The Worst of Ed Wood Boxed Set
by Edward D. Wood Jr.
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bela Lugosi, Edward D. Wood Jr., Gregory Walcott, Lyle Talbot, Tom KeeneDirector: Edward D. Wood Jr.
Producer: Edward D. Wood Jr.
Writer: Edward D. Wood Jr.
Producer: Charles Burg
Producer: Donald E. McCoy
Producer: George Weiss
Producer: Hugh Thomas Jr.
Writer: Alex Gordon
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Box set, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
DVD Release Date: 2000-10-03
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Image Entertainment
Movie Reviews of The Worst of Ed Wood Boxed Set
Movie Review: What is Bad?
Summary: 5 Stars
Ed Wood's movies sure aren't "bad". As far as I'm concerned, the only way a movie can be bad is if it is neither intellectually stimulating or entertaining. Sure, Ed Wood's films won't get you thinking, but when he set out to make his films his only goal was to entertain, and this is a goal he certainly accomplished. Of course, just because something is not bad doesn't mean it is great either, but if you judge Ed Wood's films by their entertainment value, they are some of the best ever made.Sure, some of the entertainment value of Wood's films comes from his inept direction, stilted dialogue, and obviously poor budgets, but despite this, his films have a great sense of sincerity and enthusiasm to them which make them endearing and contagious. When I watch a Wood film, I don't just laugh AT them (which is something I do), I also laugh WITH them. It is clear Wood is having fun and wants his audience to have fun as well.
And what a brave and daring filmmaker he was! Look at the subject matter of "Glen or Glenda", in which he so readily bared his soul about being a transvestite at the risk of public rejection and humiliation, especially considering the time period it was made! Also, at a time when any actor who was a little bit different was being blacklisted, Ed Wood was willing to cast a known drug addict (Bela Lugosi), homosexuals, and other misfits like Swedish wrestling star Tor Johnson. Later directors like Fellini (who goes out of his way to cast unusual people) owe a great debt to Ed Wood.
And you don't get the sense that Wood's in it for the profit or glory, but instead that he is a genuinely nice guy who is in it for his own fun and because he cares about the audience.
And what imagination! Look for example at "Plan 9 From Outer Space". You don't get the usual alien invasion story which was being rehashed over and over in 1950s sci-fi. You also get zombies and vampires at a time they were rarely appearing in movies! And instead of having the aliens unseen in their flying saucers, you get to meet them and learn something of their motivations. He also creates a sympathetic zombie played by Bela Lugosi/Bela Lugosi's wife's chiropractor by showing how he died from grief over his wife's death. No one-dimensional characters here! And even in a movie like "Glenn or Glenda", which is about transvestism, he manages to get in footage of such things as WWII Pacific warfare and Bela Lugosi playing the evil puppetmaster PULLING "THE STRINGS!!" of society, and making us dance like his mindless slaves!
My only quible with this collection is that they should have included "Night of the Ghouls" (the sequel to "Bride of the Monster") instead of "Jail Bait" (not one of his more entertaining -- its misleading title refers to a gun). But if you enjoy "Plan 9", you should enjoy this box set.
Yes, it is sometimes fun to watch Wood's movies merely because they are so "bad". But as far as I'm concerned, Ed Wood's films deserve a place in the Criterion collection as some of the most entertaining movies ever made.