Among all of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s collaborations, there is only feature that has tickled my emotions to the same degree as my imagination…and love for all that is weird. “Ed Wood” was only the second movie the pair made together, and it’s their best. It was also their least successful, box-office wise (even compared to the under-performing “Dark Shadows”).
Over the years, “Ed Wood’s” reputation has grown considerably. When it was released in 1994, Depp was already a respected actor, but without a giant star hovering over his name. Producing a black-and-white biopic about the worst director of all time was a tough sell for most studios, except for Touchstone Pictures, who produced the film mainly to appease the commercially potent Tim Burton.
Ed Wood was a real movie director who managed to write, direct, produce over a dozen low-budget science fiction-horror films in the 1950s. Wood’s modest success were partially attributed to his courtship of Bela Lugosi, the aged, movie has-been, known for his iconic performance as Count Dracula.
Tim Burton’s film centers on Wood’s friendship with Lugosi. The film begins with Wood, an errand boy for an unnamed studio, is desperate to make his own feature films. After failing to secure a sex-change exploitation picture, a chance meeting brings the two men together.
Lugosi is brought to life to amazing effect by two geniuses, both who won Oscars for the movie: Rick Baker, for his magnificent makeup, and Martin Landau for his funny, deeply touching portrayal. Even though “Ed Wood” was a financial bomb, Landau still enchanted Oscar voters over crowd favorites like Gary Sinise in “Forrest Gump” and Samuel L. Jackson in “Pulp Fiction”.
“Ed Wood” was criticized by some (including Bela Lugosi’s son) for it’s inaccurate portrayals. In fact, some have questioned the genuineness of Ed Wood’s intentions. Did Wood actually exploit Lugosi merely to gain financing for his own films?
In order to override these criticisms, it should be reiterated that films are art, not history. I loved “Ed Wood” for its funny, deeply moving story about a genuine, ambitious young man who made his movies, even though he clearly lacked every conceivable skill necessary. I also love the connection that forms between the characters of Wood and Lugosi.
Landau’s Lugosi is a sad, disgruntled old man who is desperate for money. He makes no qualms about his situations with Eddie. “This town chews you up and spits you out. I’m just another ex-boogie man.” Wood get’s Lugosi parts in his movies; trying to convince producers and financiers in the process. One of funniest recurring gags is that Ed constantly has to remind his backers that Lugosi is still alive.
The real Bela Lugosi was facing financial hardship and a addiction to morphine at the time Wood was starting to produce features. Lugosi appeared in three of Wood’s films before he passed away: “Glen of Glenda”–Wood’s transvestite feature that spawned from his sex-change script; “Bride of the Monster”–Lugosi as a power-hungry mad scientist; and “Plan 9 From Outer Space”–Lugosi’s final film, which is regarded by many as the worst film of all time.
Tim Burton was swayed to direct “Ed Wood” based on the script’s portrayal of the Lugosi/Wood friendship. It mirrored his own friendship to Vincent Price, who Burton envied since childhood and had recently directed in “Edward Scissorhands”, which was his final on-screen performance as well.
Burton was also enticed based on his clear appreciation for outsiders (Batman, Edward Scissorhands) and for portraying their abnormalities with respect. In this case, Ed is a transvestite. To his crew, Ed is just being Ed. To Ed’s financiers, they are appalled to find Ed suddenly directing a scene in an angora sweater and high heels. Even Ed’s first girlfriend and leading lady, Janice (Sarah Jessica Parker) can’t stomach Ed’s wardrobe preferences and dumps him. Ed later falls for a lovely young lady, Kathy (Patricia Arquette), and decides to share his secret with her on their first date. “Do this you like sex with girls?”, she asks. “No I love sex girls. Wearing their closes makes me feel closer to them.” She contemplates for a moment and quietly responds with a smile. “OK”.
In real life, the two were happily married for 22 years until Ed’s death in 1978.
Depp injects his performance of Ed with a great deal of positive energy and optimism. Depp stated in an interview modeled his performance using a blend of Casey Kasem’s voice and Ronald Reagan’s “aw shucks” demeanor. His performance of Ed so is so rich in idealism that his ragtag cast and crew, even Lugosi himself, are delighted by Ed’s “incredible” film-making skills.
However, the real juice of the story is the love and close friendship that builds between Lugosi and Wood. One evening, Lugosi invites Ed over to his modest home to watch one of his features on television. Wood stares with fascination and admiration as Lugosi replicates the hand curls he used in Dracula. When Ed discovers that Bela has a drug addiction, he takes him to a rehab center and tries to secure a new film project to help his sickly hero.
“Ed Wood” is a joy for anyone who ever imagined sitting in the same room with a childhood idol. Ed is given an opportunity to meet “Dracula” himself, direct him in movies and share a father-son bond.
There is a great scene when Bela, who is now out of rehab, is walking with Ed through the streets of Hollywood reflecting over their recently finished picture. Bela is happy and at peace. He thanks Ed for the opportunity to work and even does an impromptu performance of one of Ed’s scenes. Bela pours every ounce into his lines, exclaiming and raising his hands in the air. Once he finishes, the film reveals that a small group of pedestrians have stopped to watch and applaud. They approach Lugosi with delight and request his autograph. Ed is swooning in admiration. The scene resonates better after repeated viewings, after we know that Eddie’s career and Bela’s life are nearing their end.
“Ed Wood” could have been envisioned a large budget color feature in which the abnormalities of Wood’s life are highlighted with a critical eye–almost like a parody. But Burton’s film shows a deep respect for Ed’s love of film, his desire to make his own features on his own terms. Most films about underdogs reveal some untested skill that only revealed in the third act. Ed’s “success” is “Plan 9 From Outer Space”, a film so terrible that today’s audiences relish every last one of its glaring problems.
Tim Burton made “Ed Wood” in black-and-white and as a straight comedy without the exaggerated fantastical elements he adores in other films. Depp is hyperbolic, but tame when compared to most of his other roles in Burton films. Depp can occasionally place so much emphasis on abnormalities that he forgets to make the character feel human, as was the case for his Willie Wonka and Mad Hatter characters. But his Ed Wood becomes grounded and real when necessary, such as when film projects face major obstacles or after he learns the news of Bela Lugosi’s death.
“Ed Wood” is also funny as hell, as when Ed displays his lack of patience for details or logic. In his films, Wood reused the same shot, scenes can’t decide if they occur during the day or night, or an airplane cockpit is little more than a couple of chairs and a curtain. When Ed discovers that his mechanical octopus is missing the motor to make its legs move, he encourages Lugosi to manually wrap them around his body to mimic the effect of being squeezed to death.
It’s also a testament that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s best collaboration was about an actor and director who develop bond of trust, respect and mutual admiration. If Lugosi had lived past “Plan 9”, I have no doubt that duo would have made at least eight features, too.
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