I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (1998)

A cross-dressing mental patient escapes from an asylum and robs a bank. The money is soon stolen from him, and he embarks on a killing spree in an attempt to retrieve it.

Director:

Aris Iliopulos

Writer:

Edward D. Wood Jr.

Stars:

Billy Zane, Tippi Hedren, Ron Perlman

7 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Zane	...	The Thief
Tippi Hedren	...	Maylinda Austed
Ron Perlman	...	Cemetery Caretaker
Michael Greene	...	Tom Harris
Christina Ricci	...	Teenage Hooker
Roberta Hanley	...	Housewife
Andrew McCarthy	...	Cemetery Cop
Ann Magnuson	...	Loan Secretary
Robert Musselman	...	Eartha Kitt's Escort
Marvin Lorence	...	Eartha Kitt's Piano Player (as Marvin Lorence)
Bud Cort	...	Shopkeeper (as Lord Hienrich 'Binky' Alcoa III)
Taylor Negron	...	Loan Office Cop
Megan Odebash	...	Wardrobe Mistress (as Megan Odabash)
Carel Struycken	...	Undertaker
Max Perlich	...	Assistant Undertaker

Storyline

A cross-dressing mental patient escapes from an asylum and robs a bank. The money is soon stolen from him, and he embarks on a killing spree in an attempt to retrieve it.

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Plot Keywords:

claim in title | first person title | camera shot of eyes | close up of eyes | cross dressing | 

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Taglines:

Can your hearts stand the shocking truth about a new movie based on an Ed Wood script?

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The second film with no dialogue that Ron Perlman has acted in. The first was Quest for Fire (1981).

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Soundtracks

Plastic Bag
Performed by Minty

User Reviews

strange and worth seeing

Knowing that "I Woke Up Early the Day I Died" comes from a script by Ed Wood, it would seem that anyone should prepare heckling comments before watching it. It turns out that, although the movie makes little if any sense, there is a definite charm to it, possibly to the point of meriting a serious viewing. The plot - or whatever it is - centers on a mental patient (Billy Zane) escaping from the hospital, killing a bank teller, attending the funeral, and then getting involved with the people in the man's life. I think that that's the story; the absence of dialogue made it a little hard to follow.

So, it seems to be the sort of movie that you watch to study, just to see whether or not you can make anything out of the loosely strung together events portrayed. I can't say that I've been able to make anything out of it. Maybe you can. Also starring Tippi Hedren, Ron Perlman, Bud Cort, John Ritter, Christina Ricci and Karen Black. So perhaps we can call "IWUETDID" the almost unheard-of movie with a stellar cast.

Details

Official Sites:

Cinequanon Pictures Cinequanon Pictures International

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

10 September 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Awoke Early the Day I Died

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Muse Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1