Rating: 
Summary: What can I say ? It's the amazing Ed Wood !
Review: If you like well-directed action scenes with plenty of sfx, maybe mixed with intelligent comedy and some drama, acted out by capable performers, then you won't want to see "Glen or Glenda". However; if you're one of those strange people who take joy in marvelling at just how bad it is possible to make movies, then this is for you.Let me tell you: This is weird. Almost worse than Wood's masterpiece, "Plan 9 from Outer Space", it had me actually gaping in amazement for close to 70 minutes. Originally Wood's attempt at social commentary, trying to open people's eyes to the plight of the closet transvestites of the world (of which he himself was one, and played one in the film), this film has it all: an almost incoherent and incomprehensible story within a story within a story, narrated on several levels. Stock footage galore, among other things, a buffalo herd having, well - nothing to do with the film, and a lot of sweaty soldiers loading shells into cannons and shooting them off for close to 5 minutes, to sorta symbolise WW2 ("And just as quickly as the war had started... it was over!"). Lousy lines, lousy cast (Probably just picked'em up in the bar on his way over to the studio), lousy props (VERY obviously pasted-together newspaper front pages), a positively ludicrous explanation as to why it's so nice to wear women's clothing, a close to 15-minutes long, totally unrelated, episodic dream sequence containing lots of women wearing lingerie while performing various acts (like one woman pouncing upon another woman, binding and gagging her), all to the tune of "Czardas", the most rushed piece of violin music ever, while Wood's dream ego looks horrifiedly at the proceedings. And all under the watchful eye of the overseer Bela Lugosi, sitting in his mad scientist-laboratory and spouting totally wigged-out lines. PULL THE SKRINKS ! If you think this review was incoherent, it is because the film itself is incoherent. And if what I've described is your idea of fun, then you'll enjoy it as much as I did. If it isn't, well... "Bevare!"
Rating: 
Summary: This Movie is PRICELESS
Review: There is no trick to making a normal bad movie. Most of the movies out there are bad or boring, or both. The people involved generally know the movie isn't very good. They are film professionals who realize they haven't brought what is necessary to create a quality movie. It may be due to time or a lack of money to hire the best actors and script writers. It may be pressure to clone the latest box office smash and capitalize on it's success. Whatever the reason it isn't because the director is so inept, incompetent, foolish, and inexperienced that they think incoherent rambling makes a fine picture.
That is precisely why "Glen or Glenda" is a priceless gem. Ed Wood poured his heart and soul into what he considered a hard hitting drama to enlighten the masses about cross dressing men. A cross dresser himself, Wood even wore women's underwear under his uniform while in the military. He felt this movie would educate, inform, and bring a better understanding about cross dressing. He actually thought it was a great movie.
Of course what he made was a wildly incoherent mess, full of unrelated scenes and crazy dialog. The Bela Lagosi character, who is playing God, rambles about "Pulling skrings" while buffalos stampede across the screen. There are dream sequences where scantily clad women slink about while Wood stands offstage and looks "Horrified". It simply cannot be described and has nothing to do with the plot. In fact, nothing in the movie has anything to do with the plot. That in itself is a remarkable achievement.
"Glen or Glenda" is a high water mark in bad movies. Along with "Robot Monster" and his own "Plan 9 from Outer Space", it has stood the test of time to become an icon. Watch it and be amazed.
Rating:
Summary: incredible, wow! outstanding
Review: Yeah, well, maybe not! Still one of the most entertaining films i've ever seen! I get way more laughs out of Ed Wood films than most of the so called "comedies" that hollywood puts out. Great way to spend a saturday night, have a "b" grade double feature with your favourite spouse and favourite snacks!
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible, abominable, laughable--I loved it!
Review: If you've ever heard someone describe a film as being so bad it's good, there's a good chance they're talking about the "masterpieces" of the immortal Edward D. Wood, Jr. And if you want to see just how bad "bad" can get, watch "Glen or Glenda." It's so bad you'll alternate between uncontrollable laughter and mind-numbing, jaw-dropping amazement. Bless him, his heart was in the right place, but his brain must have been orbiting Pluto. (Where on earth did he get the idea that wearing hats makes men bald, anyway?) Wildly incongruous montage sequences, dialogue (and acting) that wouldn't pass muster in a junior-high school Christmas pageant, and Bela Lugosi's somber ranting make this film a unique experience, if nothing else. Add to that an out-of-nowhere sadomasochistic dream sequence set to frenetic violin music, and you're off on a chaotic (and scary) journey through Ed Wood's mind. At times, the trip has the morbid appeal one gets from viewing a train wreck. So why do I love this film? Well, being a transsexual, I have to look for sympathy where I can find it, and Wood is indeed sympathetic in his own ham-fisted way. I could have done without the loopy psychoanalysis (featuring the most implausible movie shrink in history). Did Wood, a crossdresser himself, really think that the love of a good woman was all someone like him needed, or was he simply trying to make this mess more palatable to 1953 audiences? I get the feeling even HE wasn't sure. An interesting side note--Wood was "inspired" to produce his magnum opus at the urging of grade-Z movie schlockmeister George Weiss, who wanted to cash in on Christine Jorgenson's recent sex change (but couldn't get Jorgenson to appear). Not to be outdone, Wood replaces Christine's story with the story of Glen, a crossdresser about to be married, living in terror of what his fiancee might think if she knew his secret. Before we even get to this part of the story, we are treated to lengthy narration on the tightness and roughness of men's clothing. (Which makes me wonder how much time Wood really spent in women's clothes--he apparently never wore a bra for any length of time). In what was obviously a move to keep Weiss from strangling him, Wood does devote the last ten minutes or so of the film to an actual transsexual, (I think?) Alan/Ann. Miraculously, this is probably the most coherent part of the entire film, and does indeed give the audience a glimpse of what a transsexual must go through (it hasn't gotten that much easier in half a century). Still, looking at this film, I'm not sure if it actually helped transgendered people--or set us back a decade or two.
