I Woke Up Early the Day I Died

Unique film, certainly breaks the mold of mainstream movies without going into the 'art film' category. This is another example of Ed Wood's weird but entertaining film making style. He never forgot that movies were entertainment, but also made sure his movies showed us twisted and surreal takes on life that get the viewer hooked without the formulaic approach most Hollywood movies take - regardless of the genre.

It's a shame the movie isn't available in the US and that it wasn't released in theaters. I just saw it here in Mexico on a movie channel called movie planet, not sure it's available in the U.S. but if you van get your hands on the movie, it's worth seeing.

I saw this film at the International Film Festival Of Brussels. I also met the director of the film. I heard that Ed Wood wrote the story in 10 years! I'm sure he thought his would be his masterpiece - his triumph.

Well, if you take the film seriously (like mr. Wood did) it is really one of the worst films you will ever see. And this is cool. The big joke of I Woke Up Early The Day I Died is that it doesn't even try to be a decent film.

This makes the film very, very good. The script is filled with nihilism and anarchism - a lot of black humour. Billy Zane's role is absolutely excellent. You see, this is either high art...or low rubbish.

****/*****

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.

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.

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.