Beauty is in the Eye of the Filmmaker

Written by: John Heffernan

“Eddie, we’re in show biz. It’s all about razzle-dazzle. Appearances. If you look good and you talk well, people will believe anything.”-The Amazing Criswell

Often people do not know the trials and tribulations that occur when producing a film, and often a viewing audience takes the product at face value. How well a film entertains, informs, or interests a certain demographic is the only concern of a movie-goer, and often overlooked is the director’s reason or intent of making the film. This holds true especially for world renowned director Ed Wood, often regarded as one of the worst directors of all time. During the 1950’s decade of film, many revolutionary films such as Ben-Hur (1959) and 12 Angry Men (1957) graced the big screen, Ed Wood’s films however stood out from the rest for their apparent lack of quality. As a director, Wood also stood out from the crowd as he was not only one of the most energetic and determined directors of his time, but also because he was a transvestite. Ed Wood’s legacy, despite being lackluster, acted as a wrecking ball destroying the walls of societal conformity. The enthralling struggles of Ed Wood in his film-making career inspired Tim Burton to direct a dramatized biographical film, aptly titled Ed Wood (1994) which explores the struggles of the creative mind when paired with the pressures of societal views, as evident by its use of color palette and lighting techniques.

Initially Ed Wood (1994)’s strictly black and white color scheme would seem to limit the creative nature of the film, but surprisingly it does the opposite. It is true that the color scheme is meant to immerse the audience as if the film was created during the 1950’s, but the powerful contrasting nature of the two colors opens the door for artistic techniques. For example when the character of Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau) is talking with Ed Wood (Johnny Depp), his suit is a noticeably pitch black when compared to the lighter grey of Wood’s wishing to grow in pitch. There is a separation from these two from the beginning as Lugosi has had years of experience in the industry rather than the novice filmmaker Wood. Wood admires not only the passionate pitch of which Lugosi used to bring to his craft, but the success that he once has. Furthermore Wood has two passions in life, success and fame. This contrasting color dynamic stretches further to the relationship between Wood and his former girlfriend Dolores Fuller (Sarah Jessica Parker). In the scene revealing Wood’s transvestism, Wood is seen wearing dark black and Fuller in complete white. While this contrast of color foreshadows their future separation, the use of a dark attire on Wood is meant to show a sense of ambiguity about his character, which will inevitably be unveiled. Fuller is a much more clear character with purity, supporting Wood till he eventually deceives her. The dark suit can also be a symbolic representation of the deceitful characteristics to his character, as if a permanent stain on his character.

He will do close to anything to get his ideas in the world, and the quicker he can get them out to the public, the more he can relish in public acceptance.

Acceptance to which he never received, until this adaptation of his life through the directorial lens of Burton. This is further developed through the use of lighting effects.

Lighting effects can have a strong impact on a film’s meaning, and Ed Wood(1994) is no different. The black and white color scheme especially highlights the power of lighting on a subject, as it adds depth to the monochromatic scenes. In one of the initial scenes, Wood is in bed looking out at Fuller, the rain on coming from the window’s back-light creates a shadow on Wood’s face. Furthermore rain is used heavily in the film,  to symbolize the constant pressures and judgement of society on a man who is not only unsuccessful, but an outcast in society because of his differences from societal norms. Often the hard key lighting in the film focuses on one side of Wood’s face in extreme detail, masking the other in shadow. As if Burton is masking a certain side of Wood from not only the world but the audience as well, to highlight the ambiguity of the character. Burton’s use of shadows is not limited to the face of the character, but the actual literal shadow still has significance. In a scene where Lugosi goes to answer the door on  Halloween night, a high contrast bottom key light creates a extremely large shadow on the wall behind him. In the context of the film, it represents the former legacy that he has had to leave behind in history. This causes the depression of Lugosi in juxtaposition to the energetic spirit that is Wood. Burton uses this juxtapositioning to create a deeper feeling of the effect of societal views on the mind.

Imprisoned by societal constructs, Ed Wood seeked to find acceptance and legacy. Burton knowing this, goes against conformity to highlight the legacy of a man, that at first would be overlooked by historians. Just because the quality of a man’s work is less than perfect, does not mean the meaning they attempted to convey was so. Ed Wood’s attempt to break into the industry was an attempt to also bring back life to a once dead artform, horror classics, such as Dracula (1931) or Frankenstein (1931). In a time of sequel, remake, and remasterings of films today, an experimental attempt to go against the norm would be a welcome change of pace. Just because an experiment fails does not mean that it is a bad experiment, it just needs more attention put towards it. Ed Wood was a visionary of cultural difference, who leaves a legacy of a time when being different was not always well received by the public, thus fulfilling Wood’s dream all along.

Works Cited

Ed Wood. Director Tim Burton. Performer Johnny Depp. Buena Vista Pictures, 1994. Film.