Oz is that place somewhere over the rainbow

Rating: 7/10 (28 December 2007)

'The Wizard of Oz' is a very old movie and looks awfully dated, but still has its magic and charm. To this day it still has many fans, which is a surprise for a movie this old.
The sceneries/backgrounds and special effects don't impress by today's standards, but they must have caused great impact back in 1939. Plus, some of the special effects are astonishing for the time. Look at that tornado, for example! It just seems so real! Amazing that they could do something like that in such primitive times.
Speaking of the sceneries, they are full of creative and details which create this childish world of fantasy (the land of Oz). Looking at all those sceneries and to what people dress, it almost reminds me about those childish theater plays I used to see during my childhood. The yellow brick road and the Emerald City are just two among many creative and imaginative details of this movie.
The characters are as original as much as they are odd and unusual. The most bizarre characters are the army of flying monkeys, the Winkie Guards, the Wicked Witch of the East, the Munchkins, the talking trees and the Gatekeeper. The Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are less weird, but still unusual. Dorothy and her cute dog Toto, Professor Marvel, Hunk, Zeke, Hickory, Auntie Em, Uncle Henry and the Wizard of Oz are normal characters.
Of all the 3 strange friends of Dorothy, the Scarecrow is my favorite. He is the funniest of them, even though the silly Cowardly Lion is hilarious.
To a degree, I can see why this movie is considered a classic. It consistently appears in the lists of the greatest movies ever. It is much praised and regarded by many people. It gets generally high ratings. Does it really deserve to be as venerated as it is? Well, it's all a matter of tastes. But despite its charm and magic, there are things of discussable taste in this movie, such as the bizarre characters which become tiring after many viewings. Certain scenes are also somewhat dark and sinister for a kids's movie.
The songs are simple but jolly and charming, such as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", "We're Off to See the Wizard", "If I Only Had a Brain" (in this last case, including its related songs) and my favorite: the wonderful opening music. I don't like the songs sung by the Munchkins because of their weird voices.
Although the movie is beyond dated and obsolete nowadays, it was nevertheless advanced for its time, thanks to the special effects and the fact that it is a sepia-toned black-and-white film in the Kansas sequences and a fully colored one (Technicolor) in the Oz sequences.
The actors are generally good in their roles. The best are Frank Morgan (who portrays a total of 5 roles in the film), Ray Bolger (as the Scarecrow and Hunk) and Judy Garland (as Dorothy Gale).
Filming was a nightmare. And yet the movie would become a lasting legacy, even though that was uncertain at the time.