Glen or Glenda?

Glen or Glenda? The movie that Edward D Wood Jr. felt so strong about he cast himself in the lead (for now obvious reasons). Ed Wood is possibly the most notorious director of the last century; my personal opinion is that he’s not the worst. The heart of his material pushes past the technically inept exterior that’s projected on the screen. There are plenty of other directors out there that lack the technical skill like wood does, but also lack his heart.


"Here, it looks better on you"

Glen or Glenda? Is the telling of two tales of men who enjoy women’s clothing, one not as extreme as the other. In Glen’s tale we learn about transvestites and how they function in society. We learn of his dilemma in whether he should tell his fiancée Barbara about his “condition”. In typical Wood fashion there is a LOT of filler and the story presented is very thin. He deftly adds footage of Bela Lugosi as an overseer of sorts, which are easily the best parts of the film.


“PULL THE STRINGS, PULL THE STRINGS”

The second story is that of Allen who we discover is a “pseudo-hermaphrodite”. For him the only is a sex change, which if you know anything about what this story was originally supposed to be about, this was meant to be the A story. Wood bangs out this story in less than 10 minutes and finds his way back to Glen storyline that he obviously finds more appealing (it allows him to wear more angora). The film features many Wood regulars like Bela Lugosi (well past the prime of his Dracula days), Delores Fuller (who was involved with Wood), Lyle Talbot (future body stand in for Lugosi after he dies) and of course Daniel Davis (Wood Himself).


See, told ya

All in all Glen or Glenda? is a fun look into the mind of a transvestite delivered by a man who knows the subject well. Better to watch with like-minded friends.

6 out of 10