Ed Wood (1994) User Reviews

A masterpiece about failure

[Coventry · 10/10 · 3 June 2003]

It's truly ironic that Tim Burton was able to make such a great masterpiece out of the life story of Edward D. Wood Jr. The least you can say is that his life wasn't. What makes this film so great is that Burton never makes fun of Ed Wood. His way of film-making, his lifestyle and his vision of things are always shown with respect. It's obvious that Burton didn't intend to make a comedy about Hollywood, but a drama about a man with a dream to make films. And he won't give up that dream, no matter what. I'm a great fan of Tim Burton. Especially when he casts Johnny Depp in the leading role. Edward Sciccorhands, Sleepy Hollow and this Ed Wood can easily make the top 50 films of ALL TIME. There's chemistry on the screen, when those 2 work together. And Johnny is not alone this time. The Oscar that Martin Landau received for his role of Bela Lugosi is perhaps one of the most deserved ones in the history of the Academy Awards. He's very creepy as the washed up actor, but very pathetic at the same time. It really is an outstanding performance. Patricia Arquette is just adorable as Kathy, the woman who stays with Edward in good and bad days. She's always giving him support, believes in him, accepts him as he is ( his confession to her in the spook house is really heartbreaking ) Lisa Marie is really sexy as Vampire. People can think she receives all her roles because she sleeps with the director, but she really can act. Very well as the matter a fact. One little disappointment maybe, I was hoping the role of Orson Welles ( played by Vincent D'Onofrio - one genius plays another one ) would have been a little bigger. "Ed Wood" is one of the best films of the 90's... what am I saying ? One of the best films EVER !!!

The worst director of all time seen through the eyes of one of the best directors of all time

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 10/10 · 28 February 2005]

This was the movie that Johnny Depp should have been nominated for! He was amazing! And seriously, this movie deserved so much more than just make-up and best supporting actor. "Ed Wood" is a terrific movie that every film fanatic will love. It has humor, drama, and romance. The thing is, I had heard a lot about Ed Wood, and was curious on what his life was like. My sister recommended this movie, and I think I might steal it from her. Just kidding! But it's worth not only a watch but a buy as well.

Everything about this movie is perfect. I don't think there is a way you can change it to make it any better. I would highly recommend this movie any time. Especially if you want to learn about the crazy and interesting life of "Ed Wood".

10/10

Burton & Depp: Perfect For This Story

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 17 February 2008]

It's appropriate that Tim Burton would direct this and even more appropriate that Johnny Depp would play the lead character as this story profiles an unusual subject: the worst director of films, perhaps, in Hollywood history....and one of its strangest characters.

As interesting as the story is, I found the black-and-white photography to be the best aspect of the film, but that's no surprise since Burton usually excels in making great visual films. Depp was hilarious as "Ed Wood." The eternal optimistic attitude and silly smile on his face in this film always makes me laugh and actually is inspiring in parts. You can't help but like poor Ed.

The most dramatic figure is Bela Lugosi, played memorably by Martin Landau, who deservedly won many awards for this performance. What a tragic figure.

To no surprise, there is a cheap shot against Baptists, who are made to look like meddling fools, something Hollywood loves to portray when it comes to any Christian character. Other than that, it's a fascinating film and portrait of a weirdo that only real-life weirdo Johnny Depp could do justice!

A brilliant movie about a not so brilliant man.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 10/10 · 14 March 2005]

When you see an Indian organist playing in a meat-house with the meat still cooling in it, while a transvestite is performing a belly dance without his teeth and is making Bela Lugosi swing, you know it...you're watching a Tim Burton movie.

The movie brilliantly tells the story about Edward D. Wood Jr. widely know these days as the worst movie director of all time. It tells the story with lot's of humor but it never gets disrespectful, or makes fun of Wood. Instead you actually will gain lot's of respect for his passion and his will power to make just that one movie that he would always be remembered for. The story of Edward D. Wood Jr. is tragic but the movie never becomes sad. It is the perfect homage and tribute to this unfortunate director. You can see by watching this movie that Tim Burton in a way really admires Wood's life and his work.

We get to see Wood as a filmmaker and as an individual. We get to know his weird lifestyle and his eccentric famous friends

OK the movie might no be a completely fair biography about Wood. It takes lot's of liberties with telling the story and it only shows the bright days of Wood's life but as movie it works really well and is next to "Edward Sciccorhands" Burton's best movie till date, truly a masterpiece!

The cast is terrific. Johnn Depp in a Tim Burton movie is always jackpot. Sarah Jessica Parker impressed me and Martin Landau truly is perfect as Bela Lugosi. Bill Murray does what he can best, acting crazy! The Danny Elfman like music by Howard Shore is really great and also great as an homage to the 50's horror soundtracks.

The movie works both as a comedy and as a drama. It knows to find the perfect balance but mainly still the movie is just extremely fun to watch. The movie really has tons of laughs and is filled with some incredible crazy character's but like I said before, it never becomes disrespectful to anyone.

I must say that "Ed Wood" really changed my life. It got me interested in not just only Ed Wood movies but 50's horror movies in general. It also made me a big fan of the famous Hammer film's.

A brilliant, strange, tragic, fun homage to the man who will always be remembered as the worst director of all time.

10/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

A must-see for Ed Wood fans although others might not get it

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 6 August 2008]

This is probably my favorite Tim Burton film because I love the incredibly wretched films of Ed Wood and appreciate a bio-pic of this king of dreck! Having seen BRIDE OF THE MONSTER, GLEN OR GLENDA, PLAN 9, NIGHT OF THE GHOULS AND JAIL BAIT, I was absolutely thrilled that the stories behind these films was finally brought to the screen. Plus, it was a great thrill to see the behind the scenes work that crazy of Ed did to get his horrible films made. It also helped that Johnny Depp played the character with so much energy and sincerity. It helped even more that the producers took such great pains to replicate the weird group of stock characters from the Wood films. Of course Martin Landau got a lot of attention (and an Oscar) for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi, but the rest of the characters were so close it was spooky. Plus, I admired that even the clothing and sets were dead on as well. Instead of simply making fun of Wood's horrible career, the film is more of a loving homage to a man who made rotten films that were still somehow very appealing--leading his films to be regarded as trash film cult classics. Perfect and enjoyable throughout and a truly wonderful time capsule.

