The Wizard of Oz

When speaking of immortal works of art, one might think of a painting by da Vinci, a sculpture by Michelangelo or a symphony by Beethoven. Even though moviemaking is also an art form, by comparison, it is too new for most films to be considered masterpieces. On the other hand, there are some movies that we can already tell will last for centuries in the future. “The Wizard of Oz” is considered to be the most watched movie in history and seen by more people than any other. Its place in pop culture is cemented because of its timeless themes, music and heart. I love the acting as well personally. I remember when I first saw the film at my grandparents’ house. Before that time in my life, I was somewhat familiar the story. When I came upstairs in their house to see what some family members were watching, I did not recognize the movie at first. It just looked like a boring black and white movie until that house lifted up in the tornado. At that point, I made the connection and sat down to watch the rest of the show. It has become more cherished as time goes on. I also remember that it was a big part of one of my childhood birthday parties. I am thankful that I got to see it on the big screen, twice in 3D. You might think that this film was a joy to create but it was hard work. The filmmakers deserve to have their work be engrained in the consciousness of the world's population.

The film's story is quite relatable as our heroine longs for a better life. The original book had elements of “The Hero’s Journey” motif as first explained by Joseph Campbell. That fact alone makes “The Wizard of Oz” timeless because its story pattern is centuries old and always useful: The hero must set out on a quest and they acquire friends along the way that can assist. The quest is also full of various labors or tasks that must be completed. One element of the movie that became more enjoyable with time as I grew up is the use of foreshadowing with the hired hands and Miss Gultch in Kansas. It is one of the reasons why the film never gets old. The songs and special effects in "The Wizard of Oz" help support the story beautifully. “Over the Rainbow” ironically has the opposite message of the ultimate theme of the film, “There’s no place like home”. Despite this irony, the song speaks volumes to its audience. It taps into that American Dream that we all have. At one point during the song, Toto puts out his leg out and Judy Garland takes it. It seems so natural even while she is singing and it makes the sequence even more powerful. I like Professor Marvel because he changes Dorothy’s mind for the better. He knows what’s best for her even though he just met her and tricks her into doing the right thing. This sets up Dorothy's quest because she doesn’t really make it back to her family but is taken off to Oz instead. Everyone loves that shot where Dorothy opens the door to Munchkin Land. Today's audiences might expect that the color of the shot was changed as the door opens but that was much too hard back in 1939. As a kid, I tried to figure it out and I realized that the whole shot is in technicolor. Even before Dorothy opens the door, I noticed flesh color on her arm and so I thought that the interior of the house was lit with yellow lights. Even that is wrong as I later learned. It is a double actress who opens the door. The wall, door & her dress are tinted yellowish brown and she steps out of frame to reveal Oz. Then Judy Garland, wearing blue and white, replaces the double as she steps outside the house. The shot creates such a powerful impression and establishes Oz as magical & wondrous. The lyrics of "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead" are very well written which is the largest reason for its popularity. I love the part of the song with the mayor and his councilor personally. I kind of chuckle after the song when the Witch appears and Dorothy says: “I thought you said she was dead.” After that kind of song, I would think that's what they said.

The scenes where we meet Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion are some of my favorites thanks to the recurring songs. There is irony when these three in turn sing about what they lack. Scarecrow rhymes & uses complicated words, Tin Man sings with such sweetness and Lion is bold in his singing. Before Michael Jackson's anti gravity lean, Tin Man was taking it further by swaying back and forth. I like that part. I think the phrase "Lions and tigers and bears" is so memorable because of how the characters divide it amongst themselves at one point. Dorothy repeats "lions", Scarecrow asks "and tigers?" and Tin Man answers "and bears." The editing makes it even more humorous for me. I also get a kick out of the line “Unusual weather we’re havin’, ain’t it?” The first scene with the Wizard has another funny line as Lion wakes up and mutters, “What’d he say?” Further humor comes courtesy of the weapons our heroes have to kill the witch. I find it funny to see a gun, a wrench and my new favorite: the sprayer of witch remover. Despite the funny puns that Tin Man and Lion say after seeing Scarecrow once the flying monkeys have left, I get a bigger kick out of Tin Man's line “Now, let’s see...” It just feels like the perfect way to transition to the witch's castle, knowing that those three will be busy for a while trying to clean up that mess. I also like the song the soldiers sing outside the castle. Once the witch has melted and the four return to the Emerald City, we begin to understand a few themes from "The Wizard of Oz". One theme is that we can earn the things we desire through our own efforts. Funny enough, these desires were in our possession all along. We just had to discover them. We saw this multiple times throughout the whole movie such as when Scarecrow figures out how to bring the chandelier down and to get apples. Tin Man cries a lot, thus showing he has the biggest heart of them all. The Cowardly Lion already has courage because he may be whimpering but he is still going forward. Dorothy's ruby slippers were her ticket home all along so why did Glinda send her to see the Wizard? Why would Dorothy not have believed Glinda at the start if she were told about the power of the slippers? Just as the others realized they already had a brain, heart and courage during their adventure, Dorothy similarly had to know why she wanted to go home. At first she wants to get back to Kansas but as the movie progresses, she specifies that she wants to go home to her Aunt and Uncle. Just as she never needed to go to the Wizard to get home, she never really wanted to run away from home in the first place. She had to learn this on her own in order for it to stick. I still remember as a young kid the closing scene when I realized that Hunk, Hickory, Zeke and Professor Marvel were the characters in Oz. I particularly like Zeke's line, "You couldn't forget my face, could ya?" At first I thought that it was just a bit of fun casting but it goes deeper than that. Oz wasn't a completely different place than Kansas for Dorothy because the characters she meets resemble people from her home.

