Glen or Glenda
by Edward D. Wood
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Captain DeZita, Charles Crafts, Conrad Brooks, Henry Bederski, Timothy FarrellDirector: Edward D. Wood
Brand: WOOD,ED
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 65 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-02-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Image Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Glen or Glenda
Movie Review: Pull the string! Pull the string!
Summary: 5 Stars
You know, I thought this was a very good movie. Sure, it was utterly, and I mean the word utterly, horrible in the sense of production, acting, and even direction, but the mind of Ed Wood Jr. was not meant to be understood in the 1950s, but for some strange reason really worked well in today's society. I mean, look at this film. Glen and Glenda was not a huge success in the 50s causing Ed Wood to be considered one of the worst directors out there at the time, but look at this film. It is about transsexuals, transvestites, and sex change operations. These were topics not discussed in modern cinema at the time. In fact, I don't know of any that dealt with this issue. Wood opened the door. He talks, he thinks, he expresses his feelings into this film, and the final result may seem a bit Mystery Science Theater 3000-ish, but the honest truth is that it works so well in today's society. Throughout this entire film I couldn't help laughing, not just at the poor production and the scene where Glen's fiancée gives him her sweater, but also that this type of story is happening today. There are people that deal with situations like this all the time in our modern society.
This had me thinking, was this just a cheap film for Ed Wood Jr., or was it nothing short of brilliant. Here we have a director who created a film well before its time that was not understood when it was released, but somehow really really works today. Think about it for a second. Here you have this man, who loves to dress as a woman, but is afraid because of what society may think. We have those issues now. There are so many "closeted" homosexuals in our society that are afraid to be themselves because of what others may think. Glen feels this. He experiences it with his own fiancée, a woman that is supposed to love him no matter what issues come across their table. Then there is Alan, a GI for all things, which comes back from the war, and wants to be a woman. This is wild. When I was watching this, my mind was being blown away. Remember the headline news years back about gays in the military? Perhaps everyone should be watching this film. I never knew a film like this existed. It has been a long time since I have seen Tim Burton's film about Ed Wood, but now I want to revisit it.
Now, I will admit, there were some scenes that just screamed cheesy B-rated film. Bela Lugosi's entire part in this film was absurd. The fact that he was a scientist, trying to talk about the changes in our society and how they are affecting people like Glen, was interesting, but difficult to take in noting Lugosi's deep accent. BEEEVAAARE. HA! That still has me laughing two days after watching the film. But, it isn't laughter of disgust. It is laughter of enjoyment. There was a huge level of enjoyment to this film. It is short movie, so Wood gets straight to the point, interrupting for just a brief moment to have this wildly sexual dance in the middle. This film reminded me of some of Christopher Guest's very early styled mocu-mentaries. Sure, Wood didn't have the money to make an elaborate picture. He used stock footage and voice-overs half the time. You could tell that budget was low because he was in it as the title character (I think that also had something to do with his interest in the subject), but for me it worked.
Overall, this was a very humorous and eye opening film. For those that comment on how dated the story is, I don't know. I really think that Wood's film has so much to offer today's society. While not all the facts are correct, he was brave enough to make a film about it. Who else was going to do that in the 50s ... oh, when times were "better"? I stand-up and applaud Wood for this film and really suggest everyone going out and experiencing this one for the first time. It is enjoyable, sinful, and jaw dropping all at the same time. I am surprised that Wood's time machine didn't show up in this film somewhere along the line, because it was as if he was looking directly into our society. It was bizarrely beautiful. I loved it.
Thank you Mr. Wood!
Grade: ***** out of *****
Summary of Glen or Glenda
No Description Available.Genre: Cult
Rating: NR
Release Date: 12-SEP-2006
Media Type: DVD
Often mentioned as a contender for the title of Worst Movie Ever Made, Glen or Glenda? (a.k.a. I Changed My Sex, a.k.a. I Led Two Lives, a.k.a. He or She) remains Ed Wood's weirdest film--and, for the director of Plan 9 from Outer Space, that's saying something. Yet Glen or Glenda? goes way beyond camp, into some unique zone of demented personal expression, an essay/collage/autobiography that is no less fascinating just because it comes from a second-rate mind. Wood himself, under the pseudonym Daniel Davis, plays a transvestite struggling to reveal his tendencies to his wife (the toneless Dolores Fuller, Wood's missus in real life). Mixed in with this exploitation story is a ton of irrelevant stock footage, as well as disconnected glimpses of Béla Lugosi bellowing at the audience; Lugosi's dialogue is a tapestry of non sequiturs and portentous warnings. The behind-the-scenes creation of Glen or Glenda? forms part of the action of Ed Wood, Tim Burton's affectionate tribute to the B-movie master. Wood himself was a transvestite, which accounts for the cracked sincerity of Glen or Glenda?; the passion for angora sweaters is real, not a fluffy plot device. Truly a flabbergasting 68 minutes in film history. --Robert Horton
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