THE WIZARD OF OZ
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1998 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ****
My son's school is putting on a production of THE WIZARD OF OZ -
he's a Munchkin whose one line is "It's a girl and she's asleep." - so
we rented the classic Judy Garland version from 1939. Beautifully
directed by Victor Fleming, who won the award that year for best
director, but for GONE WITH THE WIND, THE WIZARD OF OZ is so
exquisitely constructed that it's hard to believe that it could have
been done any other way. But there were scenes deleted, including a
jitterbug number, and others that were almost excised, including the
key "Over the Rainbow" number.
The cast, which seems etched in stone now like a cinematic Mount
Rushmore, was not exactly what the studio wanted. Buddy Ebsen was to
have been the Tin Woodman until the silver make-up made him sick. And
W. C. Fields was the original choice for the Wizard, but he turned them
down.
Opening to a bleak Kansas landscape, filmed in a nostalgic,
Sepiatone black-and-white, Dorothy wants to be anywhere but boring old
home. After a long dream sequence that bursts forth in bright primary
colors and imaginative sets, the story ends in that same monotone
Kansas that it began but with Dorothy wanting never to leave home
again. Just as the mythical sets for Oz are not meant to be real, so
the sets for the Kansas farm are so obviously done on a sound stage
that they too have a poetic realism that transcends the literal. It is
the dream set in the Land of Oz that is the heart of the magical tale
that warms the hearts of young and old alike.
Most "family" pictures aren't. At best they are kids' movies that
keep the adults' attention with sufficient humor aimed at them. THE
WIZARD OF OZ, on the other hand, truly mesmerizes all ages.
With Judy Garland as Dorothy, Frank Morgan as the Wizard (as well
as many other roles), Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the
Cowardly Lion and Jack Haley as the Tin Woodman, the ensemble cast
never ceases to delight and amaze us. Every scene brings some new joy
or gem of wisdom such as the "brainless" Tin Woodman's observation that
"some people without brains do an awful lot of talking."
The sweet script by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan
Woolf, based on the classic L. Frank Baum novel, captivates us at
every turn. "And she's not only merely dead, she's really most
sincerely dead." the coroner says of the Wicked Witch of the East, who
was killed by Dorothy's house. The dialog that is spoken rather than
sung still has almost a musical cadence and is always just short of
poetry.
The music is so infectiously happy that it is basically impossible
to keep your toes from tapping, your head from bobbing, and an
ear-to-ear grin from appearing on your face.
The movie is perhaps best epitomized in Dorothy's dance as she
leaves the cute little Munchkins. Singing "Off to see the Wizard," she
skips along with an infectious joy along the famous yellow brick road.
If we could enter the screen, every member of the audience would skip
right along behind her.
THE WIZARD OF OZ runs 1:41. It is rated G and is perfect for all
ages.
My son Jeffrey, age 9, gave the movie **** and said it was
wonderful. His favorite scene was the one with all the flying monkeys.
He said that "you can't grow too old for this movie."
Have I Seen This Movie: Yes
And What Did I Think?: There's no place like home... or Oz for that matter. This timeless film is one of or not the best American musical of all time. All of us grew up watching this movie and most people have seen this film at least once in their lifetime. If you haven't.... what are you waiting for?? Well we all know the plot so I won't go into that, so instead I'll comment on the re-release of the film. It was wonderfully remastered in 1998 and has just been re-release again onto DVD. The DVD is nice because it includes "The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz: The Making Of A Movie Classic" hosted by Angela Lansbury. It also includes interviews with some of the cast members that were done in the 70's. All the movie trailers, sketches, storyboards, promotional material, and costume designs are here as well. The deleted long scene of the Scarecrow's dance routine is shown in its entirety for the first time here. It certainely is worth buying if you have a DVD and love this movie. This film will be around forever and children of all ages should see this movie. It doesn't matter that it looks a bit out of date and that you could see the strings often, It will always look good. When Dorothy lands in Oz and opens that door into the world of color, that's pure movie magic. With songs that we all know and love, and Judy Garland's wonderful acting and singing voice this is a treat to watch over and over again.
I give The Wizard Of Oz 5 out of 5 stars
Review written October 29, 1999
