Masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (12 March 2008)

Ed Wood (1994)
**** (out of 4)
Burton's masterpiece is a loving tribute to "B" monster movie maker Edward D. Wood, Jr. played perfectly by Johnny Depp. The film covers Ed's life up to the release of Plan 9 From Outer Space but the true heart of the movie centers on Wood's relationship with a washed up Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau). To me this is perhaps the greatest film about the making of movies because of how it shows the ups and downs even though the majority of Wood's life were full of downs. The movie is about a lot of things and includes many great jabs at Hollywood but the true brilliance of the film is in its relationship between Wood and Lugosi. This here is where the movie really jumps off the screen because the love story between these two struggling men is where the heart is at and it's these scenes that are going to make the movie last for a very long time. The beautiful B&W cinematography also stands out and Burton has no trouble at building up a realistic setting. I know Burton will always be best known for his big budget action pictures but there's no question this here is his greatest work. The amount of time and detail in every shot jumps off the screen for various reasons but one is the performance from Depp. The way Depp brings Wood to life is something incredible to watch as his always joyful personality jumps out at the viewer and grabs ahold of them making him impossible not to love. As great as Depp is though the film still belongs to Landau who rightfully won an Oscar for his role as Bela Lugosi. Having seen nearly every Lugosi film available, I'm still shocked at how well Landau does him to this day. After numerous viewings of this film I still can't believe at how well Landau got his accent as well as certain gestures and moves. Depp and Landau together make for one of the most beloved duos in film history. Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey JOnes, Vincent D'Onofrio, Juliet Landau and Bill Murray all turns in strong supporting performances as well. Mike Starr, as producer Georgie Weiss, also sticks out in a great comedic performance. I can't think of too many film's that contain a bigger heart than this one. Not only showing the love between Wood and Lugosi but also being able to show respect and love for this type of movie. Burton was a big fan of these "B" and "C" movies so it was nice seeing him pay them respect and this really comes true when the premiere of Plan 9 From Outer Space where the cast and director get cheers for what joy they've brought many fans.