I enjoy most of the films that come from the slightly twisted mind of director Tim Burton. No matter how bizarre the subject matter, Burton has a way of making the impossible seem possible. The idea of a man being created with scissors for hand, or another traveling the world and experiencing all that life has to offer feels real. Often his films have a slight sense of sarcasm, a snubbing of the nose if you will, of what is normally acceptable in the average social circle. To Burton, existing in a typical everyday world is more frightening than facing all the monsters your mind can imagine. I tend to agree. When “Ed Wood” was released, I write a review for the small North Dallas newsletter that had offered me my first writing ‘job.’ It was a glowing review, in part because the film ended up being so much better than what I had expected. The real Wood was responsible for films that have been considered some of he worst ever made. As the director of “Plan 9 from Outer Space”, “Bride of the Monster” and “Glen or Glenda,” his name has become almost a household name amongst film enthusiasts.

I remember thinking how it seemed fitting that Burton, who is often been considered an offbeat director, would be the one to make a film about him.

“Ed Wood” is a lovingly crafted film that follows Wood’s career as he was working on his first few films. Along the journey we meet the many unusual people that eventually turned into his official entourage. Most notably, is that of the great film legend, Bela Lugosi. In real life, Wood befriended the aging and morphine-addicted actor and gave him a new family of sorts. Here, Lugosi is as cantankerous and argumentative as he is sad and lonely. His story as it is presented in this film is almost as important as Wood’s.

Burton wisely chose to create a film that covered just the early part of his career, re-creating some of the most famous scenes from these now famous movies. He opted to end the film on a high note, as opposed to focusing on Wood’s later film career, which eventually spiraled down into the realms of drug induced porn films. The Wood we meet is full of energy, charisma and big dreams. Regardless of his lack of knowledge about making films or money to produce them, he knows that if he’s enthusiastic about the process, that enthusiasm will show up on screen. Very little dashes this guy’s hopes.

There is little fault I can find in Burton’s film, it’s both funny and poignant, and its stars deliver some of the best performances of 1994. I can’t even begin to describe hoe good Johnny Depp is as Wood. He takes what could be considered to be just another quirky character and gives him a depth of emotion like no other actor could have. Of course, what else could I expect?

When Johnny Depp hit the entertainment scene in “21 Jump Street”, most people, myself included, dismissed him as just another ‘pretty boy’, who was destined to be a has-been. Little did we know how badly he wanted to shed that image and prove himself as an actor. Once he left the show, he started accepting parts like the title characters in “Edward Scissorhands”, “Benny and Joon” as well as the delusional Don Juan in “Don Juan DeMarco,” Depp started distinguishing himself as a strong character actor. Over his illustrious career, he has continued to use his chameleon-like abilities to literally ‘become’ the characters he portrays. Just look at his approach to playing Hunter Thompson in Terry Gilliam’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” It is as left field as I’ve ever seen him, a veritable a tour-de-force of maniacal tics, leering stares, and drugged-out insanity. I can keep going by mentioning newer films like “Pirates of the Carribean”, but I think you get the picture.

As for Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi, I remember correctly predicting that he was going to win an Academy Award for this role. He had already been nominated twice before but didn’t win. This was the third nomination and it was the charm. Landau successfully captured the agonizing last days of the film icon, and with this tribute it was as if the real Lugosi had risen from the grave and finally received the fame and status that he so richly deserved. So strong was Landau’s performance that I believe he would have pulled it off even without special effects artist Rick Baker’s incredible makeup job.

This long overdue DVD comes complete with a lot of extra features, all of which were more than worth checking out. There is a great commentary track from Burton, Landau, along with Co-Writers Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski, Director of Photography Stefan Czapsky and Costume Designer Colleen Atwood. Often having so many cooks can spoil the pot, but each adds just enough details and anecdotes to make this a very entertaining commentary.

Amongst the many featurettes you’ll find one on the overall making of the film. Aptly titled, "Let’s Shoot This F#*%@r!”, it offers a lot of candid footage giving more than your usual look behind the scenes. The production design is more the focus of "Pie Plates Over Hollywood", as designer Tom Duffield is given the opportunity to discuss at length what it took to give the film just the right look. Fans of the theremin (if you don’t know… don’t ask…) will certainly enjoy learning about its history as well as a chance to see how it is played.

Considering that Landau’s performance and makeup were some of the highlights of “Ed Wood”, it is only fitting that there would be a featurette devoted to them. In “Making Bela”, both Landau and SFX guru Rick Baker are interviewed about the process of turning Landau into Bela Lugosi. On the surface, the transformation is nothing short of amazing. Baker is one of he best in the business and his work here deserves a close-up look. But while make-up is only skin deep, characterization is not and we learn from Landau how he prepared for, and eventually tackled the role of the legendary actor.

“Ed Wood” is still one of my favorite Tim Burton films and it’s about time that I can finally get a copy of it on DVD. Overlooked by far too many people, I can only hope that this gem of a film will be discovered by a whole new generation of DVD audiences.

Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, Bill Murray
Extras: Deleted Scenes, “Let’s Shoot this F#*%@r!” - Behind the Scenes Featurette, “Making Bela” - Featurette, “”Pie Plates over Hollywood” - Featurette, Theremin Featurette, Audio Commentary with Director Tim Burton, Actor Martin Landau, Co-Writers Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski, Director of Photography Stefan Czapsky and Costume Designer Colleen Atwood, Music Video, Theatrical Trailer
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1) Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Touchstone Home Entertainment
Release Date: 10/19/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Some Strong Language)
Website

We'll give Ed Wood an A.