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I Changed My Sex

Play trailer Poster for I Changed My Sex PG 1953 1h 7m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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39% Tomatometer 23 Reviews 33% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A troubled cross-dresser reveals his shameful secret to his unsuspecting fiancée.
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I Changed My Sex

I Changed My Sex

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Critics Consensus

Glen or Glenda? remains an interesting artifact from one of Hollywood's more colorful careers -- albeit not one that holds up particularly well as a movie.

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Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety Mar 26, 2009
What distinguishes it from other low-budget efforts are the occasional mad flights of fancy. Go to Full Review
Chris Petit Time Out Feb 9, 2006
This well-meaning disaster, rescued from the obscurity it surely craves, is without doubt a candidate for one of the worst films ever made. Go to Full Review
Janet Maslin New York Times Dec 6, 2004
It isn't quite a camp classic, although it's dreadful enough to have a certain comic appeal. ''Glen or Glenda'' is also a film of great conviction in its way, and that tends to interfere with the fun. Go to Full Review
Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault Aug 30, 2022
A
Underneath the ineptitude, this is an impassioned plea for tolerance. Many of Wood’s points, ridiculously presented though they are, make sense. Go to Full Review
Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Feb 18, 2008
1/5
John A. Nesbit Old School Reviews Mar 9, 2007
D
as insanely bad as this movie is, it retains perverse pleasures that serve it well as a cult icon Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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CodyZamboni Z @CodyZamboni Jul 21, 2026 Plodding boring pseudo documentary that's amusing for about 5 seconds. Wacky scenes, dream sequences, and bizarre Bela Lugosi narrative comments grew tiresome. Ed Wood's enthusiasm for the subject is very much on display, See more Allan C @RT15713161 Jul 8, 2026 "Pull the strings! Pull the strings!" Ed wood's awkward plea for acceptance Glen or Glenda (1953) ** Glen or Glenda is an astonishingly inept film, but beneath Ed Wood's famously awkward filmmaking lies a surprisingly heartfelt plea for empathy and acceptance. Its bizarre imagery, stilted dialogue, and surreal Bela Lugosi scenes make it an unforgettable camp curio, yet its sincerity gives it an emotional resonance that many better-made films lack. SEE LETTERBOXED FOR FULL REVIEW See more Peter G @PeterGabrielle Feb 1, 2025 AMAZING! It makes sense why David lynch was inspired by this film. It’s truly a beautiful and heartwarming piece of art with some random nightmarish surrealism See more Teddy B @RT38636458 Dec 23, 2023 A 'film' that is unintentionally one of the most riotous comedies of the 1950s. See more Eric P @RT06161622 Aug 11, 2022 Ed Wood takes on a taboo topic in this film called Glen or Glenda. It was his plea that our American society should be more tolerant on the LGBT community. While the film was progressive at the time as this taboo topic was unheard of in the 1950's, the film was still very much awful. The film is so nonsensical especially all the Bela Lugosi scenes because his scenes have absolutely nothing to do with the film whatsoever. Speaking of Bela Lugosi, he and Dolores Fuller's performances in Glen or Glenda was pretty much wooden. The music at times felt horrendous because it pretty much sounded very annoying. The sets on the film looked as fraudulent as an average middle school play. Last but not least, the film's editing was lazy at times. While it should be acknowledged that Glen or Glenda was progressive for this type of film, Ed Wood still had no idea how to deliver its intended message as it turned out to be unconventional. See more Apr 22, 2022 I despise the notion that Ed Wood was a horrible filmmaker. Sure, his movies aren't technically proficient and are often pretty maudlin in moments, but he's an actual auteur. For this movie, he didn't just direct and write, he also starred as Daniel Davies. Who else could? After all, Wood convinced producer George Weiss that he was the perfect director for this movie as he was a real-life transvestite. In this movie, Wood takes pains to emphasize that a male transvestite is not automatically a homosexual. He swore that he had never had a single homosexual relationship in his life and was considered a womanizer. He also was given to directing his adult work in full drag and claimed that his greatest fantasy was to come back as a gorgeous blonde. Yet he still would say that he was comforted by the feel of angora. So while the Golden Turkey Awards may give Wood the title of Worst Director of All Time and Leonard Maltin may say that this is "possibly the worst movie ever made," it has heart. An inept heart, but heart. A transvestite who has been to prison four times for cross-dressing has killed themselves, saying "Let my body rest in death forever, in the things I cannot wear in life." This leads Dr. Alton (Wood player Timothy Farrell) to seek out Glen, another man who loves to dress as the other sex, often stealing the clothing of his fiancee Barbara (Dolores Fuller, Wood's girlfriend at the time). Glen is struggling between being honest with Barbara before their wedding or telling her afterward. Through extended dream sequences, he finally comes to terms with who he is and his other side, revealing it to her. As she hands him an angora sweater, she accepts every side of him. The doctor then learns of another person, Alan/Anne. Anne was born a boy, but her mother wanted a girl and raised her that way, which left her abused throughout school. Despite hiding her true self during the war, she has since had an operation to become "a lovely young lady." Let me tell you, this kind of movie is incendiary in 2022. This was made in 1953. A movie with these words, which we should live by: "Give this man satin undies, a dress, a sweater and a skirt, or even the lounging outfit he has on, and he's the happiest individual in the world. He can work better, think better, he can play better, and he can be more of a credit to his community and his government because he is happy." So yes, Ed Wood isn't someone with a cinematic eye. But he put himself — all of himself — on the screen. That's worthy of celebration. The inclusion of Bela Lugosi is as well. That's what takes this movie from message movie to true oddity, as Bela plays The Scientist, a character unconnected to any narrative that begins the film and is not even the narrator, much like how Encounter with the Unknown decides to have a second uncredited voice take the role because just having Rod Serling is not enough. "Beware. Beware. Beware of the big, green dragon that sits on your doorstep. He eats little boys, puppy dog tails and big, fat snails. Beware. Take care. Beware. Wood would bring back Glen/Glenda again in two of his novels. Killer in Drag has Glen/Glenda becoming a serial killer while Death of a Transvestite has Glen/Glenda being executed. See more Read all reviews
I Changed My Sex

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Movie Info

Synopsis A troubled cross-dresser reveals his shameful secret to his unsuspecting fiancée.
Director
Edward D. Wood Jr.
Producer
George Weiss
Screenwriter
Edward D. Wood Jr.
Production Co
Screen Classics
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2012
Runtime
1h 7m
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