January is my Five Star Month, so I've been reviewing good films every day. But this is an extra special film that deserves more than five stars. I like just about any film that Tim Burton directs, but this is exceptional. It's the true story of Edward D. Wood Jr., supposedly the worst film director of all time. This biopic is one of my top 10 favorite films.
The film doesn't cover his whole life. He lived from 1924 to 1978, but it only shows his life from 1953 to 1959, the period in which he made his three most famous films: "Glen or Glenda", "Bride of the Monster" and "Plan 9 from Outer Space". His friendship with Bela Lugosi is touching and tragic, even though Wood is shown as tricking Lugosi into playing a part in a transvestite film.
I don't really want to say too much about the film, except strongly advise everyone who likes any sort of films to watch it. It's the best film about film-making I've ever seen. Let me just answer the question: was Ed Wood really the world's worst director?
It depends on what you mean. Wood's "goofs" in his films are legendary. Within scenes the light changed from daylight to night and back. Gravestones flopped backwards and forwards, obviously only made of cardboard. Flying saucers were visibly suspended by strings when they hovered. And of course, Bela Lugosi died during the filming of "Plan 9 from Outer Space", and the replacement actor who completed his part in the film didn't look even vaguely similar. But Ed Wood's films are always fast-paced and entertaining. They are never boring. The first film I ever bought on videotape was "Plan 9 from Outer Space", even though it's been called the worst film ever made. If it were really that bad, why would it still be available today?
Click here to view the trailer.
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