Ed Wood (1994)

Directed by: Tim Burton | 121 minutes | drama, comedy | Actors: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, Bill Murray, GD Spradlin, Vincent D’Onofrio, Mike Starr, Max Casella, Brent Hinkley, Lisa Marie, George ‘The Animal’ Steele, Juliet Landau , Clive Rosengren

There is no such thing as bad publicity. In fact, at some point, the worse the better. The existence of the movie ‘Ed Wood’ is proof of this. This Tim Burton film tells the story of famous (or infamous) director Edward D. Wood, Jr. The good man has been given the not exactly complimenting title of “Worst Director of All Times”, but has become more famous in that capacity than many a director who finds himself in the middle bracket.

Despite and thanks to the bad reputation of Wood and his films, he has gained a cult following and with it a large number of admirers. The fascination for this director’s career, combined with his controversial private life, has (probably) moved director Tim Burton to make a film around him. A film that fortunately far exceeds Mr Wood’s own productions in quality.

The film is predominantly humorous and cheerful in tone. It is a tribute to Wood, his films and the film culture of the 1950s. The whole is provided with a wink, but without really mocking Wood. Wood is shown as an enthusiastic filmmaker with a heart of gold. His optimism and perseverance are immediately apparent in the opening of the film, when a theater production by Wood is slated, but he himself reacts positively because of the compliments for the costumes. Later, when he hears from a producer that his first film, a semi-autobiographical film about his need to walk around in women’s clothing, is the worst film he’d ever seen, Wood cheerfully declares that the next one will be better.

His enthusiasm is infectiously conveyed by Johnny Depp, who has often played an eccentric in Burton’s films. Wood’s cast and crew are as colorful as he is. There is the dryly comical gay Bunny Breckinridge (Bill Murray); a big-boobed gothic movie host named Vampira; and jack-of-all-trades Tor Johnson. Last but not least, there is Martin Landau, who rightly won an Oscar for his portrayal of film legend Bela Lugosi. His character and his relationship with Ed Wood form the heart of the film. Wood bumps into Lugosi one day, just as he is “fitting” a coffin for his role as Dracula, and compliments him: “You’re much scarier in real life.” Although Lugosi is already over his peak, and hasn’t had a movie role in a while, Wood still considers him a big star. (This aspect of the film is somewhat reminiscent of Billy Wilder’s film ‘Sunset Boulevard’, in which a forgotten movie star still imagines herself in her successful period). Wood offers him a part in his movie, and the two become great friends. A friendship that Lugosi could use, since he is having a hard time and is addicted to drugs. Landau is truly sublime in his portrayal. He knows how to approach Lugosi’s Hungarian accent well and he gives his character a touching melancholy. He knows how to draw attention to himself so well that the film immediately loses some of its power when it disappears in the last act of the film.

Fortunately, Wood and his style of filmmaking are interesting enough to keep the film from collapsing too much from this point. The way he judges the performance of his cast and finds every first shot perfect, the primitive, flat look of his sets, the laughable special effects: it all keeps you interested as a spectator. Burton has spared no expense to reproduce all these elements as accurately as possible.

Ed Wood may have had a recognizable style, Tim Burton certainly has. He has a visual flair and humor of his own, his projects are often fanciful, and his films usually honor the human imagination and the art of storytelling. His films are also often about misfits. All these elements are present in ‘Ed Wood’, whereby the visual style of the film can be called versatile. It is a faithful reproduction of Wood’s own methods as well as, in the lighting and low angle camera angles, a tribute to the classic horror films. After all, this impressionistic style is also an expression of Burton’s own way of filming

In addition to the light-hearted nature of the film, there is also surprising drama through the figure of Bela Lugosi. Although the film could have paid a little more attention to Ed Wood’s underlying motivations and thoughts, the film is an entertaining and moving tribute to Wood and his films in the end.