You don't need to make great films, to be a great director ...

Rating: 10/10 (26 May 2011)

In the cinematic universe, among the shining stars, Bogart, Hepburn, Chaplin, Hitchcock, there is a mysterious wobbly flying saucer, hanging on a visible string pulled by a God-like Bela Lugosi. This IFO, it's not unidentified since it's pretty obvious this is a plate, is Edward D. Wood Jr., and "Ed Wood" one of the most surprisingly pleasant films of the last 20 years and probably, but that's my personal opinion, Tim Burton's masterpiece.
The film works on the primary level of a well-directed biographical comedy. I expected some good laughs: I laughed. I expected to know more about the "Worst Director of All-Time": I can say now, that the film grabbed my curiosity enough to make me check about Ed Wood, and his legacy has no secret for me anymore. And I expected a dazzling black and white cinematography handled by Tim Burton's magic direction, and well, my eyes were pleased too. "Ed Wood" is a visual, self-reflexive, homage to the Golden Age of B-movies, where cinema was still a creative laboratory with no providential help from technology and 3D effects, a time when visual effects could be disastrous, or unintentionally hilarious.
Now, what I didn't expect was how I would be moved by the story. "Ed Wood" is more than a comedy or a biopic, it's an inspirational tribute to the devotion one can have for his work. It's about loving what we do, and enjoying it so intensely that any sensation your passion procures is thrilling. This 'living one's passion' aspect, incarnated by Johnny Depp's childish expression and constantly sparkling eyes, drew a big smile on my face encouraging me to approach my life differently. But the more touching facet driving the movie is the heart-breaking friendship between Ed Wood and the horror icon Bela Lugosi, at the nadir of his career. It's a somewhat sad running gag that many people think Lugosi's dead, as to highlight how Ed Wood literally resurrected him. This friendship is the heart of the film.
And both Wood's dedication to his work, his profound respect and admiration to Lugosi incarnate the simple, but so overlooked, idea that love is what drives our lives. Ed Wood did films, managed to get people motivated and convinced they were doing something good, because his passion was communicative. When his pals were complaining about the harshness of a critic, he reassures them like a good and gentle man, in fact, he never talks negatively except during these moments of doubt he shares with his girlfriend, like some flashes of realization that desert him as soon as he remembers his personal dream : to be the next Orson Welles. And this positive mindset is the rainbow lighting Lugosi's bitter heart after years of stormy lows and a painful drug-addiction. I was blown away by Landau's performance: Martin Landau was the legendary Dracula's player even in the most unnoticeable mimics, looks, and majestic explosions of anger when the taboo 'Karloff' word was mentioned ... one of the most powerful supporting performances of the 90's, well deserving its Oscar. And the story's sad undertones were the perfect balance with the movie's wackiness.
And there's something particularly fascinating in the way Burton presents it. In fact we never laugh at Ed Wood and his crew, but at the situations. Wood's troop is so touching and funny that we'd love to share their mood. The family is getting bigger from Bela Lugosi and Bill Murray as the caustic Bunny Breckinridge, to the iconic wrestler Tor Johnson, the delicious Vampira, and the distinguished hoax Crimswell whose predictions are as priceless as worthless, not to mention the chiropractor who'll replace Bela Lugosi after his death, notably in "Plan 9 from Outer Space" : Woody's "pride and joy", literally, "The Godfather" of bad movies. We have a charming gallery of colorful characters so 'cartoonesque' it's like reality plagiarized fiction. Burton didn't need to make films about films, Wood's life is strange enough, marked with nonsensical signs of weirdness from the beginning. God, he wears wigs, angora sweaters and panties, and deals with it in the most serious manner. Is he a homo? No, he just likes to wear that, no big deal.
And again, this is the touching aspect of the film: it shows a gentle face of Ed Wood, a director whose famous career is mostly preceded by the prefix 'in'. But that's because the point is to insist on his nerve, his insistence and his passion. His personal idol was Orson Welles, who inspired him to be an actor, director and writer. He doesn't have the talent, but he's got the guts, and despite the adversity, he still made films with the same passion and sincerity. As Welles told him in a great scene "Why spend your life making someone else's dreams?" Wood fulfilled his dreams, his movies are cult, and his genius talent at making bad movies is a reference, when more talented directors sunk into oblivion. He loved the scenes as soon as they were shot, no retakes, when one scene could take a day, Ed Wood was making 20 or 30, due to the rush. This is less an alibi for Wood than a confirmation that he was born to make films. A very interesting scene is when the producer, watching the (in)famous "Glen or Glenda" takes it at a joke and then genuinely laughs at the ridiculousness of the film. So bad it's good ...
And this is what "Glen or Glenda", "Plan 9 From Outer Space" or any of Ed Wood's films are about, providing enjoyment, even unintentional. And if Wood managed to do that for many movie lovers after his death, that's enough. And it takes a certain genius to be an artist whose name is most remembered than his creations. And if he's remembered as the best from the worst, I guess it's probably more prestigious than being the worst of the best.