Ed Wood
Back in the 90’s, Johnny Depp was a star... but not for the summer
blockbusters he headlines today. He was a star for more quirky reasons. Having
been a teen heartthrob in the late 80’s with his work on “21 Jump Street” Depp
made sure he wouldn’t just cash in on his looks. He successfully transitioned
from poster pin up boy to young leading man, taking on some daring films and
unusual characters, such as “Edward Scissorhands” and “What’s Eating Gilbert
Grape”. Depp started to forge a career for himself that was varied and
interesting to watch.
Around the time I was transitioning from General-Movie-Goer to
Full-Fledged-Movie-Buff, I discovered this gem of a film called “Ed Wood”. I
was already familiar with the work of Tim Burton, having seen and loved the
first two Batman films, as well as Edward Scissorhands. Being 1996 and having
just seen “Mars Attacks” I kept my eyes peeled for other movies from the
director. It was then that I came across “Ed Wood”. My dad gave me the rundown
of the story; it told the story of Edward D. Wood Jnr; a filmmaker in the
1950’s who helmed such “classics” as ‘Plan 9 From Outer Space’ and ‘Glen or
Glenda’.
He wasn’t successful during his days, but garnered a cult following years
later and has since been dubbed the worst filmmaker of all time. He hired B-grade
actors, such as Tor Johnson (a professional wrestler) and Vampira, who hosted a
TV show showing scary movies. He usually filmed scenes in one take, and you
could often see the very fake props and makeshift sets in the frame sticking
out like a sore thumb. Then there was the premise of his films- they were
ridiculous. For example, Plan 9 From Outer Space involved aliens coming to
earth to raise the dead and turn them into an army to take over the planet. And
this was the ninth plan, as the previous eight didn’t work for unsaid
reasons...
Ed Wood takes us into the world of this over-eager and passionate, but
talentless and delusional filmmaker during the peak of his creative years. His
ambition to get his films made is unwavering and despite countless rejections
and even his own slight self-awareness that he doesn’t really
know what he’s doing, he presses on. The film also portrays the time in Ed
Wood’s life where he became close friends with an ageing actor. This actor was
Bela Lugosi, famous for portraying Dracula (amongst many other iconic horror
characters) during the 1930’s. Given it’s now thirty years since his rein on
the silver screen, Lugosi is an old, lonely and washed up actor. Ed Wood still
admires him and strives to give him a part in each of his films. The
relationship between the two is endearing and funny, and the performance of
Martin Landau in the role of Lugosi (which earned him an Oscar) is
fantastic.
The show belongs to Depp though. What amazes me about this actor is when
you see an interview of him in real life; he’s a softly spoken, calm and
somewhat laid back individual. His characters on the other hand, are always
colourful, outrageous and unorthodox. Ed Wood is no exception, and given he was
a real person this makes the film all the more enjoyable and ironic. This
filmmaker worked his way through the Hollywood Dream Factory during a time
where movies were being churned out almost daily. The word amateur hadn’t been
used in relation to filmmakers, but you could say Ed Wood paved the way for
that. Despite the shoddy acting, the lack of continuity, the absurd stories and
slapped-together production of his productions, Wood was just a man with a
passion for telling stories. When you watch the film, you can’t help but love
the guy and admire his enthusiasm.
I enjoy watching this at least once a year to feel that connection to my
inner child, and think back to when I was younger and would write stories about
space, monsters and ghosts, and tried so hard to make a film in my backyard.
That’s what Ed Wood represented. He made movies for the love of it, and was
probably one of the last of his generation who could do that without having to
work within the parameters of the billion dollar business that movies have
become today.
If you’re interested in watching some of Ed Wood films, I urge you to watch
“Ed Wood” first... then his actual films will make a whole lot more
sense!
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