ED WOOD. Directed by Tim Burton; written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski; produced by Denise di Novi and Tim Burton for Touchstone Pictures. Starring Johnny Depp and Martin Landau. Rated R.
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Tim Burton's movies, taken as a group, offer pretty compelling evidence that the man is from some other planet than ours. I mean, you can't convince me that the idea for Edward Scissorhands came from a human brain.
But there's a problem with this alien theory, at least regarding Burton's latest effort. Ed Wood is a true story, about people who actually lived (and some still do) on planet Earth. So Burton must be an alien who is very familiar with some of our most cherished cultural artifacts, like Plan 9 from Outer Space.
Plan 9 is the real Wood's magnum opus, and has frequently been cited as the worst movie ever made. But it' s also sometimes described as being so bad it's good. (I haven't seen it, but I'm going to start looking for it in video.) And the character who thought it up (along with Bride of the Monster and several other classics) was a pretty interesting fellow.
Depp plays Wood straight (no pun intended) as an eternally-optimistic journeyman director who fancies himself the next Orson Welles. His all-American "let's put on a show" enthusiasm contrasts with both the cheesiness of his eventual productions and some of his peculiar habits.
Most notably, he likes to wear womens' clothing (with a special fondness for angora). But he's an appealing, and ultimately sympathetic, character; you've just got to like someone who seems to be enjoying himself so much all the time.
Counterpoint to Wood's optimism is the bitter cynicism of Bela Lugosi. Yes, the Lugosi, whom Wood met and befriended a few years before the old star's death. Landau does a star turn himself as the pathetic, drug-addicted actor. And his relationship with Wood is as moving as the two men are bizarre.
The best parts of Ed Wood are during the filming of Wood's movies, where the notion of shooting on a budget takes on new meaning, and where Wood's insistence that no matter how badly it was bungled, every take is "perfect," make for some comic gems.
The story drags a bit in between the movie-making adventures. And some people just don't like movies shot in black-and-white (although I think it's a refreshing change and works well for something like this).
But real film buffs, especially fans of B- (and lower grade) movies, shouldn't miss Ed Wood. And Landau's performance might win over some of you others.
October 19, 1994