Review of The Wizard of Oz (1939) by Jacob M — 09 Sep 2013

"I am Oz, the Great and Powerful!".

In 1939, director Victor Fleming created two Technicolor masterpieces in the same year; The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. The first release, The Wizard of Oz, remains to this day a cinematic masterpiece and one of the greatest movies of all-time.

Based on the book by L Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz tells the story of Kansas farmgirl Dorothy (Judy Garland), who longs to go over the rainbow with her dog Toto into a better place. When a tornado sends them to the Land of Oz, Dorothy enjoys her life there until it's discovered that her house killed the Wicked Witch of the East, and her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), wants revenge. With the help of Glinda the Good Witch (Billie Burke), Dorothy sets out to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard of Oz (Frank Morgan) to send her back home.

Along the way, Dorothy teams up with The Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), who has no brains, The Tinman (Jack Haley), who longs for a heart, and The Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), who lacks courage, to get to the wizard to get what they need. But the Wicked Witch, still sore about Dorothy's unintentional killing of her sister, sets out with her flying monkeys to kill Dorothy and her companions before they meet the Great and Powerful Oz.

One of the reasons why The Wizard of Oz worked so well is how the film was set up. The Kansas scenes were filmed in black-and-white, while the scenes in Oz were filmed in Technicolor. When Dorothy opens the door and enters the colorful Oz for the first time, you know that the film would be special.

The visuals still remain impressive for a 70-year plus old film. From Dorothy's enterance to Oz, to the apperance of the flying monkeys, Victor Fleming manages to put in that magic spark in order to make Oz the most believable, even if the film was set on a studio backlot.

Also, the film succeeds in its cast and characters. Margaret Hamilton is evil and menacing as the witch, and has some pretty memorable lines ("I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too.") Jack Haley is an entertaining Tin Man, Ray Bolger is fun and memorable as the Scarecrow, and Buurt Lahr is hilarious as the Cowardly Lion. Frank Morgan, who plays the wizard, is also a treat to watch, especially when we find out who the wizard really is ("Pay no attention to the man behind this curtain!").

But it's Judy Garland's performance as Dorothy that really makes the film worthwhile. When she misses her home in Kansas, you feel for her and root for her when she hits her difficult challenges. Toto the dog is also a memorable character, and is extremely well-trained.

While keeping the adventuros fantasy elements in the book, The Wizard of Oz is also a musical. Many of the songs are pretty fun for a musical, and adds depth to the characters in the film. Judy Garland gives me goosebumps when she sings the most famous song, "Over the Rainbow." She sounds like a doll and provides one of Hollywood's greatest songs. There's also "The Munchkin Song", performed by the Munchkins, which features some catchy tunes. The four main characters perform another well-known classic, which is only one chorus, called "We're Off to See the Wizard", which is an instant stuck-in-your head song. The cast performs "The Wonderful Land of Oz" when arriving in Oz, and is another highlight in the film. Bert Lohr, The Cowardly Lion, performs the hilarious and memorable "If I Were the King of the Forrrrresttttttttttttt!", which is very funny and gives everyone a good laugh no matter how old you are.

There is nothing more for me to say. The Wizard of Oz is one of the greatest films of all-time and remains one of the best films to watch with your family, even if the fling monkeys have scarred many kids for life. It's still G-rated though.

"There's no place like home.".