I Awoke Early The Day I Died (1997) - The Hunt for Edward D. Wood, Jr.

(1997)
I Awoke Early The Day I Died - VHS, DVD-R SEARCH EBAY FOR THIS MOVIE (opens new window) Directed by David Tahir (credited as David A. Deschamphelaere in original version) Written by David Tahir (credited as David A. Deschamphelaere in original version) Based on the original story by Edward D. Wood, Jr. Wood regulars none Additional cast Richard Allen Darla Bottom Megan Dore' Melanie FLoyd John Kowalski B. Patrick Reith Jeremy Van Scoyk 'Sharlin' Plot A madman (Kowalksi) kills a nurse (Dore') at the insane asylum where he's being held, escaping in her uniform and a wig. Once free, he goes on a rampage, killing many as he tries to track down his missing money. Ultimately, an encounter with a sorceress ('Sharlin') seals his fate... 'Wood'-ness This movie is "heavily adapted" (the writer/director's own words -ed.) from a script described in Nicholas Grey's book Nightmare of Ecstacy. In accordance with that description, the main film is entirely dialogue free, not silent as some have said. A better description would be that it is 'mute'. The only place where there is dialogue is the prologue and epilogue, which depict a reporter interviewing Ed himself in his last home, the apartment on Yucca Street. This movie tries to capture, if not the feel, then the attitude of Ed's work. It is shot very cheaply (on video, I believe) and seems to have the "just get the shot" approach that Ed typically used. Ultimately, I Awoke Early doesn't stray too far from Ed's type of storytelling, but it does show how important Ed's dialogue is to the feel of his movies. Without that, there's something lacking here. The sequences featuring Ed are the most inconguous parts of the movie, not only because they are the only parts with dialogue, but because that dialogue doesn't feel like Ed's. In 2003, David Tahir's new production company, Tahir Entertainment, released a new version of I Awoke on DVD (although still through RavenStar). It features a new edit of the film (designed to reduce "confusion" - the prologue and epilogue mentioned earlier are among the cuts). I have not seen this new version yet. I Awoke Early The Day I Died is easily obtainable for little cost, so it's worth it to any Ed fan to seek it out, if only as an oddity. Best Line none. (The movie itself is mute, remember? -ed.) File Under Crime, Horror, Posthumous, Transvestitism VIDEO RELEASES I AWOKE EARLY THE DAY I DIEDThis is the only title for this production. VHS This, the original edit of I Awoke Early The Day I Died, was only released on VHS by RavenStar Video Productions, the company behind it. An e-mail to the director (and $10) yielded the video at left. The original distribution Web Site for I Awoke has been given over to paid links, and this version is apparently no longer available. The only available version is the DVD listed below. DVD-R Manufacturer: RavenStar Year of issue: 2003 Video Format: Unknown Extras: Features both 4x3 and 16x9 versions. Comments: As indicated by the image to the left, the DVD ships in a standard CD case. It can be obtained from http://iawoke.netfirms.com for $9.99 + $5.00 s&h ($10.00 s&h for international orders). Please note that this title is available on DVD-R, not a standard DVD. Be sure to check your player's compatibility before ordering. All images © their respective owners. Images are used for review purposes only. All other content, including (but not limited to): text, html & original graphics are © Philip R. Frey