My Movie Collection

Ed Wood is a 1994 comedy-drama biopic directed by Tim Burton, and starring Johnny Depp as cult filmmaker Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film concerns the period in Wood's life when he made his best-known films as well as his relationship with actor Béla Lugosi, played by Martin Landau. Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, Lisa Marie, and Bill Murray are among the supporting cast.

The film was conceived by writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski when they were students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Irritated at being thought of solely as writers for family films with their work on Problem Child and Problem Child 2, Alexander and Karaszewski struck a deal with Burton and Denise Di Novi to produce the Ed Wood biopic, and Michael Lehmann as director. Due to scheduling conflicts with Airheads, Lehmann had to vacate the director's position, which was taken over by Burton. It would be Burton's first R-rated film.

Ed Wood was originally in development at Columbia Pictures, but the studio put the film in turnaround over Burton's decision to shoot the film in black-and-white. Ed Wood was taken to Walt Disney Pictures, who released the film under their Touchstone Pictures banner. The film was released to critical acclaim, but was not a Box Office success. Landau and Rick Baker, who designed Landau's prosthetic makeup, won Academy Awards for their work on the film.

Edward D. Wood, Jr. is struggling to join the film industry. Upon hearing of an announcement in Variety that producer George Weiss is trying to purchase Christine Jorgensen's life story, Ed is inspired to meet Weiss in person. Weiss explains that Variety's announcement was a news leak, and it is impossible to purchase Jorgensen's rights. The producer decides to 'fictionalize' the film titled I Changed My Sex!, and "do it without the shemale". One day, Ed meets his longtime idol Béla Lugosi, after spotting him trying out a coffin. Ed drives Béla home and the two become friends. Later, Ed decides to star Béla in the film and convinces Weiss that he is perfect to direct I Changed My Sex! because he is a transvestite.

Ed and Weiss argue over the film's title, Weiss has already had the poster printed, which Ed changes to Glen or Glenda. The shoot finishes on Glen or Glenda, and Ed is enthusiastic that he starred, directed, wrote and produced his own film. Glen or Glenda is released to critical and financial failure. Ed is unsuccessful in getting a job at Warner Bros., a producer there tells him Glen or Glenda is the worst film he has ever seen, but Ed's girlfriend, Dolores Fuller, tells him that he is not "studio material", and that he should find independent backers for his next film, "Bride of the Atom". Ed is unsuccessful in finding money for Bride of the Atom, but is introduced to the psychic The Amazing Criswell.

At a bar, Ed meets Loretta King, who he thinks has enough money to fund Bride of the Atom. Filming begins, but is halted. Ed convinces meat packing industry tycoon, Don McCoy, to take over funding the film. McCoy does so, but on the condition that film ends with a giant explosion, and that his son Tony, who "is a little slow", is the leading man. The filming of Bride of the Atom finishes, but Dolores and Ed break up after the wrap party, because of Ed's circle of friends and transvestism. Also, Béla, who is revealed to be highly depressed and a morphine addict, attempts to conduct a double suicide with Ed, but is talked out of it. Béla is put in rehab, and Ed eventually finds happiness when he meets Kathy O'Hara, who is visiting her father. Ed takes her on a date, and reveals to her his transvestism.

Ed begins to shoot a film with Béla outside his home. Ed and company (along with Vampira from the Vampira Show) attend the premiere for Bride of the Monster, until an angry mob chases them out of the theater. Sometime later, Béla dies leaving Ed without a star. Ed convinces Reynolds that funding Ed's script for "Grave Robbers from Outer Space" would result in a box office success, and generate enough money to make all of the Twelve Apostles films. Dr. Tom Mason, Kathy's chiropractor, is chosen to be Béla's stand-in. However, Ed and the Baptists begin having conflicts over the title and content of the script which they want to have changed to Plan 9 from Outer Space along with Ed's B movie directing style, his casting decisions and his transvestism. This causes a distressed Ed to leave the set and immediately take a taxi to the nearest bar, where he encounters his idol Orson Welles. Welles tells Ed that "visions are worth fighting for", and filming for Plan 9 finishes with Ed taking action against his producers. The film ends with the premiere of Plan 9, and Ed and Kathy taking off to Las Vegas, Nevada to get married.