THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Sometimes, the magic comes when you aren’t even looking for it.
PLOT
Based on L Frank Baum’s novel, The Wizard of Oz follows the young Dorothy Gale who lives in rural Kansas with her Aunt Em & Uncle Henry (Clara Blandick & Charley Grapwin) and is good friends with the three farmhands: Hunk, Zeke & Hickory. One day, her cranky neighbor Almira Gunch obtains a sheriff’s order to have her pet dog Toto taken from her due to him biting her. The dog does escape and return to Dorothy, but this does inspire her to run away to protect him. She ends up turning back when a fortune teller named Professor Marvel convinces her to return home, believing her aunt will be heartbroken. She does reach home in time due to a tornado approaching nearby. Because she doesn’t reach the storm cellar in time, she takes cover in the farmhouse which leads to her getting concussed. When she wakes up, she finds herself in the colorful Land of Oz and meets a kind witch named Glinda and a harmless town of little people called Munchkins. Her welcome is interrupted by the Wicked Witch of the West who arrives to confiscate Ruby slippers that belonged to her sister who died from Dorothy’s house that fell on her. However, Glinda transported the slippers to Gale herself and instructs her to keep them on so that the opposing witch can’t use whatever magic it wields. Irritated, she leaves the land due to not having any power on Munchkinland but vows vengeance on the child. Since she wants to return to her family, the witch of the north then instructs her to follow the yellow brick road and meet the wizard in emerald city who could help her. Along the way, Dorothy befriends characters that join her on the trip hoping to be gifted of personal needs from the wizard. She first meets a sentient scarecrow who desires to have brain. When they continue heading, they come across an orchard of aggressive talking trees who refuse to share their growing apples. Nearby, the duo encounter a tin statue of a lumberjack who was rusted solid due to a rainy night. The tin man joins them hoping to gain a heart from the wizard. Before they continue, the wicked witch scares them by throwing a fireball at them. After this, they also meet a talking lion who acts cowardly but seeks courage. When they pass through a poppy field, Dorothy and the lion fall asleep until Glinda counteracts their effects by making it snow. When they reach the gate to Emerald City, they are almost denied an audience to see the wizard until a guard lets them in out of sympathy to Dorothy. The group then sees the great and powerful who appears to be a giant green ghostly head, demanding the wicked witch’s broomstick in exchange of giving them what they want. As they head to her castle, Dorothy & Toto get captured by the witch’s guards of flying monkeys. The dog is able to escape, and the dynamic trio are able to sneak in but just when they free the child from confinement, the witch retaliates by lighting Scarecrow on fire. Dorothy saves her friend by throwing a bucket of water onto him. When it lands on the witch, it causes her to melt. Rather than avenging her, her winkle guards celebrate her defeat and gladly give the broomstick to the child. The group returns to Emerald City only to discover (thanks to Toto snooping) the wizard is only an ordinary man operating machinery to project a ghostly face of himself. While they are upset of him lying, he does confess he came from Kansas in a hot air balloon and can take her home with him. It almost happens after granting wishes to her friends but when Toto jumps off and Dorothy goes after him, the balloon accidentally lifts off early and the Wizard unintentionally leaves without her. Thankfully, Glinda returns to reveal the slippers had the power to take her home all along but Dorothy had to find out herself in order for it to work. As she bids farewell, Glinda gives her instruction to tap her heels three times and repeat “There is no place like home”. Once she does, the film ends with her waking up back in Kansas with her loved ones and tells him how they resembled the characters she encountered as she is happy to be back.
