THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 12, 1994 TAG: 9410120045
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: CRAIG SHAPIRO
LENGTH: Long : 119 lines
YOU DON'T have to sit through five Ed Wood films, plus a documentary, to understand why Tim Burton would make a movie about him. But being a video guy with high standards - and too much free time - that's what I did.
Edward D. Wood Jr. was a dreamer. He didn't set out to make bad movies, just movies. When he came to Hollywood, he was going to be the next Orson Welles. It was a short affair. Just before Christmas in 1978, broke and ravaged by alcohol, reduced to writing and acting in porn films, Wood died at age 53, rejected by the industry he loved.
A good place to start a crash course is ``Ed Wood . . . Look Back in Angora'' (1994, Rhino). The short documentary uses clips and comments from cast and family to piece together his story.
The earmarks of an Ed Wood project are here - disregard for continuity, (``Ramblers became Fords''), the cardboard sets and poor use of stock footage. When he ran out of money for ``Bride of the Monster'' after three days, he prevailed on his cast. Loretta King anted up after she was given the lead.
When Wood went ashore in World War II, he wore women's lingerie under his fatigues, says fellow Marine Joe Robertson. ``Ed always told me he hoped he'd be killed, because if he was injured,
he couldn't explain the red bra and panties.''
Gary Owens gives it all a campy narration, but you come away with a sense of sadness: that there was no place for his spirit and sincerity; that dreams can turn ugly.
``Ed was unique, an original,'' says his leading lady, Dolores Fuller. ``He just loved movies.''
You know he would've loved a movie about a boy with scissor hands, able to feel but not touch, the creation of a scientist played by a faded horror star. ``Angora'' includes stills of Burton and Johnny Depp at work on the new film.
``He finally got his break,'' Owens intones. ``He just had to be dead. Ed Wood loved twist endings.''
My Ed Wood Festival included his first and last films, plus his horror trilogy. The Naro Expanded Video, 802 Spotswood Ave., Norfolk, carries the seven films he directed, plus a second documentary, ``On the Trail of Ed Wood,'' hosted by friend and actor Conrad Brooks.
``Glen or Glenda'' (1953, Nostalgia). Wood was serious about this jaw-dropping examination of transvestism. Autobiographical for sure. The credits list Daniel Davis, but that's Wood. And what on earth is Lugosi, who took $1,000 for the part, babbling about? ``Bevare! Bevare of the big green dragon that sits on your doorstep. He eats little boys, puppy dog tails and big fat snails. Bevare!''
``The Sinister Urge'' (1960, Admit One). A tough cop (Kenne Duncan) is on the trail of a smut ring that sells to high schoolers. Seems the pictures have led to three deaths. ``Show me a crime,'' says Lt. Carson, ``and I'll show you a picture that caused it.'' The film gets rough, with blouses and bras torn off.
``Bride of the Monster'' (1956, Nostalgia). Mad scientist (Lugosi) is using nuclear energy to try to create a race of super beings. The monster is a rubber octopus stolen from another studio. When it didn't work, Wood had Lugosi lie in its grasp and flail the tentacles.
``Plan 9 From Outer Space'' (1956, Nostalgia). Aliens arrive in paper plates and bring forth zombies from a cardboard graveyard. Lugosi, who died during production, only has a few minutes of screen time. Wood got his wife's chiropractor to stalk the set.
``Night of the Ghouls'' (1959, Rhino). A charlatan - Dr. Acula - scams the grieving by pretending to raise the dead. When real ghouls appear, they get him. The film was never released; it stayed at a developing lab for more than 20 years because Wood couldn't pay the bill.
Other Wood films available are ``Jail Bait'' (1954) and ``The Violent Years'' (1956), both on Sinister Cinema.
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``The 3 Tenors in Concert 1994,'' ``Sleepless in Seattle,'' ``D2: The Mighty Ducks,'' ``Beethoven's 2nd,'' ``Playboy Celebrity Centerfold: LaToya Jackson''
Rentals: ``Four Weddings and a Funeral,'' ``The Crow,'' ``Schindler's List,'' ``The Ref,'' ``Serial Mom''
The Couch Report
``BackBeat'' (1994, Gramercy). Stephen Dorff and Ian Hart drive this lively biopic about the Hamburg days of the Beatles. Stuart Sutcliffe (Dorff) is along for a laugh; his passion is to paint, and he quits the band when he falls in love with photographer Astrid Kirchherr. Hart nails John Lennon (he also played him in ``The Hours and Times''). A film that can be appreciated for its portrait of love and friendship, the era it evokes and its principals' place in history.
(CAST: Stephen Dorff, Sheryl Lee, Ian Hart. RATED: R for language, nudity, situations)
``The Paper'' (1994, MCA/Universal). With a top-flight cast, Ron Howard captures the frenzy of a New York tab. Michael Keaton is the metro editor facing career and personal crises, but the film spins several stories while raising an issue some would deny: ethics vs. the bottom line.
(CAST: Michael Keaton, Glenn Close, Randy Quaid, Marisa Tomei, Robert Duvall. RATED: R for language, violence)
``Where the Rivers Flow North'' (1994, A-Pix). Despite the familiar story - big company tries to force a man off his land - this little film is worth seeking out. Rip Torn gives a powerful, convincing performance, and the setting, northeastern Vermont in 1927, is gorgeous.
(CAST: Rip Torn, Tantoo Cardinal, Michael J. Fox. RATED: PG-13 for mild violence)
``The Inkwell'' (1994, Touchstone). Matty Rich has reset ``Summer of '42'' in the African-American section of Martha's Vineyard called The Inkwell in 1976. Larenz Tate is good as the teenage Drew, who comes of age. While other characters are two-dimensional, it's a neat slice of life.
(CAST: Larenz Tate, Joe Morton, Jada Pinkett. RATED: R for language, situations)
``Holy Matrimony'' (1994, Hollywood). A well-intentioned comedy-drama that never finds its footing. Patricia Arquette pulls a heist then hides out in a religious order. It's about coming to terms.
(CAST: Patricia Arquette, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tate Donovan. RATED: PG-13 for mild violence, language, innuendo)
Also: ``Golden Gate,'' the Matt Dillon-Joan Chen drama (R).
Next Wednesday: ``Sirens,'' ``Crooklyn,'' ``No Escape,'' ``Clean Slate,'' ``That's Entertainment III,'' ``White Fang 2: The Myth of the White Wolf,'' ``Monkey Trouble,'' ``A Better Tomorrow,'' ``Sodbusters'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
TOUCHSTONE PICTURES
Johnny Depp stars in ``Ed Wood,'' a movie about Edward D. Wood Jr.
and his films, which are on video.
by CNB