Ed Wood is a veritable pop culture feast. Why it took me 18 years to watch this film, I do not know. I recall the buzz surrounding the movie when it was released and was aware that Martin Landau won the Oscar for Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi (Dracula). I have also been a fan of Johnny Depp, Tim Burton and Bill Murray for many years and remember Martin Landau from the 1970's sci-fi series Space 1999. However, I did not realize that professional wrestler George "The Animal" Steele played a supporting role, as another wrestler/actor, Tor Johnson. I recall frequently watching George Steele play the villain of few words (but plenty of groans) in countless wrestling matches during my youth.
Ed Wood is set during the 1950s and is shot in black and white, which added to my enjoyment of the film. The story centers around the life of cult filmmaker Ed Wood, who struggled to make most of his films, but somehow managed to secure funding, sometimes through strange circumstances and with the use of his silver tongue. Wood was a transvestite and appeared completely comfortable with himself, but struggled to gain acceptance from others. His demeanor was usually positive, outgoing and matter of fact, which must have played a role in his rather long, but not necessarily acclaimed career. Wood is portrayed as childlike and, perhaps, naive in many scenes, but he is a very likable person who had the power of persuasion over many people. That ability came to benefit Bela Lugosi, who Wood befriended late in the actor's career. Bela, suffering from depression and a morphine addiction, would call Ed when he was feeling down and even when he was contemplating suicide. Ed would always try to be there for Bela and help him in any way he could, even attempting to make him a star once again by giving him roles in several movies. Their friendship is the highlight of the film and is portrayed brilliantly by Depp and Landau.
Martin Landau is simply phenomenal as the aging Lugosi, whose wife left him as he struggled with many problems. He seemed to be such a sad man during the latter part of his life and clearly something was missing for him to sabotage himself with drugs. Landau is able to tap into that pain and showcase it in several scenes as Lugosi's morphine habit spirals out of control and lands him in rehab. Landau perfectly captures Lugosi's accent and he convincingly conveys the late actor's physical struggles, as his body began to fail him in many ways. Landau's make-up, by Rick Baker, is uncanny and was also honored with an Oscar.
Wood's 1952 film "Glen or Glenda" (originally titled "I Changed My Sex!") is discussed during the early part of the film. While the movie is considered one of the worst ever made, credit should be given to Wood for having the guts to direct a film with such potentially controversial subject matter (it was the 1950s after all). A close friend of Wood's, Bunny Breckenridge (Bill Murray), spoke about having sex reassignment therapy throughout the film, so perhaps that influenced Wood to tackle the subject matter. In any event, I was surprised to learn about "Glen or Glenda" and that it was made nearly 60 years ago.
In addition to Depp, Landau, Murray and Steele, the supporting cast features Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City), Patricia Arquette (Medium) and the great character actor Mike Starr. While the film may be set in "simpler times," the principal struggles of the characters are anything but simple and I rooted for many of them to overcome their demons, which is a testament to the performances from the talented cast and to director Tim Burton for soliciting such fine work from all of them. Finally, viewers who enjoy learning about old Hollywood, especially the horror and sci-fi films of the 1950's, will likely appreciate the considerable effort behind Ed Wood.
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