When it comes to my favorite movies of all
time, I’ve never been able to single out a personal favorite above all else …
as I feel it ruins the magic to put them on some kind of pedestal. With that
said … I do feel that no other movie is more important to me than the 1939
musical “The Wizard of Oz”. As far back as I can remember, it was
watching this movie as a little kid that made me love movies in general.
I probably don’t even need to discuss the
plot, but for a concise review … here it is anyway. Everyday farm-girl Dorothy
is tired of her boring life, and wants to escape to someplace wondrous. After
a freak tornado, her wish is granted, and she’s whisked away to the magical
world of Oz. There she meets some colorful characters, new friends, and makes
enemies with a Wicked Witch. Suddenly, despite having her wish come true,
Dorothy wants nothing more than to go back home.
So, with the help of her new friends,
she sets off on a journey to find her way back … while singing some iconic tunes
along the way. Their road leads to the dazzling Emerald City, where the
mysterious wizard called Oz might have the means to send her home, as well as
grant the wishes of her comrades … unless they do a favor for him first. In a
nut-shell, it’s the classic family fairy-tale that we all grew-up with, and is a
must-see for both young and old. One thing I need to address is that, beyond its
rich source material, there was another hit fairy-tale adaption to the big-screen
that was a prime influence on “The Wizard of Oz” … a little animated
movie from Disney called “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. Production
on Oz began right after the success of Disney’s Snow White in 1937, as it
showed that films adapted from popular children's stories and fairy-tale
folklore could still be successful. As such, I’ll be noting certain elements throughout the review that came to be thanks to Snow White.
The first ace up this movies sleeve really is
Judy Garland in the lead role of Dorothy … had it not been for her, I don’t
think this movie would have resonated as well with us kids.
Whenever I think of
iconic female lead character performances, Judy Garland’s portrayal of Dorothy
always seems to come to mind first. That’s not to say it’s the absolute
greatest performance, but it is a staple in our pop-culture, and one of the
flagship character portrayals for movies in general. Now, the character of
Dorothy is just a child who just entered her double-digits, where as Judy
Garland was in her ladder teenage years during filming. While she certainly
looks like a sixteen-year-old playing a twelve-year-old … she never once feels
like teenager acting as a kid. Her performance is so genuine, vulnerable, lovable,
and innocent that she naturally feels like a little kid whenever she’s on
screen. Keep in mind, back in 1939, Judy Garland didn’t really have an acting template
to base her performance around … with the possible exception of Disney’s Snow
White.
Also, if you’ve seen her act in other classic musicals like “Meet me in St.
Louis”, or “Easter Parade”, or acting opposite of Mickey Rooney in “Strike
up the Band”, or her Oscar nominated performance in “A Star is Born”,
then you’ll see just how versatile her acting talents and character portrayals
are. As such, what she brought to the role of Dorothy was something 100% genuine
to the character, and I’m honestly shocked that she didn’t receive an Oscar
nomination for her performance. I can guarantee that her portrayal of Dorothy has impacted
more viewers and young actors then the majority of the other Oscar nominated
performance that year. Obviously, she wasn't going to beat Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind", but she at least deserved the nomination. Watch her performance during the scene when she’s
visiting professor Marvel, and he’s describing the heartbreak of Aunt Em … the
range of emotion and expression on her face in this moment is genuinely heartfelt,
yet subtle without going too emotional, and that’s the sign of a great talent. All
through the film, you can just tell from the look in her eyes, the way she holds
herself on screen, the energy on display … this role meant the world to her,
and she was having the time of her life.
The cast in general is about as delightful
an ensemble as they get, with each talent bringing a distinct personality and
charm to each role. We have Ray Bolger’s energetic portrayal of the Scarecrow,
Jack Haley’s humble nature of the Tin Man, Bert Lahr’s unbounded charisma as
the Cowardly Lion, and finally, we have the class and dignity of Frank Morgan as the
many faces of Oz.
Originally, the role of Oz was written with W.C. Fields in
mind, but he wasn’t pleased with the payment he’d receive, and went on to write
the script for “You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man!” Regardless, Frank Morgan fit the role like a
glove, and set a template for actors playing multiple roles in one film. In fact,
he could have been a direct influence for Tony Randall in the 1964 fantasy “The
Seven Faces of Dr. Lao”. Of course, the dog Toto is about as lovable as the
cute side-kick characters are concerned, and he’d set the template for further
cute, non-speaking side-kicks. Another thing I’ve always loved about our three
main friends is that each represents a distinct virtue … knowledge, compassion and
courage … which they have to discover within themselves.