The Best of Burton-Depp

[filmquestint · 10/10 · 21 April 2004]

Without question it's Tim Burton's best, most complete work and Johnny Depp is superb. Perhaps it's the total understanding of his subject that allows Tim Burton to fly so high here. The beautifully tailored script gives room for some exquisite character drawings, Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi, Vincent D'Onofrio as Orson Wells. "When you re-write a script it gets better and better" tells Ed/Johnny to his girlfriend with a smile full of innocence. What a performance! Johnny Depp is a unique kind of actor, we never had anyone quite like him. How can he manage to disappear behind a character and still bring with him his full bag of tricks, I don't know, but he does. I only wish he wouldn't get lost in mediocrities like "Nick of Time" "The Astronaut's Wife" and "Secret Window" He belongs to the world of real, great filmmakers. Better to risk with an original idea by Emir Kusturica than a "safe", tired, Stephen King thing. Johnny, remember, we're looking at you for clues about ourselves. More Ed Woods , please!

Pull the string?!?!

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 10/10 · 1 October 2006]

If you ever seen Samurai Cop,The Room or even Dolemite you'll know all about cringe-worthy entertainment. These movies are so outrageously bad that you'll enjoy them on many levels and will be quoting them probably for the rest of your life, more so than well- respected movies. But behind every disaster is a director with heart, and a cast in need of a paycheck.

Call it irony, but Tim Burton assembled a fine cast of character actors and made a film about the worst director of all time and in the process spent more money than Ed Wood could ever dream of. Like Dolly Parton once said, "it costs a lot of money to look this cheap". Say what you want about Ed Wood, but 50 years after his monstrosities were produced, people are still watching them. I doubt you could guarantee this longevity for The Hobbit or any of the current 40 million films that star Benadryl Cabbagepatch.

Martin Landau carried away an Academy Award, as Best Supporting Actor, as did Rick Baker for his make up effects, but, even with these selling points, audiences never gave it a chance, which is a real shame because the movie needs to be seen to be believed, and for all aspiring or struggling filmmakers out there you will find many familiar problems between yourselves and Mr. Wood, regardless of your talent.

Chronicling the events of the mid-Fifties, through the production of three of Wood's classic disasters, Tim Burton's biopic achieves the impossible - we side with Ed, we identify with him, we wish him and his eccentric gaggle of pals only success and happiness in his cozy little world of half-baked ideas and misguided optimism. Success eluded Wood, but he achieved a greater fame and lasting appeal beyond his short life and this eccentric movie, which will make you faceplam for most of its running time, is our portal into Wood's oddball mind.

Alternately hilarious and touching, our sympathies lie with Wood and his ever loyal, declining co-star Bela Lugosi (a barely recognizable Martin Landau). Other characters pop up, including the hairy-as-hell Tor Johnson (George 'The Animal' Steele), wannabe transsexual Bunny Breckinridge (Bill Murray), a very, very buxom Elvira-type (Lisa Marie), Criswell - the most famous predictor in the land (Jeffrey Jones), and a beleaguered Orson Welles (Vincent D'Onofrio) - an atypical assortment of rejects, failures and weirdos.

Burton is inclined to produce a flop, when he indulges too much. Just as the audiences stayed away from Mars Attacks!, they never even considered Ed Wood, because of the black-and-white photography, which was a truly inspired decision. One cannot imagine how much the movie's legitimacy would have been lessened if it was in color. I must assure you that, no matter how offbeat and strange it looks, this film is an absolute classic that begs to be seen. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it has a wicked sense of humor and is sure to have you in stitches.

Burton's grand masterpiece, too bad so few have noticed

[JawsOfJosh · 10/10 · 25 February 2004]

As one of the most overlooked films ever made, "Ed Wood" does for Tim Burton what "Malcolm X" did for Spike Lee and "JFK" did for Oliver Stone, it ruins any expectations one can have of Tim Burton, because he has set a standard here that he will never achieve again. An interest in the period in which it is set is essential, given the set decoration is the film's greatest triumph. It's not surprising that Burton's first "biopic" is about someone revered in the b-movie heyday of the 1950s - that spawned Burton himself. Burton must have felt he had to make this picture because without filmmakers like Ed Wood, Burton himself would have never existed. Set in seedy B-movie Hollywood in the mid 1950s - and wisely and beautifully shot in black-and-white, Johnny Depp plays the titular character; a young, talentless, but optimistic auteur who dreams of being a film director; going so far as to model himself after his idol, Orson Welles. Despite an over-reliance on stock footage, a tin ear for dialogue, and a fondness for wacky, exploitative horror and sci-fi fare, Wood wiggles his way into B-moviedom. Casting anyone willing to step before his camera, Wood cranks out a series of cheesy movies.

When he has a chance encounter with horror film legend Bela Lugosi, now a 74 year-old, foul-mouthed morphine addict wrecked by his lost fame, Ed sees his meal-ticket. Quick for his next fix, Lugosi doesn't seem to mind that Wood is also an out-and-proud transvestite with a particular fondness for Angora sweaters, and soon begins starring in Wood's features. Lugosi, played by Martin Landau, gives the story its biggest jolts of energy. Landau is hysterical in scene after scene utilizing the "dirty old man" routine. Remember, there is nothing funnier on earth than an old man who likes profanity. A gentle - albeit somewhat fictionalized - bond forms between Wood and Lugosi. Depp does a spectacular job of fleshing out Wood's quirky innocence and unbridled passion for moviemaking. This may also be the only Johnny Depp film where you actually see him smile!

What ultimately makes this film so stellar is the impeccable production and costume design and the crisp B&W cinematography; it literally transports you back to the clean-cut, wide-eyed days of the 1950s. I cannot recommend this film enough if you have an interest in the world of 1950s B-movies that produced titles like "Teenagers From Outer Space" and "Project Moonbase". This film functions quite well as a time warp. I liken "Ed Wood" to epics like "JFK" because like those films, this movie doesn't seem to be about what happens as much as how it FEELS to be there; and that's what draws me to the film every time I see it. With "Ed Wood", I'm not always interested in following the story, but I'm totally fascinated with being inside that world. Tim Burton did the best job that anyone could in taking you there.