THOUGHTS
Movies are known to an escape from reality, and boy has this been the biggest one that we can’t help finding our way back to this satisfying realm. Victor Fleming and King Vidor make the unimaginable possible with groundbreaking results as they craft a musical adventure that makes sure we are intrigued throughout. It’s hard to not be locked in when seeing the black & white transition to technicolor. Once that happens, you get to appreciate the fantastic production/costume design that brings life to the Land of Oz whether or not you read the book. The joy only excels when hearing tracks like ‘Munchkinland’, ‘Follow the Yellow Brick Road’ and ‘The Merry Land of Oz’. As this movie gets older, I’ve been able to narrow down that this movie is all about the important truth of appreciating the concept of home; It may seem easy to run away from problems, but it doesn’t solve them at all. When it comes down to it, there really is no place like home because that is the place where you can find the solution you seek. As long as you put your mind and heart to it, you can be strong enough to overcome what troubles you. This is the epiphany Dorothy realizes in her journey she wasn’t prepared for. We all felt terrible for the struggles Judy Garland went through during the production of this picture, but it will not take away the final result that is an all timer of a performance as the lead. We relate to this character for her being outspoken in how she feels and the eagerness in wanting change. That is quickly expressed through the best song of the soundtrack, ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’. Despite the sympathy, we know she’s better home with those that care for her than going somewhere she won’t comprehend. Although later adaptations retcon the ending, it feels like a dream in her perspective because it can be hard to fathom that her loved ones were and weren’t there in her adventure due to how they resembled new companions vice versa. Like Hunk, Ray Bolger has us adore Scarecrow due to how he starts out most cheerful and humble despite self doubt. The guy knew his limits and always tried to surpass whenever having e back, which is why she boldly said she’d miss him most. Similar to Hickory, Jack Haley has us enjoy the presence of Tin Man because he’s the most gentle since a heart is all he wants, unaware that love comes from how he treats others. Despite how he was to trees, he’s warm towards everyone else which is all we seek when we’re feeling down. In a vein resembling Zeke, Bert Lahr has us feel this unusual relation with Lion because he doesn’t hide his cowardice and his courage doesn’t kick in until he least expects it. That is part of the point in his arc where you can’t things to happen until they do. That is why we enjoy his song ‘If I Were King of the Forest’ because we also relate to the self wonder on what to do if things go our way. Luckily, he and the others get what they wanted because they earned it for helping a girl find her way home. On the other hand, Frank Morgan was flexing range as not only Professor Marvel, but also the Wizard and three other residents of Emerald City. It’s through Marvel and the Wizard that have most meaning to the story because although they’re both deceptive, but mean well in their efforts in helping Dorothy. The fact the latter redeems himself by giving everyone else what they want before an early depart home. In her given time, Billie Burke steals our hearts when she’s onscreen as the benevolent Glinda because she too is helpful in her own way since she can’t be upfront with Dorothy on how to go home sooner, otherwise she’ll never learn her lesson. Because of that, she means well compared to the Wicked Witch. Much like Almira Gulch, Margaret Hamilton makes a goddamn menace out of the green skinned villain because she’s upfront of her cruelty. She has the right to mourn for her fallen sister, but it doesn’t change her bad tendencies she embraces at every given opportunity. With someone so powerful, it’s ironic how easy it was to defeat her. Since Gulch is also not seen by the time Dorothy returns home, that could imply she didn’t survive the twister. Even if that could mean she’ll keep Toto, it’s pretty wild of a revelation when you think about it. This movie will remain timeless, but even the good stuff have questionable moments I cant get out of my head. If I gotta get into continuity errors, how about Dorothy falling into the pigsty but having zero stains on her clothes? I mean what’s the point of such tension if there wouldn’t be consequences of her being reckless? There really isn’t. Dorothy even messes up not trying to hide Toto when she chooses to run away. She’s lucky Gunch doesn’t run into her again. And ain’t it crazy the trees don’t do shit when Dorothy frees Tim Man? The guy is a lumberjack who could cut them down. He’s not holding that axe for show. Lastly, why would the wicked witch have a bucket of water in her castle? Maybe the guardsmen and the monkeys needed it, but neither side tries to keep it away? I can get the guards would be spiteful, but she should’ve been on top of them to keep it away from her. Other than that, I’m still having a great time watching this. In conclusion, The Wizard of Oz is one of the best movies ever made for having a life like fantasy that still captivates you the older it gets, earning its Best Picture nomination in the process. If you love how musicals unleash your biggest fantasies, see this now.
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