Ed Wood: Look Back in Angora

Ed Wood is a movie director whose films I don't want to watch very often nor rate very high but whom I still admire. His relentless quest of making movies with no budget, and being a weird individual in general has mythical appeal. I think his posthumous fame is slowly growing, and for some he's become some sort of icon of daring to do what you love even if everybody else thinks you're a fool.

This documentary looks back at the making of some of his movies, and some people that were close to the director are interviewed. The overall composition of the documentary is as crazy as Wood's films themselves. It's partly chronological but not entirely, there are clips from different movies here and there, and complete with crazy narration. It feels a bit disjointed and not very thorough when talking about individual films. But the interviews give more flesh around the bone and makes it all worth.

Recommended. But don't forget to watch Tim Burton's great "Ed Wood" movie too, which is an even better tribute to the director.

Just to make one thing clear; this documentary is hysterical. To use Edward Davis Wood Jr.'s own words from his movies to tell his personal story is a good idea because he wasn't exactly brilliant in writing for the screen. The result: Approx one hour of Far Out dialogue. Totally enjoyable.

But it doesn't dig deeper into the person Edward D. Wood Jr. Tim Burton's Ed Wood showed great depth in his relationship to Bela Lugosi, this documentary only show us his relationship to angora sweaters. Enjoy it, but please don't belive it.

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.

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.

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.