The one he'll be remembered for

[oshram-3 · 9/10 · 6 December 2004]

It's sort of embarrassing to admit it took me ten years to see this film. I'm not really a big fan of Tim Burton, and while I never had anything against him, I've only recently started to enjoy Johnny Depp's work. Given the subject matter, this just wasn't a movie I was interested in for a long time. But sometimes good things really are worth the wait.

Ed Wood, of course, chronicles the Hollywood career of its eponymous subject, truly one screwed up individual; a cross-dresser with a fetish for angora, Wood churned out one horrifically bad film after another, culminating with Plan Nine From Outer Space, before descending into crappy porn films toward the end of his life. It isn't necessarily a happy story, and Burton wisely only tells a small sliver of it, from Ed's first movie, Glen or Glenda, through the premiere of Plan Nine.

But the love that Burton has for Wood and his movies shines through in every frame. Though I find Burton needlessly artsy as a director, here that tendency serves him frightfully well, as he manages to do the near-impossible; make a film about someone that plays like one of their films (the abysmal Dragon is a shining example of how NOT to do this). Shot entirely in black and white, we see all of Wood's weirdos not as they were, but rather as Ed probably saw them, through the bizarre filter he must have viewed life with.

Depp is simply brilliant here, probably even better than he was in Pirates of the Caribbean. He captures Wood's enthusiasm and slanted viewpoint, but he does so in a loving, positive way. Wood accepts, as we must, that he was a screwed-up hack, but it never drags him down; in fact, Depp has him reveling in it, and it is that very passion that buoys up the movie. It doesn't hurt that nearly everyone else is very strong too, from Jeffrey Jones' crank 'psychic' Criswell to Bill Murray's Bunny Breckenridge, who often talks about having a sex change but never goes through with it. George 'The Animal' Steele captures Tor Johnson perfectly, and even Lisa Marie is excellent as Vampira. But the true great performance of the film, outshining even Depp, is Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi. He won the Oscar for this, and deservedly so; he presents Lugosi at the end of his life, a washed-up has been, a shell of a man who was once a great star but is now no more than an addict. Landau virtually disappears in the role, and all you get is Lugosi, every tragic inch of him. Again, we see him not only as he was, but how Wood and even Burton see him, and the effect is masterful. One speech in particular, where Lugosi repeats a speech that Wood wrote for him about once being the master of the world but now on the verge of coming back is particularly haunting, and Landau is simply riveting.

Ed Wood is a rare beast – it's a Tim Burton film that doesn't go overboard, it's a movie about Hollywood (sort of) that isn't self-indulgent, it's a nostalgia trip that manages not to be sappy but is still very warm and caring, and overall it's just a strikingly well-done film. I was impressed on many levels, most particularly with Depp and Landau, but really with the whole movie, that such a truly screwed-up human being could be shown in such a positive, indeed, loving way. Ed Wood is nothing less than a tribute to its subject, and in that, as in many other ways, it succeeds marvelously. If somehow you've missed this film, as I had until recently, you owe it to yourself to see it. It's simply a wonderful piece of film-making that should not be missed.

An Unlikely Masterpiece

[pkendell · 26 April 1999]

I hear that ED WOOD took just $6,000,000 on its initial cinematic release in the USA. I'm not surprised. The extraordinary thing is that the film was financed and released at all. Had it not been for the prestige that Tim Burton had already earned from his previous projects, ED WOOD would no doubt have foundered long before the cameras began to roll. The result could have been another 1941 – but it wasn't. What came out of Tim Burton's fascination with the `Worst Director of All Time' was something very rich and strange – perhaps the most un-Hollywood Hollywood picture of the 90s.

I see two main themes in ED WOOD. The first is the dreadful fear that hovers over everyone who enters the creative arts – `Am I any good?' `Is my work any good?' `How do I know if it's any good?' `What if I think it's good, but everybody else thinks it's rubbish?' Artists use all kinds of strategies to deal with these fears – some become eccentric, others arrogant, others diffident. Without the right to fail, no artist is likely to take the sort of risk that sometimes, just sometimes, leads to great work. Tim Burton knew this.

Edward D Wood Jnr believed himself to be a creative artist. Oh, how he believed. But he still failed to create anything worthwhile. And this leads to what I believe to be the second theme of the movie, and the reason why I think it failed commercially.

Look at all the things Ed did right. He believed in himself. He followed his dream. He worked hard. He was an entrepreneur – he did his best to make others believe in his dream and help him to turn it into reality. In short, he did all the things that the self-help books, the daytime TV shows, the junk ballads and the feel-good movies tell us will give you success. Just wish upon a star, work all the hours there are to turn your vision into reality and you will succeed. Ed did all of these things. And still he failed. He died short of his 60th birthday, living in a crime-riddled apartment building, drunk, broke, supporting himself and his loyal wife Kathy by writing formula pornography and making sex instruction flicks on 8mm.

America doesn't want to hear this. Hollywood doesn't want to tell America this – that you can try and try and try and still get nothing but heartbreak. This is why ED WOOD is such an un-Hollywood film – and why it's one of the best Hollywood films of the 90s.

A perfect example of a film that had me completely gripped right from the beginning!-Utterly brilliant!

