Glen Or Glenda (1953)

 

The name of director Ed Wood has been mentioned in the annals of film history as belonging to one of the worst directors to ever actually make films. However, this doesn't sit right. Sure, Ed Wood's films are usually inept, but there's no denying the man had cool ideas, just no real way of getting them into a coherent or even decent form. 

So full marks for enthusiasm and creativity and none for execution. 

The story of how this film came about is possibly even more bizarre than the finished product, but you can find that in either documentary form or by watching Tim Burton's biopic about Ed Wood, so that is a story for another time. 

'Glen Or Glenda' is not even a real movie, it's more akin to a fictionalized documentary of sorts, but it deals with a very real thing: transvestites and transsexuals. Ed Wood himself was a transvestite and because the USA in the 1950s (or heck, maybe even today) isn't exactly an ideal place for men to fully indulge in dressing up as a woman unfortunately, he felt out of place and almost as if something was wrong with him. So here we get a 'psychologist' who explains to the audience just what exactely transvestites are and what they do. The film even goes so far as to clearly stress that there is absolutely nothing wrong with these people, or with transsexuals.

That is a very progressive and bold statement when you consider this film was made in the 1950s. I reiterate this because that time period was pretty darn conservative. Yet Ed Wood just went for it.

Okay, not a lot of people actually saw this film, but still: props for having the balls to make this pamphlet. This is one of the few films that positively embrace gender issues and stances and where gender isn't used for cheap laughs or else.

That being said, in spite of this film being gutsy enough to tackle this subject, it does remain a rather inept film. The acting is lousy, the line readings oftentimes horrendous, the dialogue stifled an unnatural and the editing is all over the place. The voice over in the beginning says the same stuff three to four times over the course of this relatively short film, which will have you roll your eyes and say: "I know already!" Then there are about 15 minutes where you get really weird, spaced out fragments of people being silly which has no relation to the plot (if there ever was a true plot) interspersed with copious amounts of stock footage of lightning, soldiers and buffalo stampeding. 

Yes, buffalo. No, I have no idea why. Neither does anyone else, I guess. 

Probably most famous of all, Ed Wood got aged Bela Lugosi to play in this film, but he is a sort of godlike puppet master who keeps an overview of all humanity and rambles complete nonsense about green dragons, puppydog tails and fat snails. 

It's really bizarre and it's hard to get across just how bizarre. 

Oh, and don't forget the almost iconic and hilariously quotable exclamation of "Pull the string!" with that super thick accent of Lugosi. 

Thanks to Tim Burton, a lot more people know about Ed Wood and have sought out his films, but it would be a stretch to call this something one needs to see. If you have a penchant for the weird and wacky and want to take a trip down the rabbithole that is this man's fantasy, then by all means have a go. You sure are up for a rather unique experience. Everyone else can go on with their lives without ever knowing this even exists.