Ed Wood (1994)

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

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker

Won 2 Oscars. Another 23 wins & 28 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

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

director | friend | film director | misfit | chiropractor | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ed Vud

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,900,000, 2 October 1994

Gross USA:

$5,887,457

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One day, Kathy Wood, Edward D. Wood Jr.'s wife, visited the set, and asked to meet Johnny Depp. That day, they were filming a scene where Wood would look really messed up, which made Burton nervous for what Kathy would think of the movie. When Depp exited his trailer, she said, "That's my Eddie."

---

Goofs

When Ed Wood first meets Bela Lugosi they are shown in a convertible and as they are driving you can see very modern, steel high tension utility poles along with mercury vapor street lamps that were not in common usage until at least the late 1960s.

---

Quotes

Edward D. Wood, Jr.: It's a guaranteed blockbuster.
Ed Reynolds: Hmm. Ah, I understand this science fiction is popular, but uh, don't the big hits always have big stars?
Edward D. Wood, Jr.: Well we have a big star: Bela Lugosi.
Ed Reynolds: Bela Lugosi? Why, I though he passed on.
Edward D. Wood, Jr.: Yes. Yes he did. But...
[produces tiny spool of film]
Edward D. Wood, Jr.: I've got the last footage he ever shot.
Ed Reynolds: Well, it doesn't look like very much.
Edward D. Wood, Jr.: Mr. Reynolds, this is the acorn that will grow a great oak! I'll just get a double to finish his scenes, and we'll release it as "Bela Lugosi's Final ...

---

Crazy Credits

The movie ends with the simple line "Filmed in Hollywood, USA", the same way as the real Ed Wood did it at the end of his movies.

---

Connections

References Test Tube Babies (1948)

---

Soundtracks

LASST UNS ERFREUEN (ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING)
Music by Peter von Brachel
Lyrics by John Athelstan Laurie Riley
Arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams

User Reviews

Pull the string?!?!

If you ever seen Samurai Cop,The Room or even Dolemite you'll know all about cringe-worthy entertainment. These movies are so outrageously bad that you'll enjoy them on many levels and will be quoting them probably for the rest of your life, more so than well- respected movies. But behind every disaster is a director with heart, and a cast in need of a paycheck.

Call it irony, but Tim Burton assembled a fine cast of character actors and made a film about the worst director of all time and in the process spent more money than Ed Wood could ever dream of. Like Dolly Parton once said, "it costs a lot of money to look this cheap". Say what you want about Ed Wood, but 50 years after his monstrosities were produced, people are still watching them. I doubt you could guarantee this longevity for The Hobbit or any of the current 40 million films that star Benadryl Cabbagepatch.

Martin Landau carried away an Academy Award, as Best Supporting Actor, as did Rick Baker for his make up effects, but, even with these selling points, audiences never gave it a chance, which is a real shame because the movie needs to be seen to be believed, and for all aspiring or struggling filmmakers out there you will find many familiar problems between yourselves and Mr. Wood, regardless of your talent.

Chronicling the events of the mid-Fifties, through the production of three of Wood's classic disasters, Tim Burton's biopic achieves the impossible - we side with Ed, we identify with him, we wish him and his eccentric gaggle of pals only success and happiness in his cozy little world of half-baked ideas and misguided optimism. Success eluded Wood, but he achieved a greater fame and lasting appeal beyond his short life and this eccentric movie, which will make you faceplam for most of its running time, is our portal into Wood's oddball mind.

Alternately hilarious and touching, our sympathies lie with Wood and his ever loyal, declining co-star Bela Lugosi (a barely recognizable Martin Landau). Other characters pop up, including the hairy-as-hell Tor Johnson (George 'The Animal' Steele), wannabe transsexual Bunny Breckinridge (Bill Murray), a very, very buxom Elvira-type (Lisa Marie), Criswell - the most famous predictor in the land (Jeffrey Jones), and a beleaguered Orson Welles (Vincent D'Onofrio) - an atypical assortment of rejects, failures and weirdos.

Burton is inclined to produce a flop, when he indulges too much. Just as the audiences stayed away from Mars Attacks!, they never even considered Ed Wood, because of the black-and-white photography, which was a truly inspired decision. One cannot imagine how much the movie's legitimacy would have been lessened if it was in color. I must assure you that, no matter how offbeat and strange it looks, this film is an absolute classic that begs to be seen. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it has a wicked sense of humor and is sure to have you in stitches.