When Dorothy and her dog Toto are whisked away from home in a twister, they crash land in the beautiful and magical world of OZ. Unable to find someone with the power to send her home, Dorothy embarks upon an epic journey to the Emerald City to ask the great and powerful Wizard of Oz for help. Meeting new friends along the way and carefully trying to avoid the Wicked Witch of the West makes this the adventure of a lifetime and teaches Dorothy that there’s no place like home.
Based on the beloved novel by L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz is a timeless fantasy classic. The story has been interpreted in many different ways over the years, but never actually re-done and I think that’s good because why would you mess with perfection? Just like the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and the Star Wars films, this movie has no expiration date and will never seem outdated and “old”.
When a terrible twister hits Dorothy’s home in Kansas, an adventure of a lifetime begins. After her house is sucked up into the cyclone, it crash lands in the magical land of Oz, on top of the Wicked Witch of the East unfortunately. Upon realising what she’s done, Dorothy quickly makes an enemy of the Witch of the East’s sister, the Wicked Witch of the West, and she becomes determined to get out of Oz all together. Unable to find anyone in Munchkinland to help her, Dorothy embarks on an epic journey down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to ask the great and powerful Wizard of Oz for help. Along the way she meets new friends who are in need of the wizard just as much as she is and, as they all journey together they become a sort of family. But all the same, the dangerous Wicked Witch of the West is after Dorothy and, although Oz is a very beautiful place, she’s about to realise that there’s no place like home.
This movie is a timeless fantasy classic for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s a wonderful story that has the power to intrigue and entrance people of every age.
Secondly, it spared no expenses in producing family entertainment. The film was rather expensive, I suppose because many of the sets, costumes, and characters were very grandiose and had to be produces in mass. The costumes for the characters alone had to be rather pricey, like the suits for the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Lion, and Glinda the Good. And then the sets just went from strength to strength. Beginning in the beautiful world of Munchkinland, filled with thatched-roof houses, shimmering plastic flowers, and the bluest stream you’ve ever seen, we then venture through cornfields, forests, poppy fields, glittering castles, and hot air balloons. It was a very extravagant movie.
Thirdly, I think this is the only film, it’s certainly the only film I’ve ever seen, that starts out in black and white and then goes to colour, ending in black and white again. This technique had such a powerful effect because it really conveyed the magic of the world of Oz.
Fourthly, the performances from all the actors were brilliant. Most of them played double roles, someone in Kansas and then a reflective fantasy character in Oz. Other fantasy films have now adapted this technique of their actors playing duel roles for reflective fantasy characters, e.g. Jumanji and the live version of Peter Pan done in 2003. This is the film that turned Judy Garland from just a talented child actor into a lasting an iconic movie star. Playing one the most celebrated child heroines since Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Judy’s performance was absolutely mesmerising.
Starring Ray Bolger, Frank Morgan, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin, Pat Walshe, Clara Blandick, Terry the Dog, and the Singer Midgets, The Wizard of Oz is a timeless family classic filled with memorable characters, adventure, wicked witches, magic spells, and a classic musical score. Making it into the book 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die that just says it all doesn’t it? It’s an epic classic.
No comments:
Post a Comment