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| Johnny Depp as Ed Wood.
It is obvious after viewing Ed Wood that Tim Burton can easily connect with this so called "worst director of all time." They have many things in common and that seems to be why Burton was moved to make this film in the first place. Though Wood was notorious for creating this awful flicks, Burton was drawn moreso to the reasons behind the film making. In Burton's biopic, Ed Wood Finally receives some deserved credit as a director. He pays homage to him in a way, allowing Wood to be redeemed to much of the ignorant public eye.
One way in which he credits Wood's film making is illustrating Ed's drive to create films that he thought would be great, not out of arrogance or for the money. Time after time in Burton's film, Ed Wood can be seen passionately involved with the his own film process, mouthing script lines as actors are reciting them and enthusiastically exclaiming that the scene was perfect after just one shot. Wood also created a group of actors that appeared in his films who were originally outcasts. Though this individuals may not be the greatest of actors, they stuck together through every film with him and continued on no matter the poor reputation or lack of money. They were bound together by their outsider qualities and Ed Wood believed in them when no one else did. In particular, the public believed Bela Lugosi to be past his prime, but Wood recognized his talent and thought he deserved recognition on screen. Finally, Ed Wood went to great lengths to raise funds for his films, even when times got rough (which was... most of the time). He believed in his movies for what they were and wanted to get them produced and out to audiences. Many directors do not have the patience and drive to raise funds for their films time after time, especially when people remark on how awful they turn out to be.
Burton uses scenes from Ed Wood's films in his own to continue paying his homage. The inclusion of these scenes also gives the audience a better feel for what Wood was creating and gives more insight to what emotion and creativity he was trying to display in them. Ed Wood's directing style was misunderstood at the time, but Burton appreciates his honest drive and in many ways redeems him as a director through this film.
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Tuesday, March 5, 2013
McCurdy Ed Wood
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I definitely agree with what you said at the end. Ed Wood’s style was undoubtedly misunderstood at the time he was creating these films, but Tim Burton can look past the bizarre style and look at the man who made the movies. Wood was an enthusiastic, positive, and nonjudgmental man and Burton definitely showed these traits in his film. I also liked how you said Burton redeems him. Many people could just look at Wood and write him off as a bad director with no talent who just wanted to make money. However, Burton shows us that he is an earnest man who just wants to share his (weird) visions, sets and scripts, and ideas with the world. He made Wood an extremely likeable character that we want to see succeed, and it really is sad when all these things keep getting in his way preventing him from making his movies.
ReplyDeleteKatie Carey
I also talked about how Wood was misunderstood in his time. I watched a video on YouTube in which Johnny Depp talked about Wood’s filming style and the people of his time misunderstood him. He talked about how Wood zoomed in closely to his characters for which he was mocked for but when another director did it in later years, he was applauded, not mocked. I do not think Wood’s films were the worst films; I have seen worse films. Wood’s films may be low-tech but most films of the time were so I do not understand why they were deemed the worst films of all time. I definitely agree that Burton and Wood share a love for their own movies. Their movies are like their children. I find it ironic that Burton and Wood are both odd, attract odd people, have visions that are different than the mainstream Hollywood films; the only difference is that Burton experienced success. They are so similar and yet Wood was not successful.
ReplyDelete-Amy Dupuis
Ed Wood's films are definitely awful by Hollywood's (and most people's) standards. I may not be in much of a position to judge because I can't do any better, but Plan 9 From Outer Space 1) didn't make any logical sense, 2) had terrible costuming and acting, and 3) used same shots of Bela Lugosi over and over. So it's no wonder Wood was named the worst director of all time. However, there is something wonderful about his films. Watching Plan 9, I could tell Wood was following his vision and paying no mind to criticism. And Tim Burton and Johnny Depp capture that attitude very well. I also thought how much fun it would have been to be a part of the Plan 9 project. Or even better, to be a part of the Plan 9 community. If the same few actors were used in every Ed Wood movie, imagine their bond over them. This, I think, is why Tim Burton is so attracted to the Ed Wood story. Because he found so much joy and friendship in movie making. So many people in the film industry would take advantage of anyone they had to in order to achieve perfection and glory, and even compromise what thy stand for. But Ed Wood stays true to himself, his vision, and his friends, and finds perfection in the most imperfect shots.
ReplyDeleteBurton has the same qualities plus one more... skill. He is a success because he makes better movies. That's it.
~ Lydia Kolda