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Ed Wood (1994)

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0:32 | Trailer
Ambitious but troubled movie director Edward D. Wood Jr. tries his best to fulfill his dreams, despite his lack of talent.

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers:

Rudolph Grey (book), Scott Alexander | 1 more credit »
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Popularity
3,218 ( 73)
Won 2 Oscars. Another 25 wins & 34 nominations. See more awards »

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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
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Storyline

Because of his eccentric habits and bafflingly strange films, director Edward D. Wood Jr. is a Hollywood outcast. Nevertheless, with the help of the formerly famous Bela Lugosi and a devoted cast and crew of show-business misfits who believe in Ed's off-kilter vision, the filmmaker is able to bring his oversize dreams to cinematic life. Despite a lack of critical or commercial success, Ed and his friends manage to create an oddly endearing series of extremely low-budget films. Written by Jwelch5742

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

When it came to making bad movies, Ed Wood was the best. See more »


Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Rick Baker was very concerned about the casting of Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi, seeing how they didn't share any similar facial features. Baker, being a very big fan of Lugosi and who had known Tim Burton before the film, persured the job as makeup designer fearing that a lesser makeup artist would do too much. Baker designed and created subtle appliances that would alter Landau's features to make him more resemble Lugosi (a set of ears, a nose, a chin, and an appliance to cover the fullness of his upper lip) that Ve Neill would apply on a daily basis. Landau, Baker, and Neill would all eventually win Academy Awards for their work. See more »

Goofs

When being asked that nobody can do so many jobs at once in the film business like director, actor, writer and producer, Ed Wood replies that two people do: Orson Welles and himself. However even in those days more people did it, like Charlie Chaplin who was a director, actor, writer, producer and even editor and composer for his movies. See more »

Quotes

Bela Lugosi: Beware. Beware. Beware of the big, green dragon that sits on your doorstep. He eats little boys, puppy dog tails and big, fat snails. Beware. Take care. Beware.
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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, Johnny Depp's name appears in capital letters, followed by the title - both of them alternating in black and white, as though being illuminated by lightning - and the rest of the main cast are credited on tombstones. Supporting cast and crew names appear in white against dark, rainy sets featuring meant-to-look-low-budget effects such as a giant tentacle and flying saucers in outer space. See more »

Connections

References I Wanted Wings (1941) See more »

Soundtracks

SERINGA
Written by Jon Arkell
See more »

User Reviews

 
"Why, I thought he was dead."
24 December 2004 | by ur2351562See all my reviews

Although I had never heard of Ed Wood before hearing of this film, I now understand why anybody would even consider making a film about him. Even though branded as "the worst director of all time," Wood was refreshingly passionate about what he did. Of course, I can't really judge his work, but from what I saw in this movie I'm pretty sure that the critics are right about him.

But that's not the point of Ed Wood. Not at all. My favorite scene in the whole movie is the conversation between Wood and Orson Welles. One perhaps the best filmmaker of his time, the other a young, struggling filmmaker without experience or talent, but each knows what the other is going through. They have the same problems and the same ambitions. The fact that one is a genius and the other a total failure is only secondary.

The performances are all first-rate, starting with Depp and Landau and going all the way to the supporting cast which includes a great performance by Bill Murray. Opposing Ed Wood's statement that "filmmaking is not about the tiny details," Tim Burton gave us another great film filled with wonderful details.

The film does not go into detail about Wood's experiences prior to and after making his first films which is understandable when you make a little research on this very website.

This film made me curious about Ed Wood's work and maybe I'll get over myself and check out Plan 9 from Outer Space or Glen or Glenda.

8.5/10


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 1994 (Canada) See more »

Also Known As:

Ed Wood See more »

Filming Locations:

California, USA See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$71,566, 2 October 1994

Gross USA:

$5,887,457

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,887,457
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures See more »
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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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