The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 musical fantasy film based on L. Frank Baum's turn-of-the-century children's story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which a resourceful American girl is snatched up by a Kansas tornado and deposited in a fantastic land of witches, talking scarecrows, cowardly lions, and more. It stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton.
History
Filming started on October 13, 1938 and was completed on March 16, 1939. The film premiered on August 12, 1939. It was shown on television for the first time on November 3, 1956 with a viewing audience estimated at 45 million people.
The movie was adapted by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf, Irving Brecher, (uncredited), William H. Cannon (uncredited), Herbert Fields (uncredited), Arthur Freed (uncredited), Jack Haley (additional dialogue) (uncredited), E.Y. Harburg (uncredited), Samuel Hoffenstein (uncredited), Bert Lahr (additional dialogue) (uncredited), John Lee Mahin (uncredited), Herman J. Mankiewicz (uncredited), Jack Mintz (uncredited), Ogden Nash (uncredited) and Sid Silvers (uncredited). It was directed by Victor Fleming, Richard Thorpe (uncredited) and King Vidor (uncredited).
It won Academy Awards for Best Music, Original Score and Best Music, Song (Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg for Over the Rainbow).
Buddy Ebsen had originally been cast in the role of the Tin Woodsman, but the metallic paint used in the makeup caused him an allergic reaction, and he had to leave the movie. The role of Dorothy, which Judy Garland made her own, had originally been earmarked for Shirley Temple.
The movie was only moderately successful in its initial theatrical run. According to some interpretations, the script was written to support the Isolationist position regarding America's entry into World War II. Decades later it began to be shown regularly on television, and it is through those showings, as well as rereleases in theaters, that it achieved its present iconic status.
Plot
Dorothy is an orphan from Kansas, raised by her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. At the beginning of the film, Dorothy's dog, Toto, gets in trouble for biting a local rich woman, Elmira Gulch (played by Margaret Hamilton). Ms. Gulch comes to Dorothy's house with an order from the sheriff allowing her to take the dog to be put to sleep. Dorothys aunt and uncle argue unsuccessfully with Ms. Gulch, and Toto is taken away. He escapes, though, by jumping out of Ms. Gulch's basket, who doesn't notice. When the dog gets home, Dorothy decides that they should run away from home, because Ms. Gulch would be coming back for him.
Dorothy and Toto begin their journey, and they soon encounter Professor Marvel (played by Frank Morgan). He leads Dorothy into his trailer and pretends to see Aunt Em crying in his crystal ball. Dorothy is convinced, and she and Toto hurry home. On her way out of the trailer, though, a cyclone begins to form. When she gets home, her whole family are down in the storm cellar. Dorothy gets to her bedroom, and a strong wind blows her window out of its frame, hitting Dorothy on the head, knocking her out.
Dorothy awakes to find that her house is inside the cyclone. She sees some familiar faces out of the window, including the wicked Ms. Gulch. Gulch transforms into a witch and her bicycle into a broomstick. She cackles and flies away. Minutes later, Dorothy and Toto land in Munchkinland, a county in the land of Oz. The movie changes from sepia toned to Technicolor as Dorothy and Toto walk out of the house.
Shortly thereafter, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (played by Billie Burke), arrives in an iridescent bubble. She ask Dorothy whether she is a good witch or a bad witch, and despite Dorothy's repeated explanations, Glinda never quite understands who Dorothy is nor where she comes from. She informs her of where she is, and that she killed the Wicked Witch of the East with her house. She introduces her to the Munchkins, a small community of little people who sing and dance in order to thank Dorothy for freeing them from the Witch's terror.
Mid-song, there is a burst of fire and the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) arrives. She wants to know who killed her sister, and she wants to claim her dead sister's powerful ruby slippers. To her horror, Glinda magically moves the slippers to Dorothy's feet, replacing a pair of homely, black lace-ups. The Wicked Witch makes threats to Dorothy, but Glinda informs her that she has no power in Munchkinland: "Oh rubbish! You have no power here! Now be gone, before somebody drops a house on you, too." The Wicked Witch vows revenge on Dorothy and Toto, and she disappears in the same way she arrived.
Glinda tells Dorothy that the only way to get back to Kansas is to follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, where she can ask the mysterious Wizard of Oz for help. Before Glinda disappears in her bubble, she tells Dorothy never to take off the slippers, and to always follow the Yellow Brick Road.
On her journey, Dorothy befriends a brainless talking scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a heartless tin woodsman (Jack Haley), and a cowardly lion (Bert Lahr). All three of them sing songs detailing their difficult handicaps. They too decide they will visit the Wizard to obtain what they desire, despite the Witch's threats to stop them.
Just before the group reaches the Emerald City, the Wicked Witch casts a spell to stop them. She produces a giant field of poppies that put Dorothy, Toto and the Lion to sleep. The Scarecrow and the Tinman cry for help, and Glinda produces a counterspell in the form of a snow shower to wake everybody up. They immediately arrive at the Emerald City, where they are only allowed in after Dorothy proves that Glinda sent her there.
Inside the Emerald City, everything is green except for the Horse of a Different Color who takes the group to a salon. They clean up and, just before they go to see the Wizard, the Wicked Witch flies above the Emerald City, writing the words "SURRENDER DOROTHY" in the sky with her broomstick. After some difficulty, they finally make it to the Wizard.
When the party meets the Wizard, they find him to be a terrifying floating head surrounded by fire. He bellows that he will only help them if they can obtain the broomstick of the Witch of the West. On their way to her castle, flying monkeys, sent by the Wicked Witch, capture Dorothy and Toto and take them to the castle. The Witch demands the ruby slippers, but it turns out that Dorothy cannot remove them. In a fury, the Witch orders one of her monkey slaves to kill Toto. The latter, however, escapes. He finds their friends and leads them to the castle to save Dorothy.
