Ed Wood (film)

Ed Wood
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTim Burton
Screenplay byScott Alexander
Larry Karaszewski
Based onNightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood Jr.
by Rudolph Grey
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyStefan Czapsky
Edited byChris Lebenzon
Music byHoward Shore
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release dates
  • September 24, 1994 (1994-09-24) (New York Film Festival)
  • September 30, 1994 (1994-09-30) (United States)
Running time
127 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$18 million[2]
Box office$13.8 million[3]

Ed Wood is a 1994 American biographical comedy-drama film directed and produced by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as Ed Wood, the eponymous cult filmmaker. The film concerns the period in Wood's life when he made his best-known films as well as his relationship with actor Bela Lugosi, played by Martin Landau. Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, Lisa Marie, and Bill Murray are among the supporting cast.

The film was conceived by writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski when they were students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Irritated at being thought of solely as writers for family films with their work on Problem Child (1990) and its 1991 sequel, Alexander and Karaszewski struck a deal with Burton and Denise Di Novi to produce Ed Wood. Initially, Michael Lehmann was chosen to direct the project, but due to scheduling conflicts with his work on the film Airheads (1994), he had to vacate the director's position which was taken over by Tim Burton.

Ed Wood was originally in development at Columbia Pictures, but the studio put the film in "turnaround" over Burton's decision to shoot in black-and-white. Ed Wood was taken to Walt Disney Studios, which produced the film through its Touchstone Pictures label. The film proved financially unsuccessful, returning only $13.8 million against an $18 million budget, but was met with critical acclaim upon release, with particular praise for Depp and Landau's performances and the makeup, and won two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Landau and Best Makeup for Rick Baker (who designed Landau's prosthetic makeup), Ve Neill and Yolanda Toussieng. The film is now considered to be a cult classic and one of Burton's best works.

  1. ^ Haflidason, Almar (October 14, 2002). "Ed Wood DVD (1994)". BBC. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference boxofficemojo.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Klady, Leonard (January 22, 1996). "Big clicks from little flicks". Variety. p. 1.