Ed Wood: Look Back in Angora

ED WOOD: LOOK BACK IN ANGORA (1994)

*** (out of four)

A somewhat interesting documentary about Ed Wood, the man and his movies. Features interviews with Dolorus Fuller, Kathy Wood and Conrad Brooks and tells Wood's story using clips from his movies. Director Ted Newsom has several other documentaries out there, including 100 YEARS OF HORRORS and to his credit, this was one of the first Wood documents. With that in mind, the film has been passed in quality by future documentaries like THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EDWARD D. WOOD, JR., which runs double the time and features more interviews. If you're a fan of Wood then this film is a good introduction but for better stories check out the other doc.

Was available through Rhino on DVD but it's now out of print.

'So bad it's good' - this has now become an official category of cult-movie, as reflected in the Golden Turkey Awards, reflecting an enduring public appetite for the flawed and the rejected, the offcuts fit for the bin. It is the consolation prize at a kindergarden sports day.

Around 1950, two almost-bankrupt Hollywood figures decide to lean on each other for support. One is the legendary Dracula star Bela Lugosi, who has been on the slide for half his career, brought low by multiple divorces, morphine addiction, and a strong accent that has cruelly limited his range. The other is a struggling young producer Ed Wood, trying to score hits on comically low budgets.

Half the time, he relies on economy alone, as in his westerns, largely padded-out with stock footage. For the other half, he is counting on shock, reflected in 'Jail Bait' and 'Bride of the Monster'. Unfortunately 'Grave Robbers from Outer Space' was going too far for the church elder who had agreed to finance the picture, so it had to be 'Plan 9 from Outer Space' instead. This is symptomatic of the surreal atmosphere in which he lived and worked, so the story of his films is largely the story of him.

The reference to Angora in the title relates to his own fetish for that soft material, which his mother (who had wanted a daughter) dressed him in as a child, and which he still wore on active service in the Pacific - if his claims are to be believed. A fellow-marine is brought on, apparently for no other reason than to back-up his story, so his war record remains as dubious as most historians have judged it.

You might not expect such a mixed-up fetishist to be happily married, but he managed to hold on to the shapely Kathy O'Hara for almost twenty years till his death, a helpless alcoholic, evicted from his home and dossing-down in the pits of L.A. He would be flattered to have watched this film, but probably envious at what a handsome budget they had managed to assemble for what is essentially a re-run of his own efforts from the bottom rungs of Poverty Row.

The other reviewer may think that LOOK BACK IN ANGORA is not very good, but it is probably more hysterical than anything. Of course LOOK BACK IN ANGORA can't cover as much as the book documentary can -- it's only just over 55 minutes long!

However, using Ed Wood's own films to tell his story is ingenious.> See or buy this movie -- it's a hoot, and I learned many subtleties that NIGHTMARE OF ECSTASY did NOT touch on.

I highly recommend this made-for-video Rhino documentary about the departed Ed Wood! If you have never seen any Ed Wood films or are wondering, "What's so great about this guy?", rent or buy this! It's a harmless inexpensive way to sample his works (from "Crossroads Avenger" to "Love Feast") and learn about what made him tick. Includes interviews with Wood starlet Dolores Fuller, Wood extra Conrad Brooks (who currently overrates his involvement in Wood's films), Wood's last wife Kathy Wood, and other acquaintances of Wood to paint a firm picture of the man behind the camera. Unfortunately, no footage of Wood's newly discovered gem "Night of the Ghouls" is shown (even though Rhino released it!) and some great public domain footage (mainly of transvestites) is never credited! Other than that, the narration is nice and campy, the clips frequent and brimming with Ed Wood magic, and the interviews informative and downright poignant. Check this out, you will either be further drawn into the bizarre cinema of Edward D. Wood, Jr. or alienate yourself from it.

If Ed Wood is remembered for anything, it should be what not to do if you want to become a film maker. Or should I say, a good film maker. Look Back in Angora is Ed Wood's life in a nutshell. His life was as weird and pointless as the film's he made. Ed Wood represents thousands of the talentless artists in the world that don't know there talentless. They crave the attention and are fueled to believe that there stories are important and need to be told. Ed Wood tried to write and direct serious films and they came out terrible. The reason, he was a terrible film maker. Wanting to be the next Orson Welles is one thing, but believing that you are as good if not somewhat talented like Welles is another. His downfall is a proper punishment of what any "professional" community theater member should get by producing trash nobody wants. The fans of Ed Wood today enjoy his work because they are a laugh and nothing more. Whether you agree or disagree that Ed Wood was an overall success in gaining a fanbase, the sad fact is Ed Wood is the worst director of all time and we need not repeat his efforts.