Timeless Classic

Rating: Null/10 (14 July 2009)

Wizard of Oz, The (1939)
**** (out of 4)
One of the most popular films ever made is also one I haven't watched in many, many years. I must be honest and say that I never really understood all the hype surrounding this movie when I was young but finally seeing it as an adult made me appreciate it a lot more. Everyone knows the story so there's no point in going over it again but after this viewing I must come full circle and say I understand why this film is so loved and why it remains so popular even when classic movies aren't. I guess what really stuck out to me the most this time around was the brilliant look at the movie, which jumps off the screen unlike many other movies. The Technicolor is downright brilliantly used and the imagination of the colors is so remarkable that it's quite easy to forget you're watching a movie. The trip down the Golden Brick Road brings forward various designs and they are all remarkably done that it's still quite amazing to see them all put to use in one movie. The performances are also excellent with Garland taking most of the fame from the film. There's certainly nothing wrong with that because she is excellent in the film be it her singing or her acting but to me the real highlight of the movie is the supporting cast. Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow and Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion are the ones who really stick out. The way they deliver their lines and make their characters come to life is why this film still holds up so well. The two of them really make the fantasy aspect of what's going on appear so real. Jack Haley, Frank Morgan and Margaret Hamilton are great as well. Another aspect is the actual story itself, which MGM seemed to really capture perfectly. This story had been filmed countless times in the silent era and also as recently as 1925 but the studio taking the story and what it could contain and putting it on a new level is certainly unforgettable. I also think the early sepia tone scenes in Kansas are also very important and set up what's going to follow very well. Then, of course, there are the music numbers, which I'm pretty sure at least half of everyone alive knows quite well. The musical numbers are all excellent and deserve their reputation of being some of the greatest ever written.