A delight...even if some of the songs really make very little sense.

Rating: 9/10 (15 November 2009)

THE WIZARD OF OZ is a great film, so please don't be offended and think I hate it--I don't, and have seen it perhaps a dozen times or more. It is truly a classic. However, the last time I saw it, I was surprised because now that I am middle