A very good year

Rating: 10/10 (30 March 2011)

By the time 1939 came around, sound had only been present in films for 10 years, and colour had barely put in an appearance. But that year saw 4 films arrive, each of which made revolutionary use of the new full colour technology with a breadth of vision which would never be repeated - Gone WIth The Wind, Snow White, The Adventures Of Robin Hood, and The Wizard Of Oz.
The Wizard Of Oz builds on Baum's source material and adds some wonderful touches of its own: the songs are the obvious additions, but the parallels between Oz and the real world are another, as is the inspired decision to have the real world in monochrome and Oz in dazzling Technicolor.
The entire cast is also excellent, notwithstanding that the performance style is rather broader than we are used to these days. In particular, Judy Garland's Dorothy, despite being perceptibly older than Dorothy should be (even after the physical torment Garland was put through to make her look younger), is an achingly honest performance, blessed with one of the most sublime songs ever committed to the screen.
The only possible criticism is that the stage sets are a little obvious these days, but that is a minor point to raise against a film which is as fresh now as it was more than 70 years ago.
I note that it has never been mooted for a remake, a fact which speaks for itself!
2014 update: the 3D retooling is first rate, and enhances a film which was already close to perfection.