An enchanting film with flaws that cannot seriously mar its durable delights

Rating: 10/10 (8 August 1999)

Dorothy's trip, as we follow her from her Kansas farm down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City and back home again, is depicted with rare cinematic imagination and skill
At the beginning, we may wonder at the obvious falseness of the black-and-white Kansas setting, although the monotonous, arid landscape ultimately makes an effective contrast to the later scenes in Oz But rationality disappears the moment Judy Garland strikes at the heart with her trembling singing of "Over the Rainbow." And when Frank Morgan appears as Professor Marvel, we are captivated by his familiar bumbling charm
Dorothy's entrance into the land of Oz remains one of the screen's most memorable moments, as the black-and-white scene give way to glowing color photography "I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!" is her understated response as she enters Munchkinland The sequence in Munchkinland, though beautifully designed, is actually, a mixed blessing Billie Burke is exactly right as the Good Witch of the North, and Margaret Hamilton is wonderfully shrill and repulsive as the Wicked Witch of the West But the Munchkins themselves, midgets gathered from all over the world for the occasion, are all wonderful with their prematurely old faces and chipmunk voices
The talents of Dorothy's friendsJack Haley as the Tin Man, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lionhave been frequently celebrated, but their good humor and their shining humanity behind the grotesque makeup remain fresh eternally
"The Wizard of Oz" is a joy forever Why does it still glow, while other films of the period grow dimmer every year? It is unquestionably due to more than the sum of its sterling cast, winning songs, and lovely special effects, although the absence of these virtues has turned more than one "musical fantasy" into failures It may be that Dorothy steps from black-and-white Kansas into the bright colors of Munchkinland, she is taking everyone's first voyage of discovery With the universality of the best fables, "The Wizard of Oz" has her learning about evil (the Wicked Witch), friendship (her companions on the road to Oz), and fallibility (the Wizard). And somehow childrenand the child in all of uslike to see this voyage made repeatedly
Children as adults, today as in 1939, "The Wizard of Oz" will remain for us the beloved movie ever made!