I Woke Up Early the Day I Died

Cor blimey. This film really surprised me as it is a comedy masterpiece. Billy Zane is stunning as the central character, and everyone manages to play it straight enough for the comedy to be natural and easy.

The soundtrack is really good, and the set pieces are a joy to behold. I recommend that you watch this film with a bunch of mates, a few bottles of your liquor of choice, and prepare to be astonished and highly entertained.

This carries on so perfectly from kitsch masterpieces like Plan 9 From Outer Space that it is in the true "B" movie tradition. But what makes it more than that is the caliber of the people who took part in the film. Ron Pearlman for example. I still find my self giggling at the scene where Zane prances down a set of steps for no apparent reason in an almost ballet style. All a bit mad, and all the better for it.

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.

****/*****

At a screening during the Toronto, International film festival I had the misfortune of being given a ticket to the premiere of this terrible excuse for a film. I had already been kicked out of one film because I was underage so i welcomed any tickets that came my way. While I was in line I heard the plot. A crazy cross-dressing killer breaks out of a mental institution and goes on a killing spree! Okaay. Then I heard that there was no dialogue. I was beginning to have a sinking feeling about this movie. Then I was told that it was a Ed Wood 'script' that he wasn't able to get developed!!! If Ed Wood was able to make all the c**p that he did but he wasn't able to find anyone to support this, it must be really bad. Well, I wasn't let down by. My suspicions were correct and the movie was unbearable. I left 30 minutes early so i could catch the last subway. Don't see this unless you enjoy seeing a pantheon of B-movie stars and washups being killed by an overacting killer.

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.