Wonderful "Wizard of Oz"

Rating: 8/10 (22 March 2012)

Still one of the best children's fantasy adventure films ever - with songs! The use of colour in a film has never been surpassed in my view, making the contrast from dusty, grey Kansas to perfect, day-glo Oz all the more telling, and making you realise what an inspired cinematic idea it was! The point has been well made before, but you do have to wonder why Dorothy would ever want to leave the fairy-tale world, until you consider the moral point of the movie which is to celebrate family and home life, even if the grass is literally greener on the other side.
The special effects are remarkable for the time, from the devastation of the tornado, the monumental city of Oz and even the comings and goings of Glinda the good witch. Probably the only sub-standard scenes of this type are those of the wicked witch flying on her broomstick, but perhaps I'm being too post-modern in my judgement. The characterisations are mostly delightful, my only carps being that Glinda is just too glutinous to be true, plus I never really cared much for the Munchkins..
Outstanding in the cast naturally is Judy Garland as Dorothy, displaying childish insecurity on the one hand but feisty perseverance on the other. She interacts beautifully and naturally with her three new friends and even Toto! The songs are unforgettable too, "Over The Rainbow" and "We're Off To See The Wizard" especially being songs for the ages .
I've seen the film many times, naturally, but it's still a remarkable feat of artistic creativity and to mind hasn't been matched never mind surpassed by any number of real-life Disney or Pixar films since.