Glen or Glenda?

Rating:
Summary: A Scrambled Mess
Review: "Glen or Glenda" aims to make people aware of the anguish transvestites suffer as they try to find acceptance. It is a serious, powerful, thought-provoking drama. Or at least, that was the idea. As things turned out, Ed Wood's opus became one of the worst films ever made.

It's hard to describe a film like this. Basically it tells the story of a young man called Glen who likes the feel of women's clothes. Should he tell his fiance? While Glen is trying to decide, we see Bela Lugosi talk about nothing that makes any sense, listen to narration that is priceless, and watch a heap of stock footage interspersed with dream sequences.

I wonder if the director who remade "Psycho"(another film with a transvestite) had seen this. He also included unrelated footage (for when the murders took place): storm clouds for the first victim and a buffalo for the second. It's quite a coincidence because Ed Wood also used buffalo footage.

This film is bad. But it's worth seeing for the performance delivered by Delores Fuller, and the sentimental music as we reach the scene where Glen "reveals all" to his fiance. The film alternates between boredom and hilarity. There are parts where the film is just plain dull. But seeing the devil's face was hysterical.

"Glen or Glenda" is not as fun as "Plan 9 From Outer Space", but if you are a devoted fan of Ed Wood, you won't want to miss this.

Rating:
Summary: The Genius Capitulated
Review: "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!

Rating:
Summary: A Scrambled Mess
Review: "Glen or Glenda" aims to make people aware of the anguish transvestites suffer as they try to find acceptance. It is a serious, powerful, thought-provoking drama. Or at least, that was the idea. As things turned out, Ed Wood's opus became one of the worst films ever made.

It's hard to describe a film like this. Basically it tells the story of a young man called Glen who likes the feel of women's clothes. Should he tell his fiance? While Glen is trying to decide, we see Bela Lugosi talk about nothing that makes any sense, listen to narration that is priceless, and watch a heap of stock footage interspersed with dream sequences.

I wonder if the director who remade "Psycho"(another film with a transvestite) had seen this. He also included unrelated footage (for when the murders took place): storm clouds for the first victim and a buffalo for the second. It's quite a coincidence because Ed Wood also used buffalo footage.

This film is bad. But it's worth seeing for the performance delivered by Delores Fuller, and the sentimental music as we reach the scene where Glen "reveals all" to his fiance. The film alternates between boredom and hilarity. There are parts where the film is just plain dull. But seeing the devil's face was hysterical.

"Glen or Glenda" is not as fun as "Plan 9 From Outer Space", but if you are a devoted fan of Ed Wood, you won't want to miss this.

Rating:
Summary: The Genius Capitulated
Review: "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!

Rating:
Summary: What the ----? Three stars for weirdness
Review:

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

Rating:
Summary: Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.
Review: Although my own sense of humor is warped enough to enjoy a good laugh at Ed Wood's expense, even I can't manage much enthusiasm for this incredibly bad movie-- worse by far than Plan 9 From Outer Space or any other Ed Wood concoction, and that's saying plenty right there. Worse than embarassing, the film is intensely boring, and it's brief running time seems longer than screenings of Gone With The Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, and Around the World in 80 Days played back to back.

Rating:
Summary: If you think you've seen bad movies.... Beware.... Beware...
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Visionary...
Review: Ed Wood has fashioned the perfect movie! At once freudian / Faustian / Felini-esque / Bergman-like / Hitchcockian and imbecilically brilliant! Bela Lugosi is cast as the all powerful narrator, leading us neck-deep into this primordial bog of cinematic slime! Wood's beauty as a blonde transvestite and artiste are highlighted throughout, hinting at the fluffy, dark wad of sinister sawdust within the Ed Wood cranium. Ed's plan for universal domination takes full flight with this first glimpse at his disconnected genius! Dolores Fuller performs her vampira-walk (years before plan 9!), proving why she is a screen icon! GLEN OR GLENDA will shock you with it's gritty realism and truth! It will petrify you with it's frank, psychologically sound look at the dank underbelly of human existence! Watch as a panty-wearing G.I. Joe is transformed into a man-handed woman! Witness the grand parade of bondage-babes and bad dancers, while satan himself looks on! Ed Wood is a visionary of extraordiary depth! See his vision unfold like the pretty angora tapestry it is! Yes, Ed Wood is gone, but his movies and legend live on! GLEN OR GLENDA must be seen, held, caressed, and adored! Buy this film immediately! Nothing else will matter once you've experienced it...

Rating:
Summary: bizarre cult masterpiece
Review: Ed Wood's bizarre take on the world of cross-dressing and transvestites is one of the most revered (and reviled!) cult movies of all time.

GLEN OR GLENDA stars Wood himself (under the screen name Daniel Davis), as Glen, who has a secret fetish for angora sweaters and occasionally dons female clothes to become Glenda.

His fiance Barbara (Dolores Fuller) has no idea of his secret life, which is observed from afar by an all-powerful science god (Bela Lugosi), and a droll, sleep-inducing narrative by a psychiatrist.

There is also a bizarre dream sequence where Glen is tormented by plump women prancing around in lingerie, whipping and gagging other females and generally acting pretty weird.

However, Wood's most self-expressive and most controversial film is considered so bad that it's good. GLEN OR GLENDA is a fascinating, off-the-wall cult classic.

Rating:
Summary: Open your eyes and mind
Review: 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.