I Woke Up Early the Day I Died

Ed Wood's "I woke up early the day I died" is unbelievably impossible to get a hold of, since it has only ever been released on video in Germany, but once I got myself a copy and watched it, I was happy I did.

As a die hard Ed Wood fan, I loved watching this film. In true Ed Wood film making fashion, they used cheesy props, a load of stock footage, and single takes, with continuity errors and dodgy editing.

My only question now is: where can I get my hands on a copy of the soundtrack?

The fact that this movie was even made and that so many random stars are in it just goes to show how much of an impact the "worst director of all times" had on the film industry and all that work in it!

A must see for every Wood fan, and for anyone who likes weird and dodgy movies.

If you wanna read a good review read the others. All I can say right now is this: I love the movie, I love Billy Zanes performance and I love the Soundtrack!!! And I can offer the complete movie on youtube!!! (my channel: MartinGro131)

I know how hard it is to find this movie. And since there aren't very many legal copies out there I thought that this movie should be made available for everybody who wants to see it. If I could find this movie on DVD, believe me, I'd buy it right away. Even for 40€!!! But all I could find was a Video on emule in VHS quality.

PS: I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post this (although I didn't post a link but only gave you my youtube-channel-name)

Criticizing this film needn't go much beyond its premise - not that of the script, but the idea of producing a 'lost' Ed Wood script. Said script is a dialogue-free(!), surprisingly dark comedy about an asylum escapee, and in true Wood style it's a consummate triumph of imagination over any kind of narrative purpose or skill. Bright spots are Billy Zane's astonishing grasp of physical comedy, and some clever use of soundtrack, framing, jumpcuts and flashbacks. Still, it's unevenly paced and overlong, and neither slapstick nor camp-value can sustain it. The amazing supporting talent is unforgivably wasted. All up, a bold and fun experiment, but pointless.

This has to be one of the worst films of all time. It was unbearable sitting through it. I can't understand how and why so many talented actors became involved in this. The plot is thin, predictable, and boring. At the North American premier that I attended in Toronto, more than a few people walked out. There is no dialogue in this film so it is played as a slapstick "silent" film with a modern (and actually quite good) soundtrack. I could not help but be embarrassed for Mr. Zane, who was in the audience, while one gag after another fell flat. The film isn't even bad in a fun or campy way. It is dull and uninteresting. Not much more can be said.

Knowing that "I Woke Up Early the Day I Died" comes from a script by Ed Wood, it would seem that anyone should prepare heckling comments before watching it. It turns out that, although the movie makes little if any sense, there is a definite charm to it, possibly to the point of meriting a serious viewing. The plot - or whatever it is - centers on a mental patient (Billy Zane) escaping from the hospital, killing a bank teller, attending the funeral, and then getting involved with the people in the man's life. I think that that's the story; the absence of dialogue made it a little hard to follow.

So, it seems to be the sort of movie that you watch to study, just to see whether or not you can make anything out of the loosely strung together events portrayed. I can't say that I've been able to make anything out of it. Maybe you can. Also starring Tippi Hedren, Ron Perlman, Bud Cort, John Ritter, Christina Ricci and Karen Black. So perhaps we can call "IWUETDID" the almost unheard-of movie with a stellar cast.