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Wood + Lugosi: The military/severe wounding connection

posted 11 years ago by benbo-3
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It's mentioned in the movie that Wood was a Marine vet who was seriously wounded (I believe in Guadalcanal) - hence losing his teeth. I ain't a Hollywood person, but I am a huge history buff, and I happened to learn that Bela Lugosi was badly wounded fighting in WW1 - 3 times, including brain injury. In fact, standard treatment at the time was giving the wounded morphine. This leads to a couple of points that could've been explored in more depth -

1) Instead of showing Lugosi as just another Hollyweird drug addict, they could've explained how he was 1st exposed to morphine out of necessity from war wounds. Questions of morality aside, it would've added depth to his admittedly well-acted character. In other words, show that his addiction wasn't just another bored actor who chose to chase the dragon, but it came about from something honorable, fighting for his country bravely and getting wounded 3 times! A couple of throwaway lines, Lugosi explaining how he 1st got addicted recovering from his wounds, would've made him even more sympathetic, rather than just another spoiled bored actor who bit off more than he could chew.

2) On that note, I don't know if Wood & Lugosi bonded over this, but veterans (especially those who've survived combat) share a bond that civilians could never understand. Maybe as part of the process of the 2 becoming such good friends, there could've been some allusion to their shared experiences: bravery, terror, severe wounding, recovery, etc. It's obvious they were close, and I don't know if they bonded over their war experiences, but showing them reminiscing/commiserating over the horror they'd seen and survived would've added depth to their relationship. Also, it would've added another dimension, other than Wood admiring Lugosi's work as an actor: he found a brother-in-arms, some1 who had been thru the same horror he had, sympatico.

Don't get me wrong, they're surprisingly good performances by Depp & Landau, and showing the Wood/Lugosi friendship was touching (especially how Wood repeatedly came running anytime Lugosi called him, how Wood pushed him into rehab then offered to pick up the tab, etc.). It's obvious Wood genuinely cared for Lugosi, and took his loss hard. I'm not a big Tim Burton fan, and any1 can critique, but I wonder why Burton didn't expound on these events - I'm sure they were pretty important in Wood's and Lugosi's lives.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] benbo-3 11 years ago

a few minutes - Lugosi explaining how he didn't intend to be a drug addict, and a little dialog from 2 vets who lived to tell, appreciating every day, that kinda thing.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] fritzfassbender 11 years ago

Something that people often forget about Ed Wood is that it is a comedy first, a biopic second. Yes, it'd be nice if some facts were more on the mark, but many things were deliberately changed because it's simply funnier to make them that way.

A lot of the charm of this movie and a key to its longevity is its warmth and humor with a story that was ultimately quite sad and could easily have been portrayed that way. Both Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi had very tragic conclusions to their lives, and they both left this world believing they were failures.

The mere term 'military/severe wounding connection" already makes this a much darker film than anyone who made it intended. I just don't see how they film could have gone that route and not changed the entire tone.

[–] benbo-3 11 years ago

It would have been a nice bonding element - 2 good men, each having served their countries with honor, each having suffered, each lived to tell and not only survived but thrived. I realize the movie is presented as a comedy, and there were several hysterical moments (I've commented on other threads). Yet, I fail to see how revealing this truth about both of their backgrounds would've detracted from the enjoyment of the movie. On the contrary, I think it would've enhanced it. Aside from the fact that we know Lugosi wasn't just some spoiled bored actor irresponsibly hooking himself on drugs, fleshing out the background of how he got hooked, as happened in real life, would've added a deeper dimension to his character. It would explain the deep bond between the 2 men, aside from Wood's professional admiration of Lugosi's acting ability. 2 men who looked into the abyss, walked away, and thrived.

All that said, I get it if others don't get this special bond of men who have put themselves in danger like they did. On the other hand, I ain't a big Tim Burton fan, so maybe I just don't get it. All in all, it was a very good movie, and Depp & Landau stole the show - gr8 performances by both.