The Wizard of Oz (1939)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

8/10

Starring

Judy Garland

Frank Morgan

Ray Bolger

Bert Lahr

Jack Haley

The wizard of Oz is a colorful classic, that is filled with thrills and it is a straight shooter right from the start to the very end. From following the yellow brick road to finally meeting the wizard himself, it was a bumpy ride that I always look forward to going again.

Filmed mostly in Technicolor, except the opening scenes which was shot in sepia-tinted black and white, The Wizard of Oz has stood the test of time as a top fantasy movie, with highly unusual characters. The movie is based on a book titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, and although it did differ a lot from the book, this movie is the best adaptation that is near to its original book story.

The movie plot is about Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto who got caught in a tornado's path and somehow end up in the land of Oz. At Oz she mistakenly killed the wicked witch of the East, who was a sister to the Wicked Witch of the west, who was now after her. Now Dorothy must find her way home and the only person who could help her is the Wizard of Oz.

On her to see the wizard she meets along the way a Scarecrow with no Brains, a Tin Man with no Heart and a Lion without Courage. Together this team head off to see the wizard with the hope that the Wizard will meet all their needs.

The movie production had its twists and turns, with Ray Bolger who was originally cast as the Tin Man and Buddy Ebsen was to play the Scarecrow had their roles switched later on. This switch was to the detriment of Ebsen who had an allergic reaction to the makeup of the Tin Man and Jack Haley was called to take his place.

Another thing to note about this classic is how it deviated from its original book story, up to 40 differences can be sited; from the merging of characters to the overall theme of the movie, this 1939 fantasy film carved out its own theme: in the book Oz is real and Dorothy did get to return in Baum’s later books, but in the movie Oz is just a dream that Dorothy had.

The movies popular song, “Over the Rainbow” won best original song in the Oscars. Over the Rainbow has been re done by many artist notably Kyle Minogue during her treatment and recovery from breast cancer.

Wizard of Oz is a classic that you must see, a nice fantasy film for you and the kids. Disney will be making a prequel to this classic, named Oz: The Great and Powerful the movie is set to be released in 2013 and it will star James Franco as the Wizard of Oz.