The Worst Director Of All Time

Title: Ed Wood (1994)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bill Murray
Genre: Biography/Comedy/Drama
Director: Tim Burton



This is the second Tim Burton movie I've reviewed on this blog - expect many more. He is one of those directors who makes you think "How did this guy survive in Hollywood?". He has made the occasional bad movie like "Mars Attacks!", but his successes far outnumber his failures. And only he could have made a black-and-white movie about the worst director of all time and garnered spectacular reviews for it too.

Edward D. Wood, Jr. made movies. His movies were universally trashed as being the worst examples of filmmaking. He was laughed out of many a producer's office. However, many decades after his death, his films became universally famous. In particular, Plan 9 From Outer Space sold hundreds of thousands of copies on CD & DVD. Unlike Citizen Kane, however, this newfound success was not the result of a new critical evaluation of his work. Everyone still considered his movies terrible. But it was now universally agreed that his movies were so terrible, they had to be seen to be believed!

This is his story. This is the story of how he got together with a bunch of failed and talentless actors, actresses and crewmen. And how he made the worst movie of all time.

"Ed Wood" is therefore, not a film about his successes - he simply had none. Here is a guy who sorely lacks talent, money and connections - he has none of the attributes necessary to make it in the world. He makes up for all that with love - love for cinema and filmmaking. He loved movies, he lived movies and so, quite naturally, he wanted to make movies. That he was terrible at it was merely an irrelevant detail.

Through the story of Ed Wood, the film gives us a glimpse at what lies at the bottom of the Hollywood barrel - the thousands who dream of making it big and never do. How they spend entire lives, moving from one terrible job to another, living on peanuts, being treated like garbage by the high and mighty of the establishment - all for the sake of a dream.

The cinematography and music in the movie are outstanding, as in any Burton film. Perhaps the best example is the opening sequence - one that is familiar to all of us. A dark and stormy night, an eerie piano tune, a gloomy castle, a body in a coffin that gets up and introduces the film in a creepy voice. Burton's genius lies in taking this hackneyed scene and using it effectively as a tribute to B-movies everywhere. It also creates the right scenario for us to appreciate the story of a man who made such movies for a living.

Johnny Depp has quickly become one of my favourite contemporary actors because of his refusal to be typecast. When you watch a Johnny Depp movie, you can rarely predict the nature of the character he will play. However, you are assured of a quirky, unexpected and extremely unique performance. In playing the title role of this movie, he creates a truly lovable character - a man who is so much in love with his work and so optimistic about life, that all the failures in the world cannot deter him. His depiction of Wood's goofy optimism, flashes of (self-professed) brilliance, an almost childlike love for his work and his tender nature creates a memorable character.

For all of Burton's vision and Depp's brilliance, this movie could not have succeeded without its stellar supporting cast. Martin Landau is spectacular as Bela Lugosi, the aging former star who has descended into obscurity and morphine addiction. He fully deserved the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that he received for his role. Sarah Jessica Parker is quite good as Wood's first wife, Dolores Fuller, who discovers that Wood is a transvestite. Only Bill Murray is completely wasted as Bunny Breckinridge - Wood's friend who is contemplating a change of sex. He has maybe one funny line in the whole movie - a tremendous waste of his considerable talent. Watch out for a brilliant cameo by Vincent D'Onfrio - he plays the great Orson Welles, whom Wood looked up to and modeled himself after.

Moviemaking, like any of the more unconventional professions, is filled with uncertainties, self-doubt and desperation. However, inspiration can sometimes come from the unlikeliest of sources - Tim Burton shows us exactly how.

Ed Wood is therefore, an unlikely hero - a man who inspires us despite being a complete failure. He teaches us that the journey to success or failure can define who you are rather than the end result itself.