ED WOOD
A film review by Max Hoffmann
Copyright 1994 Max Hoffmann
BURTON HITS BULLSEYE WITH "WOOD"
Film director Ed Wood has a cult following composed of millions of fans like me, who've poured over repeated viewings of such junkyard classics as BRIDE OF THE MONSTER and PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. How could such an eccentric character and high camp material possibly succeed as the premise for another celebrity biography? With ED WOOD, producer/director Tim Burton redeems himself after a string of near misses like THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS and EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. This deliriously funny yet touching portrait succeeds where other bios, like CHAPLIN failed.
This film finally balances the mean-spirited portraits of Wood and Bela Lugosi propagated in Michael Medved's "Golden Turkey" book of the late '70s. No doubt, Mr. "Hollywood vs. the USA" will approve of the mysterious R rating for a film with neither sex nor violence, but a few cuss words and some tasteful cross dressing.
Johnny Depp successfully employs the same "lost in his own world--aw shucks" persona that failed miserably for Jeff Bridges in TUCKER. But the biggest surprise is Martin Landau's stunning performance as the dying, morphine addicted Lugosi. Landau's amazing "dual performance" captures every nuance of Lugosi's persona in Wood's first three films, also broadcasting his tragic humanity on an unspoken level. Fans who've previously only laughed at Lugosi's final "I have no home" speech in BRIDE OF THE MONSTER will gasp, and possibly stifle sobs, when they see the added level of irony the Laundau and Burton bring to that scene.
Burton employs a deliberately deadpan B/W camera, that apes the unintentionally funny driver's training or "drug" films of the '50s. He also honors Wood with a few deliberate mistakes, like mismatched hairstyles for Sara Jessica Parker, in her final scene as Dolores Fuller. But the infamous sets of GLEN OR GLENDA and PLAN 9 are true to the last lamp shade and cardboard tombstone.
A large ensemble cast credibly replicate Wood's "family" of eccentrics and outcasts, from Bill Murray (surprisingly on target as tired old queen Bunny Breckenridge) to Lisa Marie, very true as Vampira. The only disappointment is Jeffrey Jones who misses the mark on my personal favorite, Criswell.
Expect ED WOOD to be another surprise "cross-over" hit that has an element of drag, (this time with a hetero central character.) I predict at least two Oscars next March, certainly one for Landau. Required viewing. A video rental of GLEN OR GLENDA ahead of time will increase your enjoyment immeasurably. Don't miss the Ed Wood retrospective at SF's Castro theatre Oct 28th through 31st!
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