Review of Glen or Glenda (1953) by Bryan G — 04 Nov 2009

Even with his collection of less than stellar feature films, writer/director Edward D. Wood Jr. ranks among my favorite filmmakers of all time. Never has there been a director quite like Wood, who had an uncanny ability to make some of the weirdest films you will ever see. Despite my disliking of his debut film Glen or Glenda?, I think this is a film that everyone should see at least once. I'm sure you will be like me, and constantly questioning "What the heck is going on here?" while you are watching this one.

Apparently Edward D Wood Jr. wrestled over some personal issues involving the desire of wearing woman's clothing, which is why a project like Glen or Glenda? was one he felt so passionate about. But even drawing from personal experience, and casting himself as the title character of Glen/Glenda, Wood fails to make a compelling story in support of this "alternative lifestyle." The film may have been ahead of its time with its subject matter, but it was still stuck in the 1950's frame of mind when it came to low budget film-making.

Bela Lugosi, who in the twilight of his career did a handful of Wood pictures, plays the most confusing character in this film. He plays some sort of evil scientist who chimes in and out with expertise on the lives of the characters in the film. But in no way does anything he has to say really have anything to do with the majority of the film. And Wood's patented off the wall dialogue gives Lugosi some of the strangest things to say. In a movie about transvestites and transsexuals, I don't quite understand how speeches about big green dragons has anything to do with what is going on.

If you stripped away all of Lugosi's scenes, all of the stock footage and the randomly inserted sequences, Glen or Glenda? probably would be about 15 minutes long. Wood really outdid the strange in this film, even by his standards. Bizarre sequences like a fantasy wedding that Satan attends, or the montage of deviant sexual acts do stick with you by the time the film is over. But they do little to nothing to expand on this film's premise... whatever that might be.

I hate this film. It isn't as fun as other Edward D. Wood Jr. films like Bride of the Monster, or the gloriously bad Plan 9 from Outer Space. But like all of this director's films, Glen or Glenda? should be experienced at least once in your lifetime. This easily ranks with Reefer Madness as one of the best "good intentions gone wrong" movies ever made.