A Timeless Classic

Rating: 9/10 (2 March 2009)

It is hard to believe that this film is almost seventy years old, yes some of the special effects look rather dated now but not that dated. There are many films that people say everybody should see at least once in their life and in many cases those films are good but not that important, this film I genuinely think everybody should see though, preferably when they are still fairly young; although it is still a delight to watch as an adult.
I'm sure most people will know the plot even if they haven't seen the film but just in case anybody doesn't I'll give a brief description. Dorothy is a girl living on a farm in Kansas with her aunt and uncle. When a mean spirited neighbour threatens to have her dog Toto put to sleep she runs away from home and meets a travelling magician who persuades her to return home. Unfortunately before she can get home a tornado is seen approaching and everybody there has taken shelter in a storm basement. She goes into the house and when the tornado hits she is knocked out.
She awakens to find the house in the air and through the window she sees many strange things, including the mean neighbour on her bicycle who turns into a witch on a broomstick. When the house crashes to the ground and she goes outside the film switches from sepia tinged black and white to spectacular colour. As she looks around the strange land she has arrived in she is met by Glinda, the Witch of the North. She introduces Dorothy to the Munchkins, the little people who inhabit that part of Oz. The Munchkins treat Dorothy as a heroine as her house landed on the Wicked Witch of the East, her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West is not happy though, especially when her sister's ruby slippers magically appear on Dorothy's feet. Dorothy is told that if she want to return home to Kansas she must follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City where the eponymous Wizard of Oz lives.
As she walks along the road she meets three strange characters; a scarecrow who wants a brain, a tin man who wants a heart and a cowardly lion who wishes to be brave. As strange as these characters are each of them is vaguely familiar to Dorothy. They journey is made harder by the witch who is determined to get the slippers off Dorothy. They eventually reach the city but once there the Wizard is not as welcoming as they'd hoped and demands that they must go away and no return till they have the Witch of the West's broom stick, this obviously isn't an easy task. Just in case anybody has yet to see this I won't spoil the ending.
Judy Garland is perfect as young Dorothy and the rest of the cast a pretty good too. There are plenty of songs some of which are now classics which you'll find yourself singing in your head after you've finished watching the film. The film is a treat for all the family although very young viewers might find some parts a little scary.