Monday, November 5, 2007

Glen or Glenda

     This was Ed Woods' first real attempt at movie-making and as many movies as he ultimately made, you'd think he would have learned something about it along the way. Umm, no. Ed's last movie was just as bad as his first. For those who don't know... good 'ol Ed was a transvestite with a particular liking for Angora. 

      When Christine Jorgenson (one of the first and definitely the most famous) transexual ever, announced that she was once a man and had his sex surgically changed to that of a woman. The world was a bit shocked, but this story struck a chord with Ed and he auditioned to be the director of the Christine Jorgenson movie that was set to be shot soon. Christine Jorgenson got wind that a movie was being based on her story and wanted money for it, but money was one of the many things that eluded Ed Wood for most of his life. So they just decided to make a sex change movie anyway with a fictionalized story. 

      Ed Wood got the role only because he was able to produce the practically embalmed screen legend Bela Lugosi to be in the film. Ed took this as the perfect opportunity to reveal his own transvestitism and played the main role of both Glen and Glenda. It's Ed's story, truer than we ever wanted to know. A boring documentary about whether or not to tell his girlfriend why her pink sweaters are always so stretched out. Only the last five minutes deal with the topic of actual sex changes. 

     Bela Lugosi (who is totally out of place) plays a sort of mad scientist role that pulls the strings (sorry... Pull De Strink!) The movie has an overall uplifting (yet narratively annoying) facade until it cuts to Bela, then we see lightning and hear thunder and for the moment at least, it's a horror movie (without much horror). After the doom and gloom dissipate, then comes the happy Glenda turning down homosexuals in rude ways, letting us know that transvestites are definitely not gay. 

      It's got bad acting, cheap sets, nonsensical characters, and a terrible editing format. Which of course means that you'll love it. This by his own accounts, Ed's true story, the bizarre makings of Edward D. Wood Jr.

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