I Woke Up Early the Day I Died

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.

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)

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.

****/*****

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.

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.