General info:
Credits:
Year:
1994
Director:
Tim Burton
Producer:
Tim Burton,
Denise Di Novi
Cast:
Johnny Depp --Edward D. Wood, Jr.
Martin Landau --Bela Lugosi
Sarah Jessica Parker --Dolores Fuller
Patricia Arquette --
Kathy O'Hara
Jeffrey Jones --
Criswell
G.D. Spradlin --Reverend Lemon
Vincent D'Onofrio --Orson Welles
Bill Murray --
Bunny Breckenridge
Mike Starr --Georgie Weiss (president of Screen Classics)
Max Casella --
Paul Marco
Brent Hinkley --
Conrad Brooks
Lisa Marie --
Vampira
George 'The Animal' Steele --
Tor Johnson
Juliet Landau --
Loretta King
Ned Bellamy --Dr. Tom Mason, Chiropractor
Bill Cusack --
Tony McCoy
Running time:
127 minutes
Plot:
Johnny Depp plays Ed Wood. Mr. Wood was a director. A very, very bad director. He didn't quite understand this, and that's what led him to continue making horribly unsuccessful movies. Sarah Jessica Parker plays Dolores Fuller, Ed's somewhat sensible girlfriend. One day, Ed Wood runs into the ex-famous actor Bela Lugosi (played Oscar-winningly by Martin Landau). Bela's current life isn't spectacular, he's addicted to morphine, and he's considered to be a burnt-out star. Wood convinces Lugosi to star in his film, and with a big-name (more or less) star, Wood gets control of a real movie, Glen or Glenda.
Review:
One of the better Tim Burton flicks. The movie has a 50s look, with the black and white and what not, which was a nice touch. Everyone plays his or her part wonderfully; Depp plays an eccentric character, as he always does. Wood really must have been a nut to do what he did in his lifetime. Depp plays a nut. Martin Landau stands out as Bela Lugosi, definitely the best performance of the bunch. He deserved his Oscar. You can’t help but pity the guy, famous one day, bitter old man the next. He turned down the role of his life (Frankenstein), and never got over that fact. And a morphine addiction never helps. One day, he’s given a chance to return to the spotlight. Unfortunately, that chance is Ed Wood. Poor Bela.
The movie couldn’t tell the story of Wood’s entire life, of course. We don’t get to see the majority of Wood’s career and life. If Burton would’ve elaborated on the trashy ending to Wood’s real career, the film might even have actually earned the (ridiculous) R rating. Instead of giving us all of Wood’s life, we get the interesting parts. The most interesting parts of his life, of course, are the parts where he makes the worst films, such as the classics Plan 9 from Outer Space and Glen or Glenda. Not only does this save the movie from being dull, it’s also more respectful to the real (deceased) Ed Wood (in my opinion).
Wood idolized Orson Welles, and the scene where he *meets* Welles is well done, although it's noticeably forged. It's fixed up, but not horribly. I correctly guessed that the person who voiced Brain in Pinky and the Brain also did the Welles voice, Maurice LaMarche. He’s got a pleasant voice, and does a good Orson Welles.
Ed Wood is an entertaining piece of film, even for the casual movie-watcher. It’s got comedy, it’s got drama, and it’s based on a true story. What more could you ask for?
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