The acting in this film is so entertaining and with the production being as hard as it was, it is even more impressive. Judy Garland's performance is so innocent and yet strong. She stands up to Lion when they first meet but she is genuinely terrified in the witch's castle. Frank Morgan is so versatile in all his roles. The best part of his performance is as the Wizard himself because when he is exposed, we don't feel angry as the do the four main characters. Instead, we like him because he is apologetic and this affection for him is rewarded as he immediately begins to compensate them all. My favorite actor in "The Wizard of Oz" is Ray Bolger. Hunk's first scene with his finger being hurt is priceless. As Scarecrow, Bolger is enchanting as are Jack Haley and Bert Lahr. Haley was given the part after Buddy Ebsen got sick in the poorly done original makeup. After comparing both of their performances of the song "If I Only Had a Heart", Haley's is much more sweet and touching. I have already mentioned other special moments of both Haley and Lahr as the Tin Man and Cowardly Lion respectively. Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West has become #4 on the American Film Institute's list of greatest villains. No objections in the least from this critic. I believe her character is the quintessential witch of Hollywood, hands down. To think of any other actors in these roles is practically blasphemy. Here is a really shocking fun fact: the voice of Juliet during "If I Only Had a Heart" is Adriana Caselotti who was the voice of Snow White in Walt Disney's film from two years earlier.

This project all started when MGM realized that there was an audience for “Oz” thanks to Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. "The Wizard of Oz" is probably my favorite film made during the Golden Age of Hollywood. It was nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Art Direction, Cinematography and Visual Effects among others. The year 1939 however was when so many other classic films were released such as "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "Gone with the Wind". The latter won Best Picture but "Oz" did win for Best Song and Best Musical Score. It also took the re-release 10 years later for "The Wizard of Oz" to make a profit. The film went from being great to being immortal starting in 1956 when it was first broadcast on television. During the 50's and 60's, it was only shown once a year and became a holiday tradition that is still in place today somewhat. As a kid, it was still being shown on TV during Christmas. It was television that allowed this work of art to become more than just a movie. It also inspired films decades in the future. Filmmakers such as George Lucas and Jim Henson among many others grew up with the film. The blu-ray restoration is very noteworthy and I can definitely tell the difference. On the big screen, the digital restoration is stunning. The film was especially pristine in IMAX 3D. Any film imperfections are practically gone and we see detail that was unseen for decades. The 3D conversion technology they have these days is unbelievable. Some parts of the conversion were not perfect but this couldn't be helped. Converting the painted backgrounds on the set into 3D worked perfectly when the camera was stationary but once the camera moves, the illusion is lost such as the long shot that introduces Oz. I was very impressed with the 3D of translucent elements such as Glinda helping our heroes in the poppy field and her bubble. My favorite 3D shot was in the corridor of the Wizard's palace.

Even with digital restoration and 3D conversion, the essence of the film however has not been disturbed. The American Film Institute also has "The Wizard of Oz" on practically every one of its lists such as #43 for thrilling movies, #3 for Best Musicals and #26 for most inspirational. It is their number one fantasy film and #10 on the list of Best Movies overall. The lines "I'll get you, my pretty and your little dog, too", "There's no place like home" and "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore" are on the list of movie quotes at #99, #23 and #4 respectively. Finally, it has two songs on the AFI list of Best Songs: "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead" at #82 and "Over the Rainbow" is #1! On my personal list of fantasy films, it is in the top ten and it is my favourite film from 1939. My favorite shot in the whole movie is after our heroes have left the poppy field and are skipping up towards the city in the distance. That shot is evidence of this film's status as immortal.

5 Stars