Filmic Friday 204: Ed Wood (1994)

Once upon a time, there was a filmmaker named Edward D. Wood Jr.

Ed wanted to make movies about topics he cared about. He had some good friends in actors Bela Lugosi and Bunny Breckinridge, "psychic" Criswell, and professional wrestler Tor Johnson, but he didn't have, according to Hollywood, much talent in making movies. They were also apparently weirded out by his alleged habits of crossdressing and hanging out with fringe personalities.

Yet you've almost certainly seen or heard of his biggest films.

Ed Wood was the man who made Plan 9 from Outer Space and Bride of the Monster, after all.

In 1994, Tim Burton decided that we needed to have a biopic of this bizarre man and cast created Ed Wood, which we watched on Z's birthday!

What a film!!!

So, here's the cast:

Ed Wood is played by a young Johnny Depp, who fits the roll perfectly. He really does remind me of Ed Wood in a lot of ways, to be honest.

Bela Lugosi is played by Martin Landau in the most convincing makeup I've ever seen. He really gets lost in the role of a fading star to the point where I honestly forget he's not actually Bela once or twice.

Ed's first girlfriend, Dolores Fuller, is played by Sara Jessica Parker, who was honestly the perfect choice for a woman who'd had enough.

Kathy O'Hara, Ed's future wife, is played by Patricia Arquette, who really does seem to take everything in stride. It's a great performance.

Criswell, the bullcrap psychic, is played to the hilt by Jeffrey Jones, who nails not only Criswell's voice and intonations, but also his bizarre, stiff mannerisms.

Bunny Breckinridge is played by the incomparable Bill Murray, and... he's perfect.

Vampira is played by Lisa Marie, and I absolutely buy her performance, though her voice is a bit less... husky than the OG Vampira.

Finally, we have the role of Tor Johnson, who is played by the late, great George "The Animal" Steele. What a choice! He was born to play Tor Johnson!!!

The real Tor Johnson in Plan 9

George Steele as Tor in Ed Wood

The plot of Ed Wood is the leadup to and making of Plan 9 from Outer Space, though it also shows the making of Bride of the Monster, too, so it's kind of a two-for-one deal. Everyone is playing their parts perfectly, and the film score just makes it even more perfect!

I'm not going to spoil much for you, since you should absolutely watch the movie, but it's an impossible film to ignore, so if you get a chance to watch it, do!

Otherwise, you'll never know the context for this shot of Johnny Depp in drag.

That's all for me today, folks - I've gotta go nurse this weird cold I've developed.

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