Great movie that takes us to our childhood..

Rating: 8/10 (8 August 2010)

Most of us remember seeing the film at an early age on television, when the bleak black and white of Kansas is magically transformed into the rainbow colors of the Land of Oz. The special effects were by Arnold Gillespie, and to this day the horse of a different color that switches from purple to red to yellow is an inspiration to young audiences. For a film shot on MGM sound stages, the picture has amazing depth, and this is thanks to George Gibson's painted backdrops with blue mountains and white peaks that evoked the aura of the Emerald City.
This is pure escapism and Dorothy (Judy Garland) literally escapes from Kansas to take her journey to see the Wizard. In the journey she meets a few friends. These friends are the Wizard of Oz played by Frank Morgan, the Scarecrow played by Ray Bolger, the Cowardly lion played by Bert Lehr, the tin man played by Jack Haley, and the princess played by Billie Burke. Everyone could always enjoy a nice story that takes them on a crazy ride through fantasy world and then snaps back to the real world at the end. The appeal of the film may have something to do with the fact that it symbolizes Dorothy's last childhood experience and it is her loss of innocence that is portrayed. At the end of the movie, Dorothy returns to Kansas, back to her old life with her family. Dorothy wore a corset-like dress to make sure that her filling-out figure was not revealed this made the look of an eleven-year old is preserved. The film ends with the moral that there is no place like home, no matter how exotic and fantastic. Far from being depressing and anti-fantasy, the film encourages young people to be creative with their minds. There is no reason that Bert Lahrs Zeke cannot be transformed into The Cowardly Lion though creative day-dreaming. I know when I saw it as a small child I liked to day dream and try to go to the Land of Oz myself. From then on out as a child if I were having a bad day I would just lay in bed and try to go away. It was very relaxing to try and use my imagination to visit the tin man, the lion, the scarecrow and the Wizard.