdo, director Tim Burton has certainly changed the face of film for the last 30 years with his unique vision of films. His great films are too many to name and include such popular works as “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” “Beetlejuice,” “Batman (1989),” “Sleepy Hollow,” “Sweeny Todd” and “Big Fish.” But, in my opinion, his absolute best work has no creepy monsters, aliens or science-fiction spectacle, but is about a man who made films about that very same subject matter: “Ed Wood.”
Starring Johnny Depp as the titular character, “Ed Wood” is based on the true story of Edward D. Wood Jr.: a film director of the 1950s who made some of the worst science fiction B movies of all time with laughable acting, story choices too bizarre to imagine writing and special effects that feel like a five-year-old made them while making a stop-motion Lego film. But despite making bad films, Ed Wood continuously wins people over to star in his films, including fading star Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau), with his constant optimism and passion for storytelling and filmmaking.
What makes the film work are generally two things: the commitment of the actors and Tim Burton’s old school approach to filmmaking. Depp is one of those actors who can disappear into virtually any role he’s given and this film is no exception. Ed Wood is one of the most inherently likeable protagonists of all time and never lets anything get him down. As far as he’s concerned, he’s the next Orson Welles and he’s beyond happy to be on a film set and it's hard not to get caught up in that optimism. When a studio executive tells Wood that his film “Glen or Glenda?” is the worst film he’s ever seen, Wood simply says “Well, my next one will be better.”
Further adding to his quirky character is the fact that he likes to dress in women’s clothing. He’s not transgender or even gay saying that he loves women and that he’s “all man,” having fought in WWII. It’s just something that he likes to do and he offers different explanations as to why, like how it makes him feel closer to women or that his mom always wanted a girl. But, while these explanations can exist together, I think that it’s kind of funny to imagine that he doesn’t really know why so he keeps making up different excuses.
In the film, Ed Wood (Left) befriends Bella Lugosi (Martin Landau) who stars in several of Wood’s films.
The film’s two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Makeup and Hairstyling rest on the shoulders of Martin Landau who, along with the makeup of Rick Baker, transforms into Bela Lugosi. While most of us recognize his work as Dracula alongside other horror productions of the 1930s, by the 1950s he had descended into a dark path of drug addiction and alcoholism. Upon meeting Wood by chance at, funny enough, a casket shop, the pair become friends and Wood gives Lugosi starring roles in his films “Glen or Glenda?,” “Bride of the Monster” and, posthumously, “Plan 9 From Outer Space.”
Lugosi’s persona is both poignant and hilarious as he swears like a sailor and repeatedly shows his disdain for horror contemporary Boris Karloff who he calls a “cocksucker.” But, despite starring in awful films, Lugosi is having the time of his life being a star again and working on films after a long hiatus.
Alongside Lugosi, Wood fashions himself a family of freaks and outcasts who come together to make his films including television psychic The Amazing Criswell (Jeffery Jones), drag queen John “Bunny” Breckinridge (Bill Murray), wrestler Tor Johnson (George Steele), horror tv host Vampira (Lisa Marie) and lovable goofs and frequent production assistants Paul Marco and Conrad Brooks (Max Cassella and Brent Hinckley). Despite making crap, this group of rag-tag misfits have the time of their lives and there’s a lot to admire about that.
One of the most poignant scenes in the film which shows Wood’s optimism is when he’s in a bar, frustrated at how the producers of “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” a group of fanatical Baptists, are trying to undermine his direction. While he’s having a drink at the bar, he encounters his idol Orson Welles (Vincent D’Onofrio with voice work by Maurice LaMarche) and has a conversation with him about how directors must maintain control. When Wood asks him if the entire process, no matter how arduous it is, is worth it, Welles replies “It is when it works” and then tells Wood that “Visions are worth fighting for. Why spend your life making someone else's dreams?”
Tim Burton always has a very distinct visual style of gothic imagery, weird angles and creative designs all of which are lacking in this film. But instead of that being a negative, Burton decides to shoot the film like a black-and-white B movie of the 1950s and lets the strange subject matter of Ed Wood’s films replace Burton’s trademark imagery. This is my favorite Tim Burton film not just because of the subject matter but because, despite not having traditional Burton images, it still shines through as a film from the fantastical mind of Tim Burton.
Besides Burton’s direction, the film’s entertainment comes from the screenplay, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, which is as hilarious as it is touching. The film is also beautifully shot and directed with Burton and cinematographer Stefan Czapsky with the black-and-white photography looking so beautiful. Black-and-white is sorely lacking in modern film and the way Burton captures the 1950s makes it more of a contemporary film of the time and less like a film of the 1990s.
Unless you’re a massive film fanatic, the work of Ed Wood is most likely unknown to you, but this film not only shows us the work of Ed Wood with a bizarre respect but also displays what being a true artist is all about: being true to yourself and making the films that you want to make. The fact that Burton focuses on one of the worst filmmakers ever is both hilarious and surprisingly heartwarming. Much like director Tommy Wiseau’s “The Room,” Wood’s films eventually found an audience and are loved to this day as films that are so-bad-they’re-good.
“Ed Wood” is easily one of the best biopics of American cinema because, instead of focusing on a well known figure or telling a story we already know, Burton decides to showcase a lesser known figure out of love for their work. The film isn’t just a biopic, it’s an uplifting film that every artist should see to know how they should be when they get the chance to work on something they truly love: optimistic and unbelievably grateful that they get the chance to follow their passions while also taking any obstacles with grace.