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 18 April 2010]

This biopic on "the worst director of all time" Ed Wood Jnr is utterly brilliant from start to finish. From its exhilarating beginning, helped by Howard Shore's brilliant score and Jeffrey Jones's delightful turn as Criswell, it completely gripped me. For me it isn't only one of Burton's better movies, but also one of the better movies of 1994. Tim Burton's works are admittedly strange and offbeat, and while people mayn't like that, I do. And that is why I loved this film, it was funny, it was touching, it was strange(well sort of) and it was offbeat. It is gorgeously shot, with black and white photography that is really a marvel to the eyes, and Burton lovingly directs. The script is funny and poignant, and the restoration of Wood's productions are astonishing. It was even nice to see Plan 9 From Outer Space, I know that critics cite it as the worst movie ever made, but there are other people who consider it as a "so bad it's good" movie, the way I have heard people talk about the film, whether they love or hate it, is quite fascinating. And the performances are brilliant; Johnny Depp is amazing as Ed Wood, portraying him as an optimist and an "anguished cross-dresser", and Martin Landau is absolutely superb as Bela Lugosi. Sarah Jessica Parker and Patricia Arquette are alluring and convincing as Delores and Kathy, and as Bunny Bill Murray does well even if Bunny could've been developed a little more. Overall, gripping, funny, touching and brilliant. 10/10 Bethany Cox

His Talent Did Not Match His Ideas

[bkoganbing · 10/10 · 5 September 2007]

Poor Ed Wood, celebrated only now not for any great work he achieved in life, but for the spectacular mediocrity of his productions. Yet I'd like to think that somewhere in the great beyond Edward Wood, Jr. is pleased at how Tim Burton and Johnny Depp captured the very soul of a man who was born too soon or too late for various points in history.

As a biographer on his page at IMDb correctly points out during the hey day of the Poverty Row studios he could have settled comfortably in a career putting out shlock and making a living at it, had he come along in the Thirties. If Ed Wood were a young man today, he would find acceptance and support for his cross-dressing in a growing movement for transgender rights.

It was his sad misfortune to come of age in the fifties when movies were competing with television and could no longer inflict shlock on the public. He could no longer get work at Monogram or PRC or any of those other minor studios as a hack writer. But Wood was ambitious and like Orson Welles who he idolized he wanted to be a one man creative force.

As a cross-dresser Wood dreamed of a project that could explain his story and the stories of millions of others. He went to battle in several campaigns in the Marines with female undergarments. As Johnny Depp tells us his biggest fear was getting wounded lest his secret be discovered.

In his film Glen or Glenda he tried hard to tell of the duality of his sexual nature. Sad he didn't have the talent to pull it off.

Johnny Depp who made a deliberate career choice of eschewing teenage idol roles which he could have had after 21 Jump Street, notches his best screen performance as Ed Wood. Depp should have gotten at least an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

One man who did win an Oscar in Ed Wood was Martin Landau who really does make you think you're watching Bela Lugosi. A Lugosi who puts aside the mask of horror he wore on his public face and lets you into his inner sanctum. A broken 70 something narcotic addicted actor who forms a great kinship with Wood because he feels needed and wanted again by somebody. And Wood basks in the attention that a former film star gives him. It's one of the most touching symbiotic relationships ever shown on screen. Landau's Best Supporting Actor was a foregone conclusion.

Long after the action of this film concluded Ed Wood died in 1953 in total obscurity. Johnny Depp and Tim Burton have given his life meaning in this film. As transgender people demand their just due in the public square, I'd like to think that an eighty something Ed Wood would be right in the forefront of things. I myself went to Washington, DC this year and lobbied with a number of transgender folks all over the country for federal hate crimes and anti-discrimination laws as a friend and ally. Ed Wood would be there no doubt in my mind.

I'm willing to bet that he would have been doing a documentary on a subject near and dear to him. And it would have been a subject near and dear and Oscar caliber stuff like his own life story was.

Nice to meet you Mr. Wood

[axlgarland · 10/10 · 24 August 2005]

It is a well known fact by now that Johnny Depp is a subtle, tender, beautiful force of nature. Tim Burton has been able to create universes that Johnny Depp can inhabit with the strange naturalness of someone who belongs. "Ed Wood" is the ultimate demonstration of that theory. You're introduced to the world of someone who appears almost a figment of someone's imagination to realise that there is something of him in you and me. What is incredible is that the realisation comes hand in hand with a personal discovery. That funny weird kid represents more than something but the best of you and me. Angora sweaters and childish dreams. The purity of an artist with a talent that is concentrated in his heart. Remember the Salieri of "Amadeus" torturing himself cursing God for giving him the gift of recognising the talent in others without having any of his own. Ed Wood, as told by Burton and Depp, is so far away from that pathology that to watch his films after having met him with Johnny's face is an entirely different experience. Everything makes sense. Strangely enough (or not) "Ed Wood" died at the box office but as it happens more often than not, "Ed Wood" is more alive today than many of the greatest moneymakers of all time. Yes, that business of time never fails. Greatness prevails.

Attractive and optimist biography about the worst filmmaker of all time supported by magnificent portrayals of his motley crew

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 16 July 2013]

A biopic of the life and work of the legendary 'worst director of all time', 'Edward D. Wood Jr.' and who now occupies a lofty position as a cult icon ; being based on Rudolph Grey's book ¨Nightmare of ecstasy : the life and art of Ed Wood¨. This is a touching and comic tribute to a Hollywood maverick , a cross-dressing , angora-sweater wearing director, concentrating on the best-known period of his life in the 1950s, when lack of financing and repeated failures led to make a lot of bad films , in spite of Wood's optimism and vitality . And focusing his relationship with Bela Lugosi and his rare troupe of actors . This is a mostly true story of the legendary director of awful pictures and his strange group of friends and actors .

This is a splendid tribute by Tim Burton to bring to the screen the tale of a filmmaker many consider to be the worst of all time . Lavishly produced , in fact , this film cost more to produce than all of Edward D. Wood Jr.'s films put together . Tim Burton said that he was drawn to the story because of the similarities between Edward D. Wood Jr.'s relationship with Bela Lugosi , now ageing and unemployed horror star , and his own friendship with Vincent Price late in the actor's life . Burton focuses on Ed's relationship with Bela , whose career is over by the time Wood befriends him . Depp is extraordinary and engaging as Ed , the strange filmmaker whose Angora sweaters were his weakness , women were his inspiration and movies were his passion . Johnny Depp has said that his characterization of Edward D. Wood Jr. was a mixture of "the blind optimism of Ronald Reagan, the enthusiasm of the Tin Man from The Wizard of OZ and Casey Kasem." . Martin Landau's winning of the 'Best Supporting Actor' Academy Award for his portrayal of down-on-his-lucky Bela Lugosi marked the first time in Oscar history that a performer in any category won for playing an actual movie star . However , Bela Lugosi Jr.'s only objection to the film's portrayal of his father was his speech. In Lugosi's memory, his father never used foul language .