Dorothy, meanwhile, is locked inside a chamber with an hourglass and a crystal ball. When the hourglass runs out, Dorothy will die. As she waits and cries, she sees her Aunt Em in the crystal ball, wondering where her niece is. Dorothy cries out to her aunt, but the image of Aunt Em soon turns into the Wicked Witch, cackling and mocking Dorothy.
When they finally get inside the castle, they find Dorothy and try to escape. The Witch stops them and, once she and her soldiers have them cornered, sets the Scarecrow on fire. Dorothy grabs a nearby bucket of water and, in throwing the water on her friend, she also hits the Witch and causes her to melt. To the travelers' surprise, her soldiers are delighted. They give Dorothy the broom and allow them to leave.
The crew returns to the Emerald City, and presents the broom to a shocked Wizard. He tells them to come back later. Dorothy scolds the Wizard for lying, and they soon discover, thanks to Toto's exploring, that the Wizard is just a man behind a curtain (also played by Frank Morgan), and not really a wizard at all. The four friends are horrified, but the Wizard solves their problems. He gives the Scarecrow a diploma, the Tinman a heart-shaped clock (he calls it a "testimonial), and a Lion a badge of courage.
He explains to them that his presence in Oz was an accident, that he was lost in a hot air balloon, and that he is, in fact, from Kansas as well. He promises to take Dorothy home in the same balloon that got him there in the first place. He announces to his people that he will leave the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Lion in charge of the Emerald City. Just before takeoff, though, Toto jumps out of the balloon's basket to chase a cat. Dorothy goes after him, and the Wizard accidentally takes off, unable to get back to the ground.
Just as Dorothy is resigning herself to spending the rest of her life in Oz, Glinda appears. She tells Dorothy that she can use the ruby slippers to return home. She didn't tell her at first, though, because Dorothy had to learn a lesson. When asked what she has learned, a tearful Dorothy replies that, if she can't find what she's looking for in her own backyard, then she never really lost it to begin with.
Dorothy and Toto say goodbye to their friends, and Glinda instructs her to click her heels together and repeat the words, "There's no place like home." She awakens in her Kansas house surrounded by her family and friends. She tells them about her journey, and they tell her it was all a bad dream. The movie ends with Dorothy hugging Toto and exclaiming to her Aunt Em that there really is no place like home.
Differences from the book
The film's basic plot is not very different from the original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but quite a bit less detailed. Baum originally provided complex back stories for all the characters and locations, which are largely omitted in the film. The book also featured several irrelevant sub-plots (such as confrontations with various monsters en route to the Emerald City) which are omitted as well. It is also worth noting that in the original book the enchanted slippers were silver, not ruby. This was changed to show off the film's sophisticated color technology.
The main point of contention with Baum's fans is the ending, which they feel strongly goes against the nature of the original. In Baum's novel, there is no hint that Oz is anything but a real place, to which Dorothy returns repeatedly (sometimes accompanied by her aunt and uncle) in the numerous sequels.
Fame
The Wizard of Oz has generated many rumours and stories, some of which have reached the level of urban legends. The most common of these, which refuses to die, claims that one of the cast or crew hanged himself on the set, and can be seen in the Enchanted Forest scene. This is not true. It is in fact an animal handler recapturing an escaped animal.
According to another story which appears to be true, the coat Frank Morgan wore as Professor Marvel, which was handpicked from a second-hand clothing rack, once belonged to L. Frank Baum (the author of the Oz series of books). The inside pocket had his name on it. After completion of the film, the coat was presented to Baum's widow who confirmed it was indeed his.
The movie continues to generate a cult following, despite its age and original creative intent as a musical cinematic fable for children. Director John Boorman utilized aspects of the film in his 1974 Science Fiction classic Zardoz. "Wizard of Oz" collectibles, such as autographs and memorabilia, related to the film are actively pursued. On May 24, 2000, a pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the film (with red sequins; seven pairs may exist) sold at auction for $666,000.
Several film scholars have written interesting interpretations of the film, including several attempts by structuralist semiologists suggesting that the film was intended to prepare America for entry into war. Such obscure and esoteric interpretations usually posit Dorothy as representing a depressed, monochrome America, turning to FDR's New Deal (the flim flam magician) for hope. She enters a more colorful Europe (Munchkinland), threatened by the Wicked Witches of the East (Stalinism) and West (Fascism). She defeats Stalinism when her house falls upon the Eastern Witch early on, which suggests the overwhelming power of commercial capitalism and its precedence in Western Europe. To defeat Fascism, she receives the aid of Britain (Glynda), the naive peasantry (the Scarecrow), the dehumanized Proletariat (the heartless Tin Man), and the emasculated nobility (Cowardly Lion). The Wizard who encourages and profits from the defeat of the Western Witch turns out to be another version of the same flim flam man she met at home, a cynical politician who realizes that none of Dorothy's allies truly require anything that they didn't already have. He is both a supreme humanitarian and a misanthrope, in that he excels at detecting the weaknesses of others, because he knows his own so well. He is, in fact, the spirit of democracy.
There is an apparent, but coincidental, correspondence between scenes in the movie and songs from the Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon.
The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Sequels
The Wizard of Oz has an official sequel, the Filmation Studios animated production Journey Back To Oz (made in 1964 but not released until eight years later), featuring the voice of Liza Minnelli, Garland's daughter, as Dorothy.
Another sequel of sorts, the considerably darker Return to Oz, was made by Walt Disney Studios in 1985. Obviously, none of the original cast appears in it.
See Also
- Yellow brick road
- ISBN 0688166776