parkerrodney
There is no question that from a Hollywood screenplay and production perspective, the "Wizard of Oz" is high on the list of achievements for excellence. The movie, in terms of cast, score, production is exciting, entertaining and thrilling. The movie is sure to get glowing reviews for decades to come. However, there is a difference between a review which states the obvious about cast and production, and one which goes a bit further. Despite its grandness, my overall complaint about the movie is a problem not specific to this film itself, it is the industry problem of not staying true to the book for any number of reasons, particularly sensitive issues. Sadly, the more movies one reviews which have their beginnings in literature, the more visible the altering of story lines becomes visible and troubling, as do the motives for such alteration. The Hollywood credo seems to be that Issues of politics, social condition, religion and race must be handled "delicately."
After decades of study, what we now know about "The Wizard of Oz" is that it is not a simple fairy tale for children. That the book was banned in libraries across the country, and religious leader called on movie house to ban screenings, should give you enough pause. The story itself is a social and political commentary on America and the rise of populism, the challenge to the US monetary gold system, the struggle of farmers and factory workers and so on. Don't fell bad if you missed this. It took about 30 years for scholars to figure this one out.The brilliance of Baum's writings and legacy is that he never acknowledged the story as a parable, nor did he discuss the metaphors and symbolisms in this text. Years later, literary scholars who studied the story as written agreed that there was overwhelming evidence, based upon the journalistic writings and political leanings of the writer, the times he lived in and the issues of the day. The coincidences were simply too many to ignore. Think about it, who picks as characters, a scarecrow, tin man, cowardly lion and a young girl from Kansas, to journey down a yellow brick road to an emerald city. So, the question in my mind is a tricky one. Does the movie pay sufficient homage to the issues of the day, if it deviates substantially from the original manuscript? And if not, how do we rate this movie? Many reviewers take the position that it's just entertainment. To which I say cop out, I disagree. Movies and books contain messages and social ques as do omissions. Literary works contain messages which the writer puts there for a reason. A movie is not just a movie, nor is a book just a book. Yes, for decades, I missed this one, it went over me like the "Matrix" first got by me. The bottom line is that if a movie contributes to ignorance through suppression and omission of an original text, we must temper our jubilation. Enjoy, the movie, but realize that this movie is just really good entertainment and not the story as intended.
kennykip
Although this movie was very successful in its run and is widely viewed as one of the most influential movies of all time i am not especially fond of this movie. as a young child i watched this movie and had nightmares about the wicked witch. although i cannot really enjoy this movie due to my experiences, i would recommend this movie to people because of its historical prominence in the film making industry.
mrushkoski
Premiered in 1939, The Wizard of Oz was ahead of it's time for a number of reasons. It was one of the first films made with technicolor AND in black in white giving it both a past and futuristic feel. Although not talked about often it also had no main male hero, the Scarecrow, the Lion and the Tin man were all considered to be "common man" roles whereas the main character is Dorothy and the only real powered figures in the film were the White Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West. No movie prior to this had made the most powerful and most revered character a woman
steffaneybenson
This movie was great. I watched this when I was a little girl and I just re watched it now. The music was amazing and the concept behind the movie was entertaining. This is the first musical that I have actually watched and this is what made me actually like musicals as well. It had great color and camera angles and the costumes was amazing for its time frame.