Rating:
Summary: Not a perfect print; Ed's meisterwerk still shines
Review: Glen or Glenda is, of course, Edward D. Wood Jr.'s autobiographical exploitation anti-masterpiece. If you've already seen it and you're reading this, you're no doubt a fan. If you haven't seen it, let me try to describe the indescribable: imagine one of those creaky old 16mm Coronet instructional grade-school films, only about transvestism, featuring Bela Lugosi, and codirected by Bunuel and Warhol. When they were both twelve years old. Dizzingly absurd dialogue and imagery abound, intercut with dry clinical discussions of transvestism, transsexuality, and hermaphroditism, delivered in tones of heartfelt tolerence. What really amazes me is the guts it must have taken for Ed Wood to make this movie at all in the moral and political climate of the early 50s. Wow! I love the (autobiographical) part about the TV soldier going into battle with his ladies' undies on underneath his uniform! As noted by others, the "lost" scenes of bondage although they serve no real purpose and just slow the film down). This is one that really has to be seen to be believed; every bad film fan needs a copy of this in their collection.
Of course the question on every GoG fan's mind is: how's the print quality? I was curious myself, but wary of buying after reading a very negative review in Scarlet Street last year complaining about the quality of the source print. After viewing the disc, I am glad to report that overall it's quite acceptable, if not pristine. The worst of the damage amounts to a half dozen or so noticeable jump cuts, some sporadic scratching, and the usual light speckling throughout. Tonal values and detail range from very good to excellent throughout and the print is fairly sharp (if not as crisp as Image's Bride of the Monster transfer). The original "Glen or Glenda" title card has been cobbled together from freeze-frames (does no intact high-quality footage exist?), though Wade Williams has this time tastefully placed his copyright notice elsewhere. Despite the SS reviewer's claims that much better prints of the film are widely available on video, I've yet to run across one. This DVD easily blows away the numerous TV prints and VHS pre-records I've watched, owned, and rented over the years, including Rhino and Video Yesteryear's VHS editions. Large sections of the DVD are nearly blemish-free and the audio is clear. Extras include 16 chapter stops and a longer, cleaner trailer than I've seen before. Unless you're holding out for a truly flawless copy, I think this will do nicely for most viewers; I am not at all unhappy with the purchase.
Rating:
Summary: What can I say ? It's the amazing Ed Wood !
Review: If you like well-directed action scenes with plenty of sfx, maybe mixed with intelligent comedy and some drama, acted out by capable performers, then you won't want to see "Glen or Glenda". However; if you're one of those strange people who take joy in marvelling at just how bad it is possible to make movies, then this is for you. Let me tell you: This is weird. Almost worse than Wood's masterpiece, "Plan 9 from Outer Space", it had me actually gaping in amazement for close to 70 minutes. Originally Wood's attempt at social commentary, trying to open people's eyes to the plight of the closet transvestites of the world (of which he himself was one, and played one in the film), this film has it all: an almost incoherent and incomprehensible story within a story within a story, narrated on several levels. Stock footage galore, among other things, a buffalo herd having, well - nothing to do with the film, and a lot of sweaty soldiers loading shells into cannons and shooting them off for close to 5 minutes, to sorta symbolise WW2 ("And just as quickly as the war had started... it was over!"). Lousy lines, lousy cast (Probably just picked'em up in the bar on his way over to the studio), lousy props (VERY obviously pasted-together newspaper front pages), a positively ludicrous explanation as to why it's so nice to wear women's clothing, a close to 15-minutes long, totally unrelated, episodic dream sequence containing lots of women wearing lingerie while performing various acts (like one woman pouncing upon another woman, binding and gagging her), all to the tune of "Czardas", the most rushed piece of violin music ever, while Wood's dream ego looks horrifiedly at the proceedings. And all under the watchful eye of the overseer Bela Lugosi, sitting in his mad scientist-laboratory and spouting totally wigged-out lines. PULL THE SKRINKS ! If you think this review was incoherent, it is because the film itself is incoherent. And if what I've described is your idea of fun, then you'll enjoy it as much as I did. If it isn't, well... "Bevare!"
Rating:
Summary: incredible, wow! outstanding
Review: Yeah, well, maybe not! Still one of the most entertaining films i've ever seen! I get way more laughs out of Ed Wood films than most of the so called "comedies" that hollywood puts out. Great way to spend a saturday night, have a "b" grade double feature with your favourite spouse and favourite snacks!
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: Wonderful Movie
Review: I received the box set for christmas, and they are by far the best movies, Edward D. Wood Jr. have done. He's an excellent Director. I highly recommend the mvies.
Rating: 
Summary: Jaw-droppingly stupid!
Review: This movie is bad even by Ed Wood standards! It somewhat borders the line of "so bad it's good" like Plan 9/Grave Robbers from Outer Space and Jail Bait and just so bad it's BAD! Essentially the story of a transvestite and his struggle for acceptance, it's filled with the usual "Edwoodian" trademarks as ham acting, atrocious dialougue (checkout the completely senseless jabbering of Bela Lugosi superimposed over a city street early on in the film. POOL ZE STRING! DANCE! SNAKES SNAILS AND PUUPY DOG TAILS! Whhhaaat???), and scenes that come and go without rhyme or reason. This was his first major feature, so it doesn't all hang together yet, but even fans will have a rough going with this! Good luck and hold on to your noses!
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