Herbert Stothard’s score is so good it managed to beat Max Steiner’s beautiful themes for Gone With the Wind at the Academy Awards, and it’s more than worthy of a spot among my favorite film scores. I’m sorry if I keep stalling, but the music in this movie is gorgeous. We open with a sepia version of Leo the MGM Lion roaring and right from the start those six magical notes let you know that you’re about to experience something amazing. Don’t want to risk upsetting the one person on Earth who hasn’t seen it yet. Oh yes, and I should mention that even though this is a review for a film swiftly approaching its 80th anniversary, there will be spoilers sprinkled throughout. It picked up two Oscars for its music as well as an honorary one for Judy Garland’s performance and a nomination for Best Film, but wasn’t until a few theatrical re-releases and a national tv airing of it in the 50’s that a new generation finally saw it for the classic it was destined to be.īut why does it still resonate with us almost eighty years later? Is it worth being put on a pop culture pedestal? And what’s more, can I both analyze and have some fun with it without getting burned at the stake? Let’s take a look. When it first premiered in 1939, The Wizard of Oz was something of a financial failure due to going massively over budget as well as some infamous behind-the-scenes disasters. Being a top contender for the most quoted and recognizable movie ever made didn’t come overnight, however. Truth be told, this is going to be a hard one to cover, not only because I love this movie to pieces and know almost everything there is to know about it, but simply because what CAN you say about The Wizard of Oz that hasn’t already been said? Even if you haven’t seen it odds are you know the story and characters thanks to countless parodies, homages and plain old-fashioned pop cultural osmosis. As I got older I went through the whole “it’s just a dumb kid’s movie” phase that we’ve all gone through, but thankfully that didn’t last very long and it’s earned a lasting place in my favorite films collection. I played out the story with my toys, Dorothy narrowly beat out Snow White as the character I would dress up as the most for Halloween (I would wear a pair of sparkly jelly shoes for the ruby slippers, just to give you an idea of how old I am), I saw a live version with my Girl Scout troop at Madison Square Garden starring Mickey Rooney, Eartha Kitt and Ken Page, and like with Beauty and the Beast, I would walk around with a wicker basket and act out the movie as it played on tv. It was one of the first musicals where I had the songs almost completely memorized. I still have the 50th anniversary VHS and to this day I can’t watch the DVD without missing the cute Downy commercial of the kids putting on their own production of Oz that played before it. Like I said before, The Wizard of Oz was one of the earliest movies I remember watching. Heck, I didn’t learn until I was older that the film was even based on a book (because what kid actually reads the opening credits of a movie, even one they’ve seen a thousand times before they learned how to read?) But I’m not here to talk about the differences between the book and the movie (except for when they’re relevant), I’m looking at the movie itself. In terms of popularity it has all but eclipsed the book it was based on, wonderful as it is. Frank Baum), and there are numerous stage, television and film adaptations, but the most beloved of them all is the 1939 musical from MGM. The original book has no less than 52 sequels (13 of which were originally penned by L. France has the works of Charles Perrault, Germany has the Brothers Grimm, England has J.M. Over one hundred years later, The Wizard of Oz is still considered America’s fairy tale. Had Baum not payed any attention to the latter, we may never have gotten the land so surreal and imaginative as Oz. While going through a file cabinet Baum noticed that everything was organized from A – N and O – Z. Then one day, his wife convinced him to write a story based on the ones he told his children, where ordinary people are whisked to magical lands, where men made of tin come to life, where the world is ruled by wise and powerful women (Baum’s wife and her family were suffragettes, so that was a big influence). He was a bright and creative fellow but for one reason or another could never stay employed for long. In the late 1800’s, Lyman Frank Baum was a family man down on his luck and out of a job. “Toto…I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” I do not claim ownership of this material.) All images and footage used below are property of their respective companies unless stated otherwise. (DISCLAIMER: This blog is not for profit.
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