Thus, there’s so much
more depth to these characters, and their charm goes beyond their larger than
life personalities, and colorful designs. Also, another talent I have to address
is Jack Dawn, who did the make-up for the characters. They all look incredible,
even to this day, and he was very innovative with a glue-on face mask technique
that had never been done before … although it did unfortunately leave scaring
on some of the actors faces. Still, the craft was an influence on make-up effects to
follow, and the craft would eventually be perfected in movies like Jim Carry’s “How
the Grinch Stole Christmas”.
Of course, it’s time to talk about one of
my favorite movie villains of all time … The Wicked Witch of the West, who’s played masterfully by Margaret Hamilton. Right on
the same pedestal as Darth Vader and the Joker, I’ve always viewed The Wicked Witch of the West as one
of the most iconic of movie villains … and subsequently a staple for the
Halloween season.
While this movie has nothing to do with the holiday, the
Witch’s green skin, pointy hat, big nose, high-pitch vocals and all black
attire has always stuck with me as the definitive look and design for a Witch …
especially one for the Halloween season. Her original design in the book was
very different, and closer resembled the haggard old Witch seen in Disney’s
Snow White. Ironically, it was in the wake of Disney’s “Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs” that The Wicked Witch of the West went through a design
change. While some wanted her to mirror the original Witch illustrations of the
book, others took inspiration from the design of the Evil Queen in Snow White,
and wanted to present the Witch as someone evil, but with beauty and glamour. In
order to satisfy both sides, a decision was made to combine both elements of
the Evil Queen and the Old Witch into a middle ground design. Thus, we have our
Witch standing up-right, and with a hint of glamour under her traditionally
disgusting Witch features.
However, it’s Margaret Hamilton’s brilliant, and
highly theatrical performance that makes this one of the great movie villains.
Second only to the Joker, Margaret Hamilton’s Witch cackle is about as iconic as evil laughs go.
Every time she appears on screen, she is just bursting with wicked energy, and her
mannerism lends to some frequently quoted lines … “I’ll get you my pretty, and
your little dog too!” Her scenes are likewise full of excitement, as she
appears and vanishes in fiery bursts of smoke, she rights messages in the sky,
and chucks fire-balls at our heroes. Sure, now days we have villains like
Thanos hurtling moons, but back in the thirties, seeing a villain chuck a fire
ball probably made all the kids leap from their seats.
Of
course, I need to mention the films iconic musical numbers, and it’s here where
my feelings get a little mixed. When it comes to musicals in general, this
film’s song selection has never quiet been on par with the majority of my other
favorite musicals.
Regardless, their still timeless tunes, and we all remember
these titles … “We’re off to see the Wizard”,
“If I only had a Brain”, “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”, and of course
the Oscar winning original song “Somewhere Over
the Rainbow” … which still continues to move audiences all these
years later. Personally, I like these songs more for how they lend to some
delightful sequences. For example, I never liked the Lions “King of the Forest” number, but the actor is
so delightful in his performance that it makes the song a highlight. As a side note,
I’ve always loved the Tin Man smashing that flower pot … just to give the Lion
a crown. Speaking of whom, the Tin Mans “If I
only had a heart” never really did anything for me as a song, but I enjoy
his dance, I love when he toots the smoke from his hat, and I’m always amused
by that random disembodied voice quoting Shakespeare. By the way, that random voice
heard during the Tin Man song was actually Adriana Caselotti, who had previously
voiced Snow White in Disney’s animated hit “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.
I’d like to think that in the wake of that film’s success, she was considered
for the role of Dorothy, but sense she didn’t get the part, the filmmakers gave
her this little vocal cameo to compensate … but again, that’s just me
speculating, and I have no source to confirm that.
For another example, “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” isn’t really a
song I love … but I adore the sequence, with all those colorful sets, and
cheerful energy on display. More than anything, I just love this scene for its
individual Munchkin characters, most of whom are only on screen for a few
seconds, and yet I’ve never forgotten them.
Beyond the classic songs, and the lovable
characters … I honestly just love looking at this movie. Even though everything
is clearly staged in a studio, there’s just so much detail and color in the
sets, and the painted backgrounds, to the point where it makes this world feel
all the more absorbing. Even after all these years, it’s still a technical
marvel to behold, and a breakthrough in visual effects for the time. Even the
simple visual details of the good Witch arriving as a bright glowing bubble, or
the one horse changing colors, all help give this setting a distinct personality
and atmosphere that’s all its own. The image of the Emerald city at the end of
the yellow brick road is one of my favorite visuals in all of the fantasy
genera. Ironically, the movie was only nominated at the Oscars for best special
effects, but lost the award to 1939’s “The Rains Came” … which were great effects for the time, but I still wouldn't put them above the visual iconography of Oz.
