Customer Reviews

Glen Or Glenda

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Ed Wood's continuing reign as the so-called 'worst director of all time' has earned him many fans, but it has also done his work a disservice: few reviewers dare to go against the tide and write constructively about his movies, preferring instead to hop in the so-bad-it's-good bandwagon. This is unfortunate, because his most interesting films are worthy of critical scrutiny - especially his first project, 'Glen or Glenda' (1953). Whereas most of his other films tackle a specific genre, this movie creates its own: an unlikely but personal blend of documentary and fiction, horror, romance, police procedural, and more. There isn't a single storyline throughout but rather a set of imbricated tales that feed off of each other. The bulk of the narrative is devoted to a couple of case histories which are recounted by a psychiatrist to an inspector, but the film is frequently punctuated by Lugosi's enigmatic character. His 'Scientist' name, much like an early scene in which he prepares a potion, is a nod to his past roles: he is a Demiurge-like figure whose utterances often have anthropogonic connotations and can affect people's lives. Lugosi's performance in this film is quite underrated, and arguably one of his most effective. (He was not quite as memorable in Wood's subsequent 'Bride of the Monster' [1955].) To further complicate the narrative, one of the two case histories related by the psychiatrist - that of Wood himself - features an elaborate dream sequence whose images are suitably bizarre and full of strange symbols. The film always operates on multiple levels at once, since Wood constantly shifts between characters while using a proliferation of contrasting techniques (voice-over, documentary, fiction, stock footage, image juxtapositions, etc.). Some have deemed this cinematic cacophony confusing and/or confused, but I find it fascinating, and sometimes even mesmerizing - this is automatic, stream of consciousness filmmaking that remains stubbornly indifferent to conventions. I strongly recommend this film to adventurous cinephiles.

Normally I'd give films 1 or 2 for something that was terrible and that I didn't like. Ed Wood however is an exception. His films are bad but so bad they're good. Basically I could tell you all of what the other reviewers have said here. But I won't other than to say that I got this DVD really cheap in Tower Records ( ¤6 ) and I can say that this really was cheap entertainment. Lugosi's role in this is somewhat silly given that the film doesn't know whether it wants to be a genuine film or a shockumentary! And in some ways that's part of it's charm while it harms the whole process. It gives Lugosi the chance to spew wannabe crypto mumbo jumbo. In a way, he doesn't really " pull ze strings " so much as cut them off from him.

But give credit to Ed on this. This was a genuine attempt at trying to be risque and his heart was really in this and you can tell that - it just didn't translate as well as it could have. His real life fiance Dolores is in this and well.....she's not exactly a great actress. But in some ways the script is just embarassingly naive on Ed's part that in some ways you just can't really believe in it at all no matter how much heart was put into this.

Another thing you'll notice is the dubbing and it is pretty poor. There's a clear 1 and a half second delay on everyone's speech which can be amusing. In fact some people will be in hysterics and just take the piss out of it

But god bless Ed - he tried, honestly he tried

Well for those of you who are tired of quality films with rich storylines, try this on for size. Glen or Glenda is an autobiographical documentory based on, starring, and directed by none other than Edward Wood Jr. His hot, real-life girlfriend is along for the ride as well playing the innocent fiance who's man enjoys dressing like a woman. Bela Lugosi is in the film too, but he only occasionally speaks to the audience from a chair in his library.

In this film you can learn all types of words like 'transsexual', 'homosexual', 'bisexual', and 'hermaphodite'. Listen to doctors and psychiatrists of the day explain such strange tendacies as straight men dressing as women and the mysterious world of sex change operations. There is a loosely knit plot here somewhere, but it gets lost in all the medical terms and strange character interludes.

For those who enjoy drugs while watching a film may well understand this movie more than a sober person. Enjoy.

Yeah, well, maybe not! Still one of the most entertaining films i've ever seen! I get way more laughs out of Ed Wood films than most of the so called "comedies" that hollywood puts out. Great way to spend a saturday night, have a "b" grade double feature with your favourite spouse and favourite snacks!

"What would he have given us next?" "Would he have been among the great American auteurs?" These are the questions we'd be asking ourselves if E.D. Wood Jr. had made "Glen or Glenda?" and died!

I received the box set for christmas, and they are by far the best movies, Edward D. Wood Jr. have done. He's an excellent Director. I highly recommend the mvies.

This movie is bad even by Ed Wood standards! It somewhat borders the line of "so bad it's good" like Plan 9/Grave Robbers from Outer Space and Jail Bait and just so bad it's BAD! Essentially the story of a transvestite and his struggle for acceptance, it's filled with the usual "Edwoodian" trademarks as ham acting, atrocious dialougue (checkout the completely senseless jabbering of Bela Lugosi superimposed over a city street early on in the film. POOL ZE STRING! DANCE! SNAKES SNAILS AND PUUPY DOG TAILS! Whhhaaat???), and scenes that come and go without rhyme or reason. This was his first major feature, so it doesn't all hang together yet, but even fans will have a rough going with this! Good luck and hold on to your noses!

As a connoisseur of cult/bizarre films, I've seen some bad movies. If they're interesting enough, bad movies can be incredibly entertaining (i.e. Mystery Science Theater 3000). Even being familiar with Edward D. Wood's work (Plan 9 From Outer Space, Bride of the Monster) did not prepare for the experience of viewing his debut film, Glen or Glenda. Partially based on Wood's own life, the film was a serious attempt to dramatize the lifestyle of a man who is compelled to wear women's clothing. A disclaimer at the beginning proclaims it a film of "stark realism". What follows is 80 minutes of cinematic ineptitude, the likes of which I have never seen. There are plenty of bad films, but this movie is in a class by itself! Even Ed Wood's "classic" Plan 9 From Outer Space, often called the worst movie of all time, looks great in comparison to Glen or Glenda.

The film follows (occasionally) a man named Glen (Wood himself) who likes to wear women's clothing. He is engaged to a girl named Barbara (Dolores Fuller, Wood's girlfriend), but is distraught over whether to reveal his secret to her.
Wood's attempt at "stark realism" is destroyed immediately as soon as we see Bela Lugosi in a chair spouting incoherent nonsense ("Pull de string!", "Beware of the big green dragon that sits on your doorstep. He eats little boys, puppy-dog tails and big fat snails".)

Half the film consists of random stock footage that has no relevance to the material whatsoever. No to mention the absurd dream sequence that, I think, is supposed to represent Glen's confused state of mind, but it really makes no sense at all. It features half-clothed women dancing around for no reason, a torture scene (!!) and even an appearance by the devil (!!!). By this point, the audience is scratching their heads and wondering what the heck is going on. It really must be seen to be believed.

For fans of the director's work, Glen or Glenda is a must-see. Even though it's unbelievably terrible, the film is not without entertainment value. It has many laugh-out-loud moments, and the film overall is so bizarre that is should not be missed by cult movie fanatics.

The Rhino video of Glen or Glenda is quite a bit superior to this somewhat seedy DVD transfer. The periodic jumps are remarkably annoying, and the sound quality is no picnic either. Someone needs to do Ed Wood's pics the right way, and this isn't the right way.

This movie's plot is pretty hard to follow, but the concept is so out there, and the images / film segments used to support it can only be described as bizarre, bordering on insane.

This movie was pretty damn boring. I couldn't even sit through it, and that's before the on-screen sex change operation (unedited). I wouldn't recommend buying this, unless you're REALLY into bad movies.

I saw this movie because I saw "Ed Wood" by Tim Burton. Now THERE is a good movie.

-- JJ Timmins