The Wizard Of Oz : From The Books To Today

Rating: 10/10 (1 September 2015)

*This review is dedicated to my parents ,who were born in the 1930s.*
I'll start by saying that many here say ,read the books ,they're better. Well, sure they are. I've read the 14 books by Frank L. Baum and they're classic American literature and simply fun to read as well.
Frank L. Baum ,was a man with an imagination ,in a time and place in America ,when men weren't supposed to (or sometimes not allowed to) have one ,after they grew up. (For better insight into Mr. Baum and his books ,watch John Ritter's portrayal in the NBC, 1990 film ,"The Dreamer of Oz."
The 1st filmed version was in 1925 but was laced with both personal & racial stereotypes. As well as being a bit uneven. Nearly 15 years after that version ,came the film that really ,is the first live action movie made for young people. (Kids were not exactly a priority in the early days of movie making.)
Now ,over the years ,many have complained that despite the positive message ,the humor and the happy songs sung in the film...it's very dark in many places. If you stop and think about it ...doesn't that sound like many of the movies ,for kids, made during the last 30+ years?
The film's also accused of being 'heavy-handed' in it's attempt to make it's point. The 1930s 'were' a very gloomy time and this being a first attempt at this kind of movie ,it couldn't possibly have come across any other way.
The people who went and saw this film in '39 ,not only saw the future of movies (unknowingly) but a reflection of their own era. Dorothy & family live on a farm in Kansas ,in the Depression and are threatened by a powerful woman with money ,who feels she can bully and threaten them because she has more than they do.
In that situation (and given that no one takes her seriously because she's a kid) Dorothy ,maybe like many in that time, wishes she could be someplace better and that place must be on the other side of rainbow.
This isn't just something little children or kids could think. Adults can feel this way as well. What adult wouldn't want to escape the sometimes heavy responsibilities & problems of life ,that they didn't have to deal with as a kid?
Sure ,Dorothy finds problems when she gets to Oz. What kind of movie would it be if there weren't any? It'd be one giant tea party with music.
In learning the lesson of 'there's no place like home' and that in seeking one ,'she should look no further than her own backyard' ,Dorothy has to see that no matter where you go, no place is perfect or without its problems....even Munchkinland.
The witch is a severe problem. Scarecrow , Tin Man , Cowardly Lion and even the Wizard ,all have problems too.
Dorothy's in a beautiful land but wants to leave it ,which is another problem. She got what she thought she wanted but realized ,she didn't.
She wanted to be home with her family. With all the 'dark' things she goes through ,she does what most of us would do ,she fights for it! With help from her new friends in Oz. When she melts the witch, intended or not ,it was her passing the last test ,to get herself home.
A test as well from Glinda ,because she knew why Dorothy had landed in Oz and she helped her see the reality of where it was she truly belonged. Could she have told Dorothy this ,yes ,but would she listen ,anymore than she'd have believed shoes could get her home instantly?
All of the things many love The Wizard Of Oz for ,are either things we experience in our lives or that we wish we could do.
This movie isn't just for little children or kids ,it's for everyone,of any age. I've watched it on CBS as a kid ,on video and DVD and in 1998 ,I got the pleasure of seeing it in a special 're-release' to movie theaters ,on the big screen.
.... And The Wizard Of Oz , is for anyone who simply likes a good movie ,like I do. That and manymore reasons are why I rate it 10 stars.
Aside from the lesson ,the real reason to watch the movie ,is to enjoy yourself. Nothing more or less than that. The characters,the story ,the songs ,the scenery and going from black & white to color in a blink
...all a part of telling the world's simplest story of how there's no place like home. ...and home can be a house or even the real world we live in ,where we take the bad with the good.
That's something that's as true today as it was over 75 years ago. {END]