51. Ed Wood

Tim Burton, 1994

It is with no small amount of irony that I place Ed Wood as my 51st favorite film of all time. After all, Ed Wood really and truly is one of the worst directors in cinema history, right down there with Ray “Leg Up” Kellogg, director of The Giant Gila Monster. I’ve long been something of a crappy movie aficionado, spending hours watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 and even checking out cinematic turds like The Killer Shrews and Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings in their full on, unadulterated glory on shows like Svengoolie. Yet, the one man whose films remain utterly unwatchable is Edward D. Wood, Jr. My God. My good God. I defy you to sit through Plan 9 from Outer Space. I defy you! You can’t do it. At least not without a quart of absence nearby. Well, that’s probably a little harsh. There are some laughs here. The fact of the matter is, though, that Ed Wood is just one crappy director. His films are full of headstones that topple in a strong wind, lousy performances, crappy, crappy sets, instances of actors reading from their scripts on camera, and, of course, Tor Johnson getting stuck while coming out of his grave. Sigh.

Then, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp conspire to do a biopic on Wood and, God damn it, you just can’t help but fall in love with the goof. The key to this film is that Burton and Depp, who plays Wood, don’t set out to make fun of Wood. Hell, they even handle his notorious cross dressing professionally. Instead, they give us a wood that is an unabashed optimist. Burton pulls no punches in exhibiting Wood’s directorial ineptitude, but the sheer verve with which Wood approaches each project is contagious. The man is imbued with a passion for film and for life that is completely contagious. Depp provides probably the finest performance of his excellent career here. His is a Wood you would certainly be friends with and doubtlessly follow to the ends of the earth. It’s easy to see why those around him would want to help him fulfill his vision. You find yourself cheering for Wood early on. You want nothing more for him to succeed, and, in a weird way, he does. True, his films remain what they are, but gosh darn it, he tries real hard and, in a weird way, never has that meant so much to me about any film character.

Ed Wood is, of course, blessed with the directorial vision of Tim Burton. The film is a bit toned down from the bizarre, expressionist sets which often populate a Burton film, but what we get in each black and white frame is no less striking. I also have to point out a uniformly excellent supporting cast. Sarah Jessica Parker and Patricia Arquette are spot on Ed’s loves. Bill Murray is terrific and subtly, even dryly, wacky as Ed’s friend, Bunny Breckinridge. Best of all though, is Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi. Like Lugosi himself, Landau has not always had the most illustrious career, see Space: 1999, but this is his shining moment. Landau effortlessly brings forth the angst and desperation of a man once famous the world over, now reduced to drug addiction and to the punch lines of jokes on Saturday afternoon movie showcases. His Lugosi is perfectly sympathetic and his every screen moment alternately delights and breaks your heart.

Well, that’s it for Ed Wood, but what discussion of Ed Wood can end without his most immortal line? Pull the string!