A sincere tribute to the man and his work, full of bizarreness, humor, artificial octopuses and angora.
I've been wanting to see this for a while now, and the opportunity finally came. Very intelligently directed by Tim Burton, it is a brief biography that honors Ed Wood, reckoned as the worst director Hollywood has ever known (although that title is disputed by other more recent directors).
I already knew Ed Wood's work, I've seen one or two of his films, and I can guarantee that his fame is justified: the films are the most amateurish imaginable and the number of errors and problems is such that even the general public saw the director's inability and naïveté. I won't dwell on this point, just add that this film covers the filming of “Glenn or Glenda”, “Bride of the Monster” and “Plan 9 from Outer Space”. As is typical of Burton's films, there is a certain amount of bizarreness which makes the most sincere homage to Ed Wood's work. One notices, implicitly, a certain sympathy or admiration for the director, who never achieved fame (at least, positive) and to whom success has eluded. He is a man with a vision and a dream, but without any ability to achieve it and who, even so, never gave up.
Johnny Depp was a smart choice for the protagonist. The actor likes unusual roles and portrayed Wood in a very faithful way, emphasizing his incorrigible and absolutely blind optimism, as well as his habit of dressing like a woman and the problems that caused him in being taken seriously. There is, in the character, a certain bizarre fetish about angora fabrics that I don't know if it was real, but it fit very well. I also really liked Martin Landau, a very respectable veteran who fit wonderfully into the role of Bela Lugosi, the mythical horror actor who was forgotten by the industry towards the end of his life and succumbed to morphine addiction and depression, and Lisa Marie, who played Maila Nurmi, Finnish actress famous for her character Vampira. Sarah Jessica Parker also did an impeccable job as Wood's girlfriend. Jeffrey Jones does a good job as Criswell, a fake psychic famous for his TV appearances. Bill Murray appears little, but does a decent job whenever asked.
The film was very well shot in black and white, and I believe this fit better with the spirit of the film, and the way it was designed. There is a beautiful limpidity and the cinematography is very crafted and stylistically rich. The film plays a lot with the difficulties that Wood encountered in filming and promoting his films, and the total amateurism with which he did so, and this is funny and, at the same time, moving. The sets and costumes are excellent, convincing, and the reproduction of the films was well done and honors the originals. The soundtrack, written by Howard Shore, does the rest and gives the film a bizarrely delicious tone. Finally, a word about the opening and ending of the film, in a style magnificently suited to cheap horror productions of the time.
