On the Trail of Ed Wood

1st watched 12/10/2022 - 3 out of 10(Dir-Michael Copner): Mediocre account of the movie director, Ed Wood, from the perspective of an actor who appeared in all of his pictures - Conrad Brooks. This comes across pretty much like a home movie from the very beginning with shots of people on Hollywood Boulevard being interviewed about what they knew about the director. Of course, there was a mixed bag of responses - due to his cult status and his popular yet bad movies. This piece, unfortunately, is limited because it comes mainly from one person's perspective. Although, it's always nice to hear personal bits and pieces from someone close but again - there is no-one to deny or confirm the information. There was some stock footage, trailers and photos added, and visits to spots where Wood lived. Some of this was interesting for a film buff, but it would have been nice to hear from other actors and possibly relatives like his wife. This kind of information is thrived on by film buffs, but it just wasn't enough despite the appreciation for the insight it did include.

On the Trail of Ed Wood (1990)

*** (out of 4)

Director Copner made this documentary for cheap using an obvious video recorder and for the most part it's just a sit-down with Conrad Brooks who was a friend of Ed Wood and appeared in six of his pictures including the big guys like GLEN OR GLENDA, BRIDE OF THE MONSTER and of course PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. Throughout the nearly one hour Brooks tells all sorts of stories ranging from what it was like to work with Wood, how he directed his pictures and we even get to go on a mini tour across L.A. where Brooks shows us some of the studios where the movies were shot and we get to see some of Wood's former apartments including his last one. If you're new to the work of Ed Wood it's better that you start off by watching his films and then getting documentaries like THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EDWARD D. WOOD, JR., FLYING SAUCERS OVER Hollywood: THE PLAN 9 COMPANSION or ED WOOD: LOOK BACK IN ANGORA. This documentary is rather dry but I think those who can't get enough of Ed Wood will enjoy it. For the most part it's just an extended interview with Brooks who tells many stories not only on Wood but also talks about Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson. Brooks shares some photos of him at a cookout with Johnson where the mammoth actor posed for photos with Brooks' daughter. We also get some nice photos of Wood as well as several newspaper clippings showing the screenings of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. Again, if you're looking for a highly stylized documentary then it's best to look elsewhere. However, Ed Wood nuts such as myself will probably want to watch everything so once you've seen the rest check this one out.

I haven't had a chance to see some of the other biopics on Ed Wood, aside from the hilarious Tim Burton tribute to the man's mad greatness. Or should that be great madness? I can't say whether "On The Trail Of Ed Wood" is better or worse than the others, but I hope the others are better.

The entire thing was shot on a primitive home video camera. The camera work, editing, and sound are all bad. (Not in an entertaining way.) That said, if you are a serious Ed Wood fan, you may find this worthy of at least one viewing. It starts out on Ed's beloved streets of Hollywood, where the filmmakers accost passersby and ask them whether they have ever heard of Ed Wood. If they answer yes, they are asked to name their favorite Ed Wood film, and why. They ask everybody from a cop/security guard guy, to a longhaired metal head. Then we get down to the main content of the video: an extended visit in the home of Conrad Brooks, complete with guest appearance by his pussycat. The interviewer asks a number of fairly interesting questions. Brooks obviously enjoys sharing his memories of Ed, and his lingering fondness for the man and his achievements is evident throughout. The video ends on a somber note, as they visit the rundown apartment building that was Ed's final home. It's sad to see the grim, dilapidated surroundings in which Ed spent his final days, living in the most conspicuous penury. You can almost picture the angora sweaters getting dingy and tattered. It's a sobering reminder that Hollywood is rarely fair to those who give their lives to it.

Worth a look for Conrad Brooks' insights. What a DRAG, that the filmmakers put so little effort into making this look and sound more professional. If such slapdash amateurishness was their way of paying homage to Ed's own bad film-making, it should be noted that Ed always put his whole heart and soul into his work. He would never have allowed himself to go off half cocked like Copner and co. did here. He always did his best, as pathetic as that may have been, and that's why we love him. His enthusiasm for his work, and his very soul shine through the epic badness of his films, like a shaft of gold when all around is dark.

I notice the director (and off-camera interviewer) Michael Copner has various credits on other Ed Wood biopics, in which I sincerely hope he atones for his poor work here. Please tell me that this is the least of the Ed Wood tribute films.