Ed Wood (1994)

The mostly true story of the legendary director of awful movies and his strange group of friends and actors.

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers:

Rudolph Grey (book), Scott Alexander,

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker

Won 2 Oscars. Another 23 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Johnny Depp	...	Ed Wood
Martin Landau	...	Bela Lugosi
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Dolores Fuller
Patricia Arquette	...	Kathy O'Hara
Jeffrey Jones	...	Criswell
G.D. Spradlin	...	Reverend Lemon
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Orson Welles
Bill Murray	...	Bunny Breckinridge
Mike Starr	...	Georgie Weiss
Max Casella	...	Paul Marco
Brent Hinkley	...	Conrad Brooks
Lisa Marie	...	Vampira
George 'The Animal' Steele	...	Tor Johnson
Juliet Landau	...	Loretta King
Clive Rosengren	...	Ed Reynolds

Storyline

The life of 'Edward D. Wood Jr.' , hailed as the worst director (of Plan 9 from Outer Space, Glen or Glenda and Bride of the Monster) of all time.

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Plot Keywords:

director | friend | actor | 1950s | friendship | 

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Taglines:

Movies were his passion. Women were his inspiration. Angora sweaters were his weakness.

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ed Vud

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$5,887,457 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally developed at Columbia, studio boss Mark Canton and Tim Burton fell out when the former objected to the film being made in black and white. Burton walked off with the project, shopping it around various other studios, until Disney decided to make it through its Touchstone banner.

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Goofs

The film depicts the premiere of "Plan Nine From Outer Space" as taking place at the famous Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The preview was actually held at the Carlton Theatre in Los Angeles.

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Quotes

Edward D. Wood, Jr.: Listen, I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime, grab some dinner, maybe?
Vampira: You mean a date? I thought you were a fag.
Edward D. Wood, Jr.: No, no, I'm just a transvestite.

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Crazy Credits

Immediately preceding the final credits, the film features a "What Ever Happened To" and/or "Where They Are Now" sequence about 'Edward D. Wood Jr.', Kathy Wood, Bela Lugosi, John Breckinridge, Dolores Fuller, Tor Johnson, Vampira, Paul Marco' , 'Conrad Brooks (I)', Tom Mason, and Criswell. The commentaries include such statements as: "Bela Lugosi never rose from the grave, but after appearing in 103 films, he is more famous than ever. Today, his movie memorabilia outsells Boris Karloff's by a substantial margin" and "Dolores Fuller, after leaving Ed, went on to a successful songwriting career. Her compositions include the Elvis Presley hits 'Rock-a-Hula Baby' and 'Do the Clam.'"

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Connections

References Tin Gods (1926)

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Soundtracks

"DESOLATE VILLAGE"
Written by Bruce Campbell

User Reviews

Nice to meet you Mr. Wood

It is a well known fact by now that Johnny Depp is a subtle, tender, beautiful force of nature. Tim Burton has been able to create universes that Johnny Depp can inhabit with the strange naturalness of someone who belongs. "Ed Wood" is the ultimate demonstration of that theory. You're introduced to the world of someone who appears almost a figment of someone's imagination to realise that there is something of him in you and me. What is incredible is that the realisation comes hand in hand with a personal discovery. That funny weird kid represents more than something but the best of you and me. Angora sweaters and childish dreams. The purity of an artist with a talent that is concentrated in his heart. Remember the Salieri of "Amadeus" torturing himself cursing God for giving him the gift of recognising the talent in others without having any of his own. Ed Wood, as told by Burton and Depp, is so far away from that pathology that to watch his films after having met him with Johnny's face is an entirely different experience. Everything makes sense. Strangely enough (or not) "Ed Wood" died at the box office but as it happens more often than not, "Ed Wood" is more alive today than many of the greatest moneymakers of all time. Yes, that business of time never fails. Greatness prevails.