Sensational support cast , the secondary actors are mostly convincing and enjoyable , almost every role has an appropriate resemblance to his or her Z-player counterpart and the performances are adequate such as Sarah Jessica Parker as Dolores Fuller , Jeffrey Jones as Criswell , Bill Murray as Bunny Breckinridge , Max Casella as Paul Marco , Brent Hinkley as Conrad Brooks , Lisa Marie as Vampira , George 'The Animal' Steele as Tor Johnson and Juliet Landau as Loretta King . Ed Wood was a low-budgeted auteur of such lousy actors and notoriously bad movies as ¨Glen or Glenda¨, ¨Bride of monster¨ and ¨Plan 9 from outer space¨ . Agreeable musical score by Howard Shore , the sweeping music during the epilogue is based on the music from Glen or Glenda and being the first film by Tim Burton to not feature Danny Elfman's soundtrack . Evocative as well as luxurious cinematography in black and white by Stefan Czapsky . The motion picture was compelling and stunningly directed by Tim Burton . Rating : Better than average , well worth seeing . Essential and indispensable watching .

If you didn't laugh about it you'd cry - so Burton wisely takes the route of weirdly dark comedy

[bob the moo · 18 April 2004]

Ed Wood is a frustrated actor and director who's small theatre productions barely can get a good word said about them. When a cheap little production company advertises a project about sex change, Wood jumps at the chance and uses his personal fetish for women's clothing as the hook to get the job. Despite his final project being laughed out of the major studios, Wood now has the taste for it and starts to try and get funding to make his own films - aided by the ailing star Bela Lugosi who is desperate for work to help fund his habits. With a collection of freaks and oddballs, Wood made what are now considered to be some of the worst films ever made.

Some things in life are depressing and it is often the case that we try to look on the bright side and make jokes about the situation as an attempt to deal with it. I'm from Northern Ireland and my humour is quite dark and gallows style simply because that is the kind of comedy I grew up with was draw from the background of murder and violence - gallows humour is an appropriate term. This film may not be based on gallows humour but it is such a potentially depressing story that the only way to do it and make it enjoyable is to tell it with humour. Burton treats his subject with a great deal of affection and thus makes this film a funny tale of a dreamer who we know will never see his dreams fulfilled in the way he would like. The story is funny but not in the cruel mocking way that it could have been but in a fanciful way that is amusing and all the better for being based on truth. This strand continues all the way through the film and helps us to like Wood even if it is impossible to defend his films - the ending is perfectly upbeat considering that Wood then ended his life an alcoholic making cheap nude pictures. The characters are exaggerated but still quite true to the real life people they represent (I take this from comments made in documentaries).

As director, Burton is excellent. He gives the whole film an otherworldly feel that is very fitting for a tale that involves characters that are very weird indeed. The affectionate approach that Burton has for Wood really helps - I wonder does he relate to the guy just trying to make the films that appeal to him or what it is that makes him feel this way towards him? Either way the end result is very good and it stands out as a film that is pretty much without flaw. I questioned the film's inclusion in the imdb top 250 but then I thought well, what is wrong with it? I had to admit that almost nothing is wrong - the only thing would be that the story may not be to everyone's tastes and not everyone will buy into Burton's affectionate look at Wood.

The cast is led by a magnificent performance by Depp who I have long maintained is one of the finest actors (or at least bravest) of my generation. Here he continues Burton's affectionate approach by portraying Wood as a man filled with hope and dreams - even doing a good job of turning cross dressing into an amusing quirk. The cast is truly all star but they all do a great job playing their characters. Landau's Oscar may have had a touch of sentimentality about it but it was still deserved - he plays Lugosi really well and manages the difficulties of his drug addiction really well to make him both amusing but deeply sympathetic. The support cast includes good turns from Parker, Arquette (quite interchangeable really!), Jones, Murray, Starr, D'Onofrio and Spradlin. All the cast do well but it is those that play Wood's wooden cast members that do the best job - managing to do both natural performances outside of Wood's movie but also doing justice to just how bad their characters really were!

Overall this is a great movie but the tale of a rubbish movie director who enjoys cross-dressing and hangs out with a group of weirdoes is likely not to be to everyone's taste. Regardless of this, if it interests you then you should be pleased with a slick movie that takes an amusing and affectionate look at what is a fairly depressing story.

"Cut, print, we're moving on; that was perfect"

[Lechuguilla · 10/10 · 15 April 2010]

What a delight! Dreamlike in tone, "Ed Wood" lovingly imparts to viewers the humorously delusional world of 1950s bad-film artiste Edward D. Wood, Jr. (Johnny Depp), creator of legendary bad films, most notably "Plan 9 From Outer Space". Part of the film's charm is how it portrays Wood, gushing with uncalled-for enthusiasm and optimism. Depp's facial expressions are priceless; that glib smile, those bugged-out eyes, the raised eyebrows, all enhanced by exaggerated makeup.

But no amount of incompetence can deny Wood's passion for making films. With a big megaphone to call out commands to his actors, Wood is like a ten-year-old boy, thoughtless of the finished product; he just wants to play movie director.

Wood surrounds himself with a motley crew of Hollywood misfits, including most especially washed-up "Dracula" actor Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau), whose relationship with Wood propels most of the film's plot. But there are other, equally eccentric, people drawn to Wood, the most interesting being Bunny Breckinridge (a surprisingly good performance by Bill Murray), Vampira (Lisa Marie), and Criswell (Jeffrey Jones), that otherworldly seer of the future. The misfit label applies to Wood too, of course, who directs his actors, dressed in women's clothes, seemingly oblivious to the managerial discordance of such attire.

The script's characters and the film's high-contrast B&W lighting combine to portray Hollywood as a comically nightmarish place of delusional unreality. Simple sets mirror the cheapness in Wood's world. And that bongo-laced score with accompanying Theremin and crashing symbols is almost hypnotic.

