[Publicity photos of characters from this film are available on the Vortex Technology WWW server via the "Professor Neon's TV & Movie Mania" URL: "http://www.vortex.com/ProfNeon.html".] ED WOOD A review by Professor Neon September 24, 1994 Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Lisa Marie, Jeffrey Jones, G.D. Spradlin, Vincent D'Onofrio, Bill Murray Directed by: Tim Burton Produced by: Denise Di Novi, Tim Burton Written by: Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski Touchstone Pictures/Buena Vista (1994) MPAA Rated: R Professor Neon's rating (0-10, 5=average, 10=best): 8 Total run time: 125 minutes Opens: LA/NY: September 28, 1994 Nationally: October 7, 1994 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I can make this very simple. Are you a fan of "cult" movies? Do you appreciate the brilliant awfulness of "Plan 9 From Outer Space," "Bride of the Monster," "Glen or Glenda?" and other Ed Wood produced marvels? If so, you *must* see "Ed Wood," no doubt about it. If you're not a fan of these sorts of films, you'll probably find yourself confused by some of what you'll view, but go see "Ed Wood" anyway--it'll be an, uh, "educational" experience. Without a doubt, "Ed Wood" must be the most unusual film to ever be released under a Disney (Touchstone/Buena Vista) banner. The story of real life transvestite film producer/director/writer Edward D. Wood, Jr., the creator of the incredibly poor quality but now immensely popular films mentioned above, would seem an unlikely topic for any of the mainstream studios. The key is producer/director Tim Burton ("Beetlejuice," "Edward Scissorhands," "The Nightmare Before Christmas") who has a contractual relationship with the studio. It seems very unlikely that "Ed Wood" was viewed by Burton as a film destined for large-scale, first-run commercial success. Rather, it's clearly a labor of love--Burton's tribute to a man who, while perhaps not very talented when it came to filmmaking, certainly tried to follow his dream. "Ed Wood" is unusual in today's crop of films from the very first frame-- it's shot entirely in black and white, which I personally found to be an excellent choice in helping to create and maintain the aura of Ed's stomping grounds of 1950's Hollywood. The production is somewhat "camp" in attitude, but that seems most entirely appropriate to the subject at hand. Johnny Depp's ("Edward Scissorhands") portrayal of Ed Wood is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but based on what is known about the real Ed may well be pretty close to the mark. But the standout performance of the film is without a doubt Martin Landau's aged, destitute, and drug-addicted Bela Lugosi. It's an absolutely brilliant portrayal from both physical appearance and acting standpoints--I kept forgetting that I wasn't watching the real Lugosi. It'll be interesting to see if Landau receives the recognition he deserves for this work. Landau's convincing makeup was created by Rick Baker (of "An American Werewolf in London" fame). Baker also transformed wrestler George "The Animal" Steele into Swedish wrestler/actor Tor Johnson (one of Ed Wood's regular stable of actors) for the film. Lisa Marie makes for a fine Vampira (the legendary 50's Los Angeles TV "horror hostess" who also worked with Ed). I had the pleasure of interviewing the actual Vampira recently (her real name, by the way, is Maila Nurmi) and I hope the elevation of the Vampira character back into the public spotlight will help her receive some of the positive recognition she really deserves. The cast of "Ed Wood" is quite large, and other notable performances are many. The two women who enter Ed's life are played aptly by Sarah Jessica Parker and Patricia Arquette. Bill Murray as transvestite Bunny Breckinridge (the imperial leader in "Plan 9") might seem an odd choice, but it works. Jeffrey Jones as "futurist" Criswell is also fine. Cameo appearances by Conrad Brooks and Gregory Walcott, who were actors in the original "Plan 9," bring a bit of the old film forward. Students of the lives of Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi will no doubt notice some situational discrepancies. But I can't help but view these as simply reasonable and minor creative license. What's really important is that the overall sense of events and particularly of relationships rings uncannily true. I felt that I had gained some true understanding of a man who was driven to make films regardless of the lack of money and time. And while his talent may have been limited, his friendship and work with nearly forgotten Bela Lugosi show that his heart was in the right place. Certainly the much talked about aspects of his life such as his transvestitism (which viewed from 1994 seems like just a minor idiosyncrasy) fade into insignificance against the overall picture of his life that emerges. "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (the originally planned title: "Grave Robbers From Outer Space") was a flop when released in 1959. Over the years a cult following has elevated it to almost legendary status. Ed Wood never lived to see the "rise from the dead" of his work and his resulting celebrity status. After "Plan 9" most of his films were cheap "sexploitation" features of various sorts, and he died at age 53 in 1978, alone and nearly penniless in a tiny Hollywood apartment. "Ed Wood" the film ends on a positive note, however, taking us to the opening of the "Plan 9" premiere when Ed's hopes were at their highest and the future looked bright. This seems like the way we really should remember him. Tim Burton has done a service by making this movie and preserving for posterity a positive view of a man who has been frequently misunderstood by casual observers. I really enjoyed this film. I think Ed would have, too. [ Professor Neon ] neon@vortex.com Professor Neon's rating for "Ed Wood" (0-10, 5=average, 10=best): 8 --------------------------------------------- --- What is "Professor Neon's TV and Movie Mania"? --- "Professor Neon's TV and Movie Mania" is a unique radio show which features a look at the broad universe ranging from classic to current television, films, and videos, with a special emphasis on (but not limited to) the unusual, odd, silly, strange, bizarre, cult, surreal, and weird. Often featured on "Professor Neon's TV & Movie Mania" are special interviews and in-studio guests. For live versions of the show, most of these guests are available to take listener calls. Drawing on the vast pool of TV and film personalities (on both sides of the camera) of yesterday to today in the Los Angeles area, the enigmatic Professor Neon has featured programs focusing on topics ranging from "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (with in-studio guest "Vampira" who starred in the classic cult film), to "Mr. Science Fiction" Forrest J. Ackerman ("the grand old man" of Horror and Sci-Fi, publisher of "Famous Monsters" magazine); to shows focused on topics from "The Twilight Zone", to "The Three Stooges". Unique audio clips from old films and trailers, bumpers, and other audio features permeate the shows, providing an entertaining program for the baby-boomers who grew up glued to their televisions and movie screens. Live (call-in) and prerecorded versions of this show (ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours) for U.S. and international broadcast/syndication use are available, as are shorter segments of any length customized for specific markets and situations. Special Internet versions of the show are also made available for listeners via various Internet server locations. For more information regarding both broadcast and Internet versions of the show and related information: By FTP: Site: "ftp.vortex.com" File: /usr/ftp/tv-film-video/neon-radio.Z By Gopher: Site: "gopher.vortex.com" Menu item: ! "Prof. Neon's TV & Movie Mania" Radio Show ! By WWW: URL: http://www.vortex.com/ProfNeon.html or via the Vortex Technology home page: URL: http://www.vortex.com/