Glen or Glenda

Dir: Ed Wood

1953

*****

Ed Wood’s 1953 drama Glen or Glenda has been described as one of the worst films ever made – a sentiment I whole-heartedly disagree with. While the film had some notoriety, it wasn’t until Tim Burton’s 1994 biopic of the infamous director that the great viewing public really became aware of it’s existence and of its meaning. Glen or Glenda was Wood’s plea for tolerance, a semi-autobiographical docudrama about cross-dressing and transsexuality. Wood had been a transvestite for some time and when he was asked by low-budget Hollywood producer George Weiss to make a movie exploiting the recent sex reassignment surgery of Christine Jorgensen, which made national headlines in the U.S. in 1952, he saw an opportunity. Weiss wanted sensationalism and in many ways Wood gave him just that but on his terms and from the perspective of the subject. He may have muddled the subject somewhat but his intentions are pure. He had to compromise quite a bit, which is a little detrimental to the finished film, but all things considered this is a film way ahead of it’s time. Unfortunately the film is remembered for its pointless erotic-themed vignettes that appear half-way through the film and have very little to do with the content or the main story. These however, were not created by Wood. They were reportedly added by Weiss as he needed extra scenes to add to what he felt was an overtly -short film. Sadly these scenes seem to tell their own tales of gender dynamics, the whipping scene for example suggests a Master/slave relationship, that the man is dominant and the woman submissive, which reflects male chauvinism, not at all what the film is about. Weiss wanted sensationalism and titillation, such was the popularity of 1950s exploitation films and the grindhouse scene. This made it appeal even more so to certain viewers, and who doesn’t like a bit of 50s exploitation, but it did nothing for Wood’s heartfelt plea of tolerance. Cut out the erotic scenes and you have a completely different (better) film. Wood persuaded Bela Lugosi, at the time poor and drug-addicted, to appear in the movie. His character of The Scientist, who narrated the film making cryptic comments about humanity is largely ineffective and not really necessary but this style and indeed the inclusion of Lugosi was a Wood signature by this point and it probably wouldn’t have felt the same without either. Back in 1981, Paramount reissued Glen or Glenda and heralded it as a lost masterpiece akin to Citizen Kane, Freaks and The Godfather, after the Golden Turkey Awards awarded Wood with the title ‘Worst director of all time” – something that kick-started a resurgence of interest in him and his work. Unfortunately, the big New York premiere, paid for by Warren Beatty and featuring six minutes of lost footage, was cancelled after the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan the day before. The curse of Ed Wood struck again but the limited release did well and the film appeared in many film festivals over the following year. The real strength behind the film, and the reason it should be reconsidered as something much greater than it currently is, is how it explains things. The narrative explains to the audience that Glen is a transvestite, but not a homosexual. He hides his cross-dressing from his fiancée, Barbara, fearing that she will reject him. He still loves her the same way he would if he wasn’t interested in wearing women’s clothes and this simplicity is laid bare, it is not a deviance or a perversion and it’s far more common than most people might think. Ed Wood’s methods weren’t totally successful but I believe they helped. Making it a docudrama was a key factor in its successful side but some levels of ignorance will always remain untouchable, no matter how hard you try to educate it. It’s a masterpiece with niggles, ahead of its time and still largely misunderstood. I love that Tim Burton stood up for Wood with his loving tribute and its about time more film-goers gave a little more love to Wood as his films are gold. So many classics aren’t as good as their hype – they are gold plated. Wood’s films how ever are gold, it’s just that most of the time they’re tin-plated.