Review of The Wizard of Oz (1925) by Dulce C — 27 Aug 2015

Even if it weren't dwarfed by the later Judy Garland classic, this "Wizard of Oz" would be a sad, pathetic film. Director/writer/co-star Larry Semon obviously shot for the moon with this expensive-looking silent, and if you're wondering if he got there, you've probably forgotten to ask yourself "Larry WHO?" This misguided version of the L.

Frank Baum book wastes half of the film back in Kansas, mostly setting up a love triangle between innocent Dorothy and two farmhands (Semon and the pre-stardom Oliver Hardy). Dorothy doesn't know she's the exiled queen of Oz, but when she turns 18, she and her loved ones discover the truth and are storm-whisked back to her homeland.

There is no real magic in this Oz -- no witches, only an evil ruler -- and the iconic Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion roles are awkwardly filled by Semon, Hardy and a forgotten black actor wearing disguises to avoid capture.

The latter man (using the pseudonym "G. Howe Black") is especially problematic, as his racist part requires him to munch watermelon and abundantly mug in stereotypical, bug-eyed fashion ("cowardly," indeed).

Logical holes are everywhere (for one, why does Dorothy's uncle enter as an abusive ogre and then abruptly turn into a good guy?) and laughs are woefully absent except during a late sequence where humans and shipping crates form a slapstick take on "the shell game.

" A few bits of crude animation offer some intrigue, but it's not enough. The ending is a throwaway, almost as if Semon abruptly ran out of money. He probably did.