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| Johnny Depp as Ed Wood
I think
Burton and Wood have many similarities as directors. They both share a passion
for the movies they make; they have close relationships with their mentors; and
they stay true to their vision even if no one likes it. The major difference
between Burton and Wood is that Wood wants to be a part of the main stream
Hollywood which Burton despises. This is ironic because Burton is a success and
Wood was not. These two men just represent the difference between having talent
and not having talent. They both had the drive; Burton just had the talent to go
with that drive.
Burton does
have an appreciation for Wood’s movies and as a person despite Wood’s failed
movies and despite Burton’s movie Ed Wood
was a flop. Wood always stayed true to his vision of the movie he wanted to
make, even if they were not popular in his time; he did not let his constant
failures to change his movies. Burton admires this aspect of Wood’s films which
I think he does because Burton feels that sometimes he has to stray from his
original vision for the movie for the sake of his audience or because of the
people paying for the movie to be made.
Burton
relates to Wood in sense that they both have a vision that they are criticized for,
but they both have a deep passion for it. Burton was criticized for his strange
vision, but when he brings it to life in his movies, the audience falls in love
because they are so relatable and unlike anything else they have seen. I think
Wood just was not appreciated in his time because he dealt with issues that
were new to the world and not ready to be shown on screen, like cross-dressing
and sex changes.
I think
Burton used original scenes from Wood’s films to show how much Wood loved his
films. By using the original scenes Burton shows that Wood’s films were his
life, they were not just a job, which is another thing Burton and Wood have in
common. Their films are not just films; the films are their lives.
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Thursday, March 7, 2013
Dupuis: Ed Wood
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Amy,
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that, for both Directors, filmmaking is not a job but their lives. I think that one of the several things that Burton appreciates about Wood is that he fully devoted himself to making movies. He worked so he could film, and he filmed not because movies are potential moneymakers. Wood’s cinematographic career was a failure, but no matter what he remained making movies, because he loved doing so; otherwise, knowing about his moneyless situation, he would have found an ordinary job and forget about film. Although Wood’s films might be terrible, I believe he should at least be recognized for the ongoing effort he put to achieve his desires. The only thing he wanted was to make movies, and that is what he did. This guy had the guts that many lack, for he risked all to make his films. It seems to me that one of the things Burton is telling us through Wood’s life is, “if you really want something, you should not hesitate in trying to get it.” Even so when you might end up drunk dead in the attempt.
It is interesting that you bring up the differences between Ed Wood and Tim Burton because everyone seems to think that they are the same person. Many people do not understand that even though Wood had a lot of drive to make his films, he always wanted to be part of main stream Hollywood. The only reason his films were so terrible is because he never could fund them. If he had the opportunity to make a high budget films he would of jumped on it. The major similarity between the two is that they both do stay true to their vision and want to make the movie that they want. It is also interesting that you bring up the fact about Wood cross-dressing and involving sex changes in his films. In this sense, he was ahead of his time and I never thought about it that way before. Wood liked to takes risks.
ReplyDelete-Yamato O'Connell