Acting is way, way above average. Depp is absolutely terrific. And so is Landau. I can't think of any weak performances. My only problem with this film is that the plot gives a tad too much attention to Lugosi.

That Wood was anointed as the "worst director of all time" seems a bit cruel. At least he had heart and soul. Yet one cannot deny the unintended humor in his films.

Wonderfully nostalgic, "Ed Wood" reflects back to another era in film-making, when thinking big, self-assurance, and nerve were all a young man needed to make his Hollywood dreams come true, no matter how untalented.

one of the best films of 1994

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 8 April 2006]

Here is an example of film-making elements coming wonderfully together, in a package that can entertain the usual moviegoers and give the movie-geek his or her money's worth. That it is also perhaps the most well-rounded of Tim Burton's films, with enough does of comedy, drama, and movie-within-movie stylings, to fit two movies is an added plus. He tells the story of Edward D. Wood Jr (Johnny Depp), who may or may not be the most well-known bad filmmaker ever to exist with enough humanity and care to not make it at all parody, even if there is comedy interspersed. His story is one that is actually quite the same of most filmmakers, who want to make it somehow and have big dreams and lofty visions. Though taking into account Wood's preclivaty of wearing women's clothes (particularly the angora sweaters), hanging out with transvestites and other undesirables, and his best friend is a thought to be dead ex-horror icon (Martin Landau as Bella Lugosi, in a richly deserved Oscar turn) addicted to methadone, the path of his story is rather unconventional to say the least.

But the style of the film is quite ingenious, with rich and cool black and white photography, a finely moving and appropriate score (though not by Danny Elfman), and touting an all around best-in-show cast. Depp especially has a lot of fun playing this man, who may or may not be close to how he was in real life (from what I've read about him it's a fairly close depiction), and his portrayal of Wood is not at all cheating and is, in some scenes, really touching. The ones that stick out for me are the ones with Landau at his house, and filming his one scene from Plan 9 From Outer Space, but the ones with him on his 'sets', filming such drek with the passion and ambition of the greats, is really refreshing to see. Ed Wood is quite the biopic, showcasing Burton in another maturer form outside of films like Pee Wee and Batman, but with the same knack for entertainment. After all, how can you dislike a film with Tor Johnson, Elvira, and Bill Murray desiring a sex-change operation?

More than merely a biography, or an homage

[editorbob · 9/10 · 9 March 2004]

I am a Johnny Depp fan, and this film only reinforced my enjoyment of his genuine talent. He's whatcha call a real actor. He's on record ("Inside the Actor's Studio" & elsewhere) as saying that his characterization of Wood was a mixture of "the blind optimism of Ronald Reagan, the enthusiasm of the Tin Man from 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939) and Casey Kasem." Well, I must add that either he left out channeling Jon Lovitz or that's where Lovitz got his inspiration, too. It is at moments positively eerie how well it works, and without feeling like Depp stole Lovitz's act--his overall character is so much more, so much else, that the Lovitz echo becomes a small part of a larger coherent whole, although it never disappears entirely.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Patricia Arquette as the principal women in Wood's life are each endearing and effective in their own separate ways. Bill Murray is fun as always, and the secondary and bit players are very well cast.

Martin Landau . . . well . . . Martin Landau simply left me awestruck. Depp is all over the screen doin' his best wacky movie guy and chewing the scenery, Parker, Arquette, Murray, and the rest are obviously having a real fun time backing him up, and Martin Landau is shuffling around in the foreground muttering in Romanian and writing a book called "How to Steal a Movie." Mind boggling performance, and absolutely deserving every award it got him in 1995, which included a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG Awards, and the American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. (Incidentally, his daughter Juliet, better known to millions of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans as the vampire Drusilla, is one of the supporting players.)

If I weren't already a Tim Burton fan this movie would have made me one. He here makes an almost perfectly crafted period piece (anachronisms noted--see the "goofs" page--and dismissed), half cheesy fake scifi B movie and half period noir thriller, as a cinematic biography about the quintessential cheesy fake noir scifi thriller B movie guy. This film goes beyond pastiche, and beyond homage to a genre, although it is both. With this film Burton genuflects--no, prostrates himself--before the gods of 1950s low-budget black and white, and the gods are pleased indeed. It seems like he must have watched every movie made in America for under a million dollars between 1948 and 1962. I lost count of the echoes and parodies and pastiches and mini-homages that fill, I think, every darn frame of the movie, and which by no means are mostly of Wood and his work.

As with, I think, every movie biography, there's the odd gratuitous fact changing (see the "goofs" page again)--you know, the "Why'd they do that when the truth wouldn't make any difference?" kind of stuff, and as glowing as this review obviously is I must also say that it is in some ways an imperfect film--it glosses over Wood's later career, for example. But it it so obviously a labor of love and joy for all involved that in my opinion its imperfections are inconsequential. Ed Wood stands proudly, with that slightly odd gleam in its eye, with the best movie biographies made.

Tim Burton's best film ?

[dbdumonteil · 9/10 · 17 June 2002]

With this film, Tim Burton planned to tell us the life of the worst director in the world ever. His name was Ed Wood and he lived in the fifties. We learn that Ed Wood loves wearing angora pullovers and women clothes. He also loves being dressed up as a woman and above all he's fond of the actor Bela Lugosi and his horror films. When Wood's meeting him for the first time, he's so elated that he wants him to play on his poor films. On the other hand, Burton show us the way Ed Wood used to make his films and we can say that they were very eccentric: for example a wholesaler in meat accepted to produce one of his films "Bride of the Monster" and the special effects are ridiculous: in the worst film ever made "Plan 9 from outer space" (even the title doesn't mean anything), flying saucer are made of cardboard. Then, in the last years of his life, Wood was living in poverty, took a lot of alcohol and finally died in 1978 at the age of 54 years old.

