Edward D. Wood Jr. might have been in love with the medium of cinema and the very act of filmmaking, yet he has also been voted as the worst filmmaker of all time. This apparent irony and much more, have been captured and portrayed in utterly compelling and entertaining fashion by Tim Burton in Ed Wood. This quirky, deliciously idiosyncratic and darkly comic voyage into the life of the cross-dressing Wood, who directed one turkey after another despite being an ardent admirer of Orson Welles, is certainly a one of a kind journey. But what stands out most in the film is the fascinating friendship that Wood forms with his idol – a veteran, drug-addicted, cash-stripped former star called Bela Lugosi. That, along with the bizarre acquaintances that he surrounded himself with, and the atrocious films that he made believing all the while he’s creating great art, help us in knowing this sadly marginal and critically-panned auteur. Johnny Depp gave a sterling performance as the protagonist, while Martin Landau was terrific as Lugosi, the washed out actor who once gained tremendous repute for his portrayal of Dracula, among others. Despite its comic tone, the film has been given a noirish feel thanks to exceptional, B/W, expressionistic photography. And the thumping soundtrack, along with the decidedly offbeat screenplay, played its part in making this a unique and eminently watchable biopic.
Director: Tim Burton
Genre: Comedy/Satire/Biopic
Language: English
Country: US
7 comments:
Probably Burton at his creative best because not only does he show a thing or two about a life of a man we usually tend to make fun of, he also gives insight to the Hollywood business and all it's weirdness. Good Review!
Thanks man. Yeah, Tim Burton, despite the fame that precedes him, never managed to better Ed Wood. And yeah, you're right, even though the protagonist is tailor-made to be made fun of, there exists quite a bit of poignancy in the story.
I'm also an admirer of the film, and agree with the thread here about the poignancy. My favourite scene is by the pond, so funny ( :
By the way, a similar film is Gods & Monsters, I recommended it here:
http://moviesandsongs365.blogspot.com/2010/09/movie-of-week-gods-and-monsters-1998.html
Thanks dude for sharing your admiration for the film. Yeah, that scene sure is hilarious. And thanks for the recommendation. I'll look out for the film and will also go through your review of it.
Sorry for neglecting this wonderful blog Shubhajit over the past 8 to 10 days or so, but the Lang Festival has kept me working overtime, if you know what I mean. I anticipate being back to normal activities now.
Ed Wood (with Sweeney Todd and Edward Scissorhands) is one of Burton's greatest works. Depp and Landau for one are pitch-perfect.
Thanks Sam for stopping by, its always a pleasure to hear from you. There's absolutely no need for apologising, as I'm glad about the film fest you got to attend.
Yeah, Ed Wood surely ranks as Tim Burton's best work, and Depp-Landau partnership was superb here.
Definitely Burton's best despite it's many inaccuracies.
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