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Hollywood's underbelly legend Ed Wood is the man most often credited with being the worst movie director of all time. Realistically, this is a dubious honor and unfair.
Ed never had ample production money; but he didn't let such a tiny detail halt his efforts. He made movies that needed a big influx of cash to rise to the level of cheap; consequently, he was forced to utilize bargain basement actors, cardboard props, and oddball stock footage. Many of his "mistakes" resulted from there being only enough scraps of film to allow for single takes of each shot. Any bloopers recorded along the way were destined to reach the screen by necessity.
To be more accurate, Ed Wood should probably be in the running for most inept movie director of all time; and a large slice of that blame is due to his favorite scriptwriter, Ed Wood, a scribe without any discernable talent and a suspect tour de force nut case.
Amazingly, Ed's -- to be kind -- crummy features are imminently watchable. They are akin to rubbernecking at a monster truck collision. You can't take your eyes off of them.
His most famous -- and I use the term loosely -- accomplishment is the sci-fi -- and I use the term loosely -- film Plan 9 from Outer Space, a jaw-dropping waste of sprocket holes. This wonder o' blunders is, on one hand, excruciatingly tedious to witness; on the other, it is exhilaratingly and unintentionally hilarious. Not only is Plan 9 a chicken with its head cut off, it's also missing some white meat, a couple of wings, and a giblet.
Frankly, Mr. Wood's catalogue of celluloid calamities is beyond mere mortal words. The productions must be seen to be fully appreciated and believed. Comprehended is another matter altogether.
Through them all, try to be compassionate. Here was a guy in love with the movies. He had dreams to make his own. Somehow, surrealistically astounding, he did; and to his great credit, Ed Wood got cameras to roll and finished his pictures.
He finished his pictures.
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