This film is very successful because Burton attempts to reconstruct Ed Wood's life as precisely as possible and Johnny Depp is very convincing in the role of this fascinating man so Burton succeeded in his plan. Of course Wood's films are the worst films ever made but he thought that he was making masterpieces just like Orson Welles! I found it both funny and extraordinary. But the film is worth being watched thanks also to Martin Landau who is very good in his Bela Lugosi role; thanks to his performance, he won an oscar for the supporting role. The other actors like Bill Murray or Patricia Arquette are very well used Moreover, the film alternates comic moments, especially when Wood is making his films, and tragic moments such as Lugosi's funerals. At last not only made Burton a masterpiece but he also paid a tribute to Z films.

Fantastically good biopic

[Red-Barracuda · 9/10 · 10 March 2015]

Ed Wood is, for me, without question Tim Burton's best movie. It's not exactly a typical Burton movie, although it does still have his stamp. It, of course, tells the story of the director Edward D. Wood Jr. who for some is the worst film-maker who has ever lived. I feel I should lay my cards out on the table up front in regards to this widely held view and say that Wood is not only categorically not the worst director ever, he isn't even close to being such. Anyone who has seen a selection of Wood's movies should be able to see that, while they may be full of silliness and mistakes, they are also utterly unique in approach and, best of all, highly entertaining. And, trust me, you can't say those two things about the output of the vast majority of directors in the history of cinema. No, Ed Wood is a treasured cult film-maker for a reason.

Getting back to Burton's biopic, it's a fabulous tribute to the man with an excellent script, beautiful look and some amazing performances. It's definitely a case of hats off to Burton for immortalising Wood with a film that pulls off the very tricky thing of celebrating the ridiculous nature of his work, while paying respect to his singularity of vision. We are invited to laugh at the shoddy content of his films, while being actively encouraged to respect the man for his passion and optimism. Of great service here is Johnny Depp, who truly plays Wood to perfection, making us understand how his films ended up the way they did without ridiculing him. There is plenty of drama to work off, with Wood's cross-dressing compulsion and his friendship with horror icon Bela Lugosi, who is an aging, heroin-addicted and poverty stricken man by this time. He is played with uncanny brilliance by Martin Landau. The make-up is incredible and you truly forget it is not Lugosi himself on-screen so wonderful is the acting. Later in the movie there is a key scene where Wood encounters Orson Welles in a bar. Here we have the so-called worst director of all-time talking on the same level with the man who is for many the greatest. The point of the scene is that, no matter the perceived abilities of the men, they both suffered very similar problems with getting their films made as they wanted them; both were highly personal film-makers and such types never truly fit in to the Hollywood system.

Stylistically, this is bang-on yet never over-does it. The brilliant opening credit sequence pays playful homage to the kinds of cardboard sets and terrible special effects Wood became synonymous with, while the very effective Howard Shore soundtrack is on the money. The decision to shoot is black and white was perfect as it mimics the world of Woods films. We are introduced to all manner of strange misfits who hung around Wood and appeared in his movies. The story covers the production of Wood's three most famous films, Glen or Glenda, Bride of the Monster and Plan 9 from Outer Space. Pleasingly, there is plenty of time devoted to each film and we are able to enjoy loving scene reconstructions from all, including some choice, strange and ridiculous dialogue.

Ed Wood is an equally hilarious and heart-felt film. It is about the love of movies. It's very inspiring, entertaining and poignant. A brilliant achievement from Tim Burton and a fabulous tribute to one of the ultimate cult film-makers of all time.

Masterpiece

[Michael_Elliott · 12 March 2008]

Ed Wood (1994)

**** (out of 4)

Burton's masterpiece is a loving tribute to "B" monster movie maker Edward D. Wood, Jr. played perfectly by Johnny Depp. The film covers Ed's life up to the release of Plan 9 From Outer Space but the true heart of the movie centers on Wood's relationship with a washed up Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau). To me this is perhaps the greatest film about the making of movies because of how it shows the ups and downs even though the majority of Wood's life were full of downs. The movie is about a lot of things and includes many great jabs at Hollywood but the true brilliance of the film is in its relationship between Wood and Lugosi. This here is where the movie really jumps off the screen because the love story between these two struggling men is where the heart is at and it's these scenes that are going to make the movie last for a very long time. The beautiful B&W cinematography also stands out and Burton has no trouble at building up a realistic setting. I know Burton will always be best known for his big budget action pictures but there's no question this here is his greatest work. The amount of time and detail in every shot jumps off the screen for various reasons but one is the performance from Depp. The way Depp brings Wood to life is something incredible to watch as his always joyful personality jumps out at the viewer and grabs ahold of them making him impossible not to love. As great as Depp is though the film still belongs to Landau who rightfully won an Oscar for his role as Bela Lugosi. Having seen nearly every Lugosi film available, I'm still shocked at how well Landau does him to this day. After numerous viewings of this film I still can't believe at how well Landau got his accent as well as certain gestures and moves. Depp and Landau together make for one of the most beloved duos in film history. Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey JOnes, Vincent D'Onofrio, Juliet Landau and Bill Murray all turns in strong supporting performances as well. Mike Starr, as producer Georgie Weiss, also sticks out in a great comedic performance. I can't think of too many film's that contain a bigger heart than this one. Not only showing the love between Wood and Lugosi but also being able to show respect and love for this type of movie. Burton was a big fan of these "B" and "C" movies so it was nice seeing him pay them respect and this really comes true when the premiere of Plan 9 From Outer Space where the cast and director get cheers for what joy they've brought many fans.

Kinship with a Fringie

[Scritzy · 10/10 · 27 June 1999]

The theatre wasn't exactly filling up fast: so far my husband, a friend and myself were the only ones seated. Just before the movie began, a young couple walked in. And shortly after the movie began, they walked out. I wonder if they asked for their money back. I hope they didn't get it.

The movie was ED WOOD, Tim Burton's homage to trash-film director Edward D. Wood Jr., which only played in Greenville for two weeks and did not show up at the second-run movie houses. Apparently no one wanted to see it. Their loss.