Also, for all the state-of-the-art CGI
that have brought tornado’s to life in movies these days … I still have yet to
see one that’s more imposing or more thrilling then the twister featured here
in “The Wizard of Oz”. There’s something relentlessly imposing about
seeing this tornado approaching from off in the distance, and the scene also
features a number of solid practical effects that further sell the
inevitability of the approaching danger. For instance, I’ve always loved the
detail of Dorothy’s screen door blowing away the second she opens it. This
leads me to my favorite scene of the whole movie, when Dorothy finds herself
trapped in the cyclone, and we get a visual montage of different people and
items blowing by her window. This scene is kind of like Alice falling down the
rabbit-hole, as we haven’t landed in the magical setting yet, but are still
treated to something magical and otherworldly as we make our transition. Of
course, this scene builds to that awesome moment when Miss Gulch transforms
into the Witch of the East. That shot is awesome … it knocked my socks off as a
kid, and these years later, it still thrills me.
Now, it’s time to discuss the original
1900 novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, and see if the changes made in
the movie were for better or worse. Just to give some context, I read the
original book for the first time back when I was in middle school, and then we
watched the original movie afterword’s. Naturally, we had to write a paper on
the differences between the two, and then give a report. Much to my surprise,
the majority of my classmates were watching the movie for the first time, and
most of them wrote it off as bad on principle for being very different from the
book.
In the books, there are two different good Witches ... one from the North and the other being Glinda from the South ... while the movie combined both into one character named Glinda, the
good witch of the North. I for one like this, because after the death of the Witch of the East, it’s just one good Witch and one evil, and the two paired together always felt as iconic to me as the Ying and Yang symbol.
Also, it’s just nice to have the same
character book-end the journey. The Wicked Witch of the West is also a prominent
character in the movie, whereas the book doesn’t introduce her until the end. This
gave the villain more of a presence, a layered rivalry with Dorothy, and the
obstacles our heroes faced on the journey were less random. In the book, our
heroes faced a number of different creatures and perils, but with no connection
to the villain at all, and while that can work in a novel … it would just come
off as random padding in a movie. While one could argue that the talking trees
in the movie were independent creatures, I always assumed the Witch hexed them
… especially sense we see her just before the one tree slaps Dorothy on the
wrist. She also clearly hexed the poppy-flowers in the movie, where as in the
novel, they were just deadly plants. This scene was also heavily altered from
the book, which featured our heroes getting rescued by a family of mice,
whereas the movie changed it to the good Witch Glinda breaking the spell by
making it snow. I personally prefer the movies version, because the Witch of
the North did send Dorothy on this dangerous journey, and it’s gratifying to
know that she’s at least watching over her like a figurative guardian
angel.
Another striking difference is the Wizard
himself. In the book, our heroes visit him one at a time, and his appearance
changes for each of them. At one point he’s a giant head on a chair, another
case he’s a green female fairy, and at one point he’s a ball of fire. The movie by contrast had all our heroes see him at once, and his design is an amalgamation of his different
forms from the book … taking the appearance of a scary green head floating
between fiery columns. While I loved the concept in the book of his appearance
changing, I still prefer the movies approach, especially because the scene feels
stronger with all our heroes facing the unknown together as a family. This
brings me to my favorite funny sequence in the whole movie … when the lion
panics and leaps through a glass window. Back when I was a kid, I rewound that
scene all the time … and even still as an adult, this scene cracks me up. I
love the build-up, as we see him run all the way down the hall, and the vague
aftermath always amused me … just what happened to him on the other side of
that window anyway. Beyond that, this could have very well been the very first
window jump that launched the now common action movie cliché of seeing
characters leaping through windows.
We then come to the climactic third act of
the movie, in which our heroes set-off on a mission to defeat the Witch, and
steel her broom. Once again, there’s a number of changes from the book, and just as before, I think all the changes are for the better.
