There's no place like home

Rating: 10/10 (31 July 2012)

Fantasy movies of today are generally escapist extravaganzas of uncompromising pace. They show everything for real what kids once didn't even dream of imagining - they are graphic, loud and if there's a morality lesson to be learned from it at all it's sugar-coated beyond recognition. The musical classic "The Wizard of Oz" is different. Starting off on a farm in Kansas, a plain kind of reality shot in black and white awaits. A genuine surprise move for its time the film then dives into the Technicolor fantasy world of Dorothy's dream, only to eventually emerge back where we set out - in the reality of life, unchanged in color, but full with experiences gained from the journey enriching what once seemed drab and plain. Thus the "Wizard of Oz" is a coming of age movie that deals with anxieties and how to overcome them - with a bit of brain, heart and courage things are half as frightening as they seem, and we are reassured that even wizards are just plain human.
"The Wizard of Oz" based on the timeless children book classic by L. Frank Baum however is much more than a film only children would enjoy - it's a treat for all ages. The action and the music are heart-lifting, the film is funny, entertaining, fascinating, the tale's metaphors are deep enough to appeal to everyone and it still holds up many years after its release back in 1939. Take for instance Roy Bolger's famous scarecrow dance, Judy Garland singing "Somewhere over the rainbow" and the final scenes with trusted faces and the realization that there's no place like home, despite all the problems and troubles. Well, sometimes it helps to take the shortcut through fantasy land to get to the real thing. Here's one way.