But perhaps I'm being too hard on those who don't appreciate the subtle nuances of Eddie Wood's movies. To me, Eddie was a glittering bead hanging on Hollywood's lunatic fringe. However, Eddie, a transvestite who often directed his masterpieces wearing high heels and an angora sweater, was not exactly your mama's director. He was no Frank Tashlin, who tried to make Jayne Mansfield respectable in THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT. He was no Norman Taurog, who made Elvis look like a dork in countless girls-cars-and-guitars flicks. He wasn't even Russ Meyer, whose exploitation films are legendary in their trashiness. No, Eddie just never seemed to get a break. He wanted to be Orson Welles. He didn't even find the measure of fame accorded to Orson Bean! He remained a pathetic outcast, forever a fringie.

Perhaps it is appropriate that Johnny Depp was chosen to portray Eddie Wood. Depp has a long history of playing outcasts and fringies -- Edward Scissorhands, Gilbert Grape, Hunter Thompson. Depp makes it clear that Eddie's angora-covered heart was in the right place. He worked hard on his scripts, he gave important roles to spectacularly talentless actors like Vampira, wrestler Tor Johnson and Eddie's own main squeeze, Dolores Fuller. And he was very kind to the drug-addled has-been Bela Lugosi, even dissuading the drunken Drac from committing suicide (which wasn't entirely altruistic, perhaps, as Lugosi had threatened to take Eddie with him). Depp makes Eddie appear almost human.

Depp's portrayal is just one of several that are outstanding: George "The Animal" Steele as Tor Johnson, Jeffrey Jones as Criswell, Vincent D'Onofrio in his cameo of Orson Welles and Bill Murray as Bunny Breckinridge -- one of the rare times Murray has immersed himself in his character and not been merely Bill Murray with someone else's name. Also delightful is a brief appearance by organist Korla Pandit, 1950's television personality once billed "The Prince of the Wurlitzer."

However, all the performances in ED WOOD are overshadowed by Academy-award winner Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi. For those enough old enough to remember Landau in TV's "Mission: Impossible," it perhaps isn't surprising that Landau was able to hide so completely behind a spookily accurate makeup job; seeing Landau's Lugosi watch himself on television was eerie because Landau looked enough like Lugosi to make it seem real.

The film ends on a high note, which Eddie's life didn't -- he died in his sleep, watching a ball game, just a few days after he'd been evicted from his apartment.

ED WOOD is not a family film. Some of the language is strong, drugs and drink are abundant, and many of the characters are a shade on the bizarre side. It might be hard to explain to one's children why this apparently virile man loves to raid his girlfriend's closets.

Unfortunately, ED WOOD hasn't exactly burned up the box office. Perhaps it is because so few people can relate to someone as weird as Eddie, with his terrible stories about men in angora sweaters, killer octopi, blank-eyed wrestler slaves and, the piece de resistance, aliens with eight failed plans to take over the universe. I believe Eddie himself felt like those aliens, which is why, viewing PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE, he said, "This is the one I'll be remembered by." And perhaps that very weirdness made the story appealing to me. Having lived as a misfit and outcast, working hard all my life to reach a goal that has remained elusive, I can, to quote someone I don't care for, feel Eddie's pain. It's too late for him, but perhaps there's hope for me yet ...

Burton's true masterpiece

[roystephen-81252 · 9/10 · 7 February 2016]

Tim Burton has committed many atrocities (his remake of Planet of the Apes or the nauseating candy-fest of Alice in Wonderland comes to mind first, but I'm not a fan of his two Batman movies either, to put it mildly), but this film he can be proud of.

Burton usually excels in creating the atmosphere (Ed Wood is no exception), but here the visuals perfectly line up with the very human story, crafted with love and warmth and humour, about these lovably bizarre characters.

The film focuses on the relationship of the good-natured, but talentless director, Ed Wood (who happened to be a cross-dresser, as well) and the retired actor and hopeless drug-addict Béla Lugosi (Dracula), so it is no coincidence that Burton shot the movie in black and white, playing with light and shadow in beautifully composed pictures in the style of old-school monster movies.

The script and the direction is flawless, and Martin Landau gives the performance of his life as the old Dracula, playing a large role in making the film a deeply touching story about keeping our faith and human dignity.

different

[disdressed12 · 7/10 · 15 February 2009]

this is an interesting film,sort of a biopic of Edward D. Wood Jr.,or Ed Wood,as he is more famously known.Wood apparently was one of the most inept filmmakers,ever.but he was also passionate about film.he just had trouble raising money,so he had to make his films on the cheap,usually with his friends in the cast.he also had no real idea about how to make a movie.his Plan Nine from Outer Space was at one time considered the worst movie ever made,and Wood became world famous for that reason.unfortunately this was two years after he died.anyway,Johny Depp plays the title character.there are some other well known actors here as well.the movie is at times sad,funny,enlightening,and certainly interesting.i mostly liked it,though i don't think it was a masterpiece.for me,Ed Wood is a 7/10

Sock Puppet

[tedg · 4 January 2008]

If a life in film is a a relationship with a being, then this is the shoes. They're handy, and only seem necessary when not dreaming.

But they're not what gets you anywhere.

I consider this Tim Burton's best film. That stop animation thing was more successful, but its too artificially goofy. This is more real and the idea is to straddle the line between homage and distanced observation. Its the only one that I think works, though "PeeWee" comes close. But that's because that whole movie is in its tone. Here, the movie is centered in the beings involved and how they relate to the films they are making, which of course happens to be the same relationship the characters and actors have with the movie we are watching.

Its because it is a real movie, with arcs, three acts, and an end that works. Burton isn't so picky about these things in his other projects and none has all three.

I wonder why no one holds him to this value, of building a film from the inside out. He needs someone to guide him away from merely starting with tone, and Elfman honks.

There are two folds here. The first is obvious, a self-described quirky filmmaker making a film with wit about an unintentionally quirky filmmaker making what he sees as serious films. The second is the "Shadow of the Vampire" bit about Landau's Lugosi. Its something of a wholly separate thread, handled with a different tone in all dimensions.

Meaningful narrative needs tension, and I am increasingly convinced that in cinema that requires two different whole personalities. It seems better if those wholenesses have their own cinematic space, as it is here.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.