Originally our hero’s
venture into the Witch’s territory to steel her all-seeing eye, also the Lion
was the Witch’s main target, and while Dorothy is likewise captured in the
book, it’s more of a Jack and Jill scenario, as Dorothy is put to work as a
palace slave. The movie makes it more personal, with the Witch aiming for
Dorothy’s magic slippers, and there’s a more adventurous rescue. One little
detail that always amused me to no-end as kid was that the Scarecrow in this scene is packing
heat. Yeah, it’s just a silly toy gun, but still, the thought of the Scarecrow
with a fire-arm is kind of hilarious … and probably wouldn’t fly so well today.
This is also when the movie gets the most terrifying, and subsequently, it’s
when I realized at a young age how exciting a movie experience can be with some
scary material thrown in.
With the spooky forest setting, and creepy castle
interiors, this segment was another reason I loved watching this movie around
Halloween. I’m sure many kids were frightened of the flying monkeys, and to be
honest … I really don’t remember them bothering me. What did scare me was the
aftermath, and seeing Dorothy a prisoner of the Witch. While she was already an
intimidating customer, she suddenly becomes the stuff of nightmares when
Dorothy is no-longer surrounded by friends, and completely at the Witch’s mercy
in her dark and gloomy chambers. The biggest shock moment of all is when
Dorothy is left alone in the chamber room, she’s all terry eyed, and suddenly
catches a glimpse of home in the Witches crystal ball ... but no-one on the
other end can hear her cries for help. That alone was upsetting, but once the
Witches face suddenly materializes in the crystal … and looks directly into the
camera … it had me jumping out of my skin, and was one of the scariest movie
moments I ever saw as a kid.
One other little detail I always had to point
out was the music Que when our hero’s run up the stairs to rescue Dorothy … as
it’s the exact music notes from “Night on Bald
Mountain”. Curious as Disney’s “Fantasia” would premier a
year after this movie, but regardless, I always had to inform my parents it was
the “Fantasia” music playing in that moment.
The one element of this
finale I never really liked was the hour glass … which is meant to provide a
literal ticking clock for our heroes to race against while they attempt to
rescue her. Honestly, I never felt a sense of urgency from this thing, and
still to this day, I don’t get how it’s supposed to work. In something like
Disney’s “Aladdin”, the girl is actually trapped in the hour glass as
it’s filling up with sand, and thus I feel that urgency to rescue her in time …
but I just don’t get that same feeling of suspense here. Regardless, it all
builds to a riveting climactic chase through the castle, with exciting music, and
it features some grand-scale outdoor shots. It all builds to the most iconic …
and frequently parodied … villain death of all time. Even though it’s shot
from a distance, there’s still something incredibly satisfying about seeing the
Witch melt into a puddle. Supposedly Margaret Hamilton improvised her famous
“Oh, what a world” send off, which has now become a staple in our
pop-culture.
Naturally, we move into our touching
epilogue, in which the Wizard was simply a parlor trick from the start, but he’s kind
enough to show our hero’s that they’ve had the very virtues they were looking
for the whole time inside them. Dorothy of course learns a moral lesson about
appreciating the magic she already has at home, we get a tearful good-bye with her
friends, she finally returns home, and it all closes on arguably the most
satisfying line to ever close a movie. Actually, it’s through this ending that
I’m always reminded why I love this film so much. Personally, I’ve always
viewed movies as the equivalent of an oasis. You go in just to escape for a
little, spend time with wonderful characters, have some good laughs, view
beautiful imagery, listen too nostalgic music, and then when you’re ready, you
return back to the real world feeling refreshed. While the magic we experience
in movies is wonderful … there’s just no beating the magic of our daily lives
back at home. Sometimes it just takes a little experience like this movie to
remind me to appreciate the things I already have in life, and the people who
live in it with me.
Over the years, “The Wizard of Oz”
has remained a film legend, and jugged by the American Film Institution as the
absolute best family picture of all time. It’s interesting to note that it
didn’t initially make as big an impact until it’s re-release in the 50’s. Even the
Academy Awards were kind of so-so to the film. It only won two Oscars for best
music score and best original song, while it received honorable nominations for
everything else like best art direction, best cinematography, best special
effects, and of course Best Picture. Yeah … it was only nominated for Best
Picture, although to be fair, it’s competition that year was a little movie
called “Gone with the Wind” … kind of a hard one to beat. Still, as if
it wasn’t obvious from sentence one … 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz” is one
of my all-time favorite movies. It’s aged masterfully, and continues to enchant
and delight each generation that comes and goes. It was the experience that
launched my overall love of movies, while still reminding me to appreciate the
beautiful life outside of viewing entertainment, and thus, it’s about as
perfect as they get.
Thanks for reading my review of the 1939 Musical classic “The Wizard of Oz” … and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!
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