Review of Bride of the Monster (1955) by Noelle W — 28 Feb 2007

Ed Wood is widely considered to be thw worst director of all-time. Although that is certainly debatable, as many modern directors with enormous budgets and a plethora of special effects certainly deserve consideration for that dubious honor, the fact that he is considered the worst director of all-time cements his place in film history. His films are bad, so bad in fact that they are fascinating to watch. We will start with 1994's biography of Ed Wood by Tim Burton and then explore some of the hacks best known films. Reviews below.

[b]Ed Wood (1994) - 8.9/10[/b].

Director - Tim Burton.

Starring - Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Bill Murray, Jeffrey Jones, Vincent D'Onofrio, Max Casella, Lisa Marie, George Steele.

Proclaimed the worst director of all-time, Ed Wood was nonetheless an interesting guy. Tim Burton's quirky biography stars Johnny Depp as the infamous cross-dressing director. Wood claims to be a visionary of sorts, and defies all odds in order to get the financial backing to direct his first film, [i]Glen or Glenda[/i]. This tasteless tale of a crossdressing man who loves angora sweaters should have been his first and last film, but Wood's love of Hollywood, a chance meeting with the once legendary horror actor Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau) and his unrelentless determination enables him to continue making films.

It's one of the oddest biographies ever made, but it transcends that genre. It celebrates the underdog and ultimately everything we like about the movies, and Ed Wood did love movies. Johnny Depp, in a career defining role, brings such enthusiasm to the role. You can't help but like him, and root for him to continue despite his obvious bad taste. The scene with director Orson Welles (Vincent D'Onofrio) is particularly poignant, because Wood honestly believes he matches Welles as a visionary. But the best part of the film is the relationship between Wood and Bela Lugosi. The aging Lugosi, once a big star, has been cast away by Hollywood. He's developed a big drug problem. Yet like Wood he can't get movies out of his system and yearns for the attention he garnered in his heyday. His story is tragic, yet the bond between Wood and Lugosi is sincere. Martin Landau deservedly won an Oscar for his supporting role. This is also Tim Burton's best film. From the beautiful and authentic black and white cinematography, to the masterful "behind the scenes" look at filmmaking, to the wonderful story created, it's masterful filmmaking. It transcends the bio films and becomes a celebration of everything we like about the movies. Well done.

[b]Glen or Glenda (1953) - 3.4/10[/b].

Director - Ed Wood.

Starring - Ed Wood, Bela Lugosi, Dolores Fuller, Lyle Talbot, Tommy Haynes.

Considered by many to be the worst movie of all-time (Come on it's better than Bio-Dome!), Ed Wood's directorial debut [i]Glen or Glenda [/i]has become somewhat of a cult classic[i].[/i] Wood (Under a pseudonym) plays the lead character Glen/Glenda. a crossdresser with a dilemma. Should he tell his fiancee (Real life girlfriend Dolores Fuller) or not? Afterall her clothes are mysteriously disappearing! Bela Lugosi narrates, and the film features a bizarre mixture of stock footage that has nothing to do with the story. It's hilariously bad, but the Lugosi/Wood friendship would insure more films to follow.

[b]Bride of the Monster (1955) - 2.2/10[/b].

Director - Ed Wood.

Starring - Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson, Loretta King, Tony McCoy, Harvey B. Dunne, Dolores Fuller, George Becwar.

Ed Wood's biggest budget film and the last to fully star Bela Lugosi (who appears posthumously in [i]Plan 9 From Outer Space[/i]) who plays an evil scientest who tries to create a race of atomic supermen. Yep it's dreadful.

[b]Plan 9 From Outer Space (1956) - 4.4/10[/b].

Director - Ed Wood.

Starring - Bela Lugosi, Maila "Vampira" Nurmi, Mona McKinnon, Gregory Walcott, Tor Johnson, Criswell, Paul Marco.

Ed Wood's crowning achievement! His [i]Citizen Kane[/i]. His....well masterpiece? Or some shall say another contender for worst film of all-time. But once again it's soooo bad it's almost good. Okay not good, but hellah fun to watch. Bela Lugosi gets star billing once again, although he is only seen from leftover footage. The story is preposterous and the special effects painfully bad, even for a miniscule budget, but it's once again a strangely charming and fascinating film. Obviously for all the wrong reasons! Besides it has a killer title!