Ed Wood

A lonely hotel in St Malo around Christmas would lead me to watch Ed Wood, you see before there was The Mad Hatter and co, we had good, understated and subtle Johnny Depp performances, and before we had a Tim Burton whose films were based on appearance, and CGI, we had films such as Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd, and Ed Wood. Ed Wood is a biopic of a real life director, known for directing Plan 9 from outer space, and Glen or Glenda, and for being awarded the golden turkey award naming him the worst director of all time, and earning him legions of new fans and a cult following. Depp stars as Ed Wood and Sarah Jessica Parker stars as his girlfriend, Dolores Fuller.

The film shows us Ed Wood, as he is trying, and failing to make it in Hollywood as a film director, struggling to find financing for his next film, due to his last film being universally panned. Dolores suggests financing the film independently, and so whilst attempting to gain funding for his film he meets his longtime idol Bela Lugosi, a famous film star who he convinces to star in his new picture. The independent financing results in Dolores being demoted to a supporting role, and the production being crowded by financiers.

This is a fantastic film, and its success lies in the fact that its protagonist is admittedly a little eccentric, yet the film manages to looks at the quirks of the main character, whilst never making fun of Ed, and whilst never ridiculing him or making him the but of a joke. The film is shot in black and white, an audacious choice, and one which almost jeopardized the films creation, but one which pays off, due to the fact that the film manages to mimic the films that it attempts to parody, and the film retains the visual aspect of the time, and there is no jarring against the visual style and the cinematography.

This film contains the best cast that i have seen in some time, Johnny Depp is simply astounding in the title role, and manages to infuse a humanity into a man whohas been ridiculed for so long, and who could easily become camp and gratuitously ridiculous, however the man becomes a character, and we empathize with him despite his faliures. Sarah Jessica Parker is good as Dolores Fuller, a struggling actress who clearly loves Ed despite his flaws, and who attempts to stick with him despite what the rest of the world must think. Martin Landau is stunning as Bela, a man who is depressed and an addict, and whom the rest of the world has forgotten. The rest of the cast is made up by Bill Murray, Jeffrey Jones and Patricia Arquette, and each of these actors manage to create characters who are delightfully kooky, yet also well rounded and who manage to seem like real people, and are not overly caricatured.

Overall Ed Wood is a delightful film, it is fun and stylish, artistic and clever, and provides an insight into the life of a man whose body of work is often lampooned, and a stellar performance from Depp make this film a must watch for anyone, yet more so for Burton fans, this film being truly one of Burton's best. Rating: A