Ed Wood (1994)
- Starring:
- Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, (more)
- Director(s):
- Tim Burton
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
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Hollywood visionary Tim Burton pays homage to another Hollywood visionary, albeit a less successful one, in this unusual fictionalized biography. The film follows Wood (Johnny Depp) in his quest for film greatness as he writes and directs turkey after turkey, cross-dresses, and surrounds himself with a motley crew of Hollywood misfits, outcasts, has-beens, and never-weres. The real story, however, is his friendship with aging, morphine-addicted Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau), whom he tries to help stage a comeback. Landau's unforgettable Oscar-winning performance must be seen to be believed, as must Rick Baker's Oscar-winning makeup. While it would have been easy to make a film simply ridiculing the bumbling director, Burton instead focuses on his driving passion for filmmaking and his unwavering persistence in the face of ridicule and failure. Possibly the most surprising aspect of the film is the genuine sentiment with which Burton treats the relationship between Wood and Lugosi; his devotion to Lugosi is touching, as is Lugosi's final soliloquy -- an inane bit of dialogue from the hilariously bad Bride of the Monster that grows into a poignant metaphor for the actor's life and ultimate triumph of his spirit. Even the look of the film is right; it manages to preserve the air of one of Wood's own films while retaining a sense of artistry in much of the composition on screen (note the scene at the drug rehab where Lugosi endures a horrifying night of detox). In all, Ed Wood is a unique film -- at times side-splittingly funny; at others, tragic or even frightening -- and a heartfelt tribute to the love of movies, good and bad alike. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 127 mins
Complete Cast:
- Johnny Depp - Ed Wood
- Sarah Jessica Parker - Dolores Fuller
- Bill Murray - Bunny Breckinridge
- Vincent D'Onofrio - Orson Welles
- G.D. Spradlin - Reverend Lemon
- Brent Hinkley - Conrad Brooks
- George Steele - Tor Johnson
- Mickey Cottrell - Hammy Alien
- Jonathan Ross - Camera Assistant
- Edmund L. Shaff - Executive #2
- Ryan Holihan - Frantic Usher
- Don Amendolia - Salesman
- Louis Lombardi - Rental House Manager
- Mary Portser - Backer's Wife
- Anthony Russell - Busboy
- Ray Baker - Doctor
- Gene Lebell - Ring Announcer
- Matthew Barry - Valet
- Norman Alden - Cameraman Bill
- Vinny Argiro - TV Horror Show Director
- Gregory Walcott - Potential Backer
- Maurice LaMarche - Orson Welles [uncredited]
- Ralph Monaco - Waiter
- John Rice - Conservative Man
- Conrad Brooks - Bartender
- Stanley de Santis - Mr. Feldman
- Patti Tippo - Nurse
- Martin Landau - Bela Lugosi
- Patricia Arquette - Kathy O'Hara
- Jeffrey Jones - Criswell
- Lisa Marie - Vampira
- Max Casella - Paul Marco
- Juliet Landau - Loretta King
- Leonard Termo - Makeup Man Harry
- Alan Martin - Vampira's Assistant
- Ned Bellamy - Dr. Tom Mason
- Rance Howard - Old Man McCoy
- Ric Mancini - Photographer #2
- Carmen Filpi - Old Crusty Man
- Charles C. Stevenson, Jr. - Another Backer
- Bobby Slayton - TV show host
- Clive Rosengren - Ed Reynolds
- King Cotton - Hick Backer
- Charlie Holliday - Tourist
- Mike Starr - Georgie Weiss
- Gretchen Becker - TV Host's Assistant
- Melora Walters - Secretary #2
- Korla Pandit - Indian Musician
- Don Hood - Southern Backer
- Biff Yeager - Rude Boss
- Danny Dayton - Soundman
- Vasek Simek - Professor Strowski
- Reid Cruickshanks - Stage Guard
- Director(s):
- Tim Burton
- Writer(s):
- Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski
- Producer(s):
- Denise Di Novi, Tim Burton
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Not For Children, Adult Situations)
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- 1994 - Ed Wood - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
- 1993 - Ed Wood - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Supporting Actor
- 1993 - Ed Wood - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Music Score
- 1993 - Ed Wood - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Cinematography
- 1994 - Ed Wood - National Society of Film Critics - Best Cinematography
- 1994 - Ed Wood - National Society of Film Critics - Best Supporting Actor
- 1994 - Ed Wood - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Cinematography
- 1994 - Ed Wood - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Supporting Actor
- 1994 - Ed Wood - Screen Actors Guild - Best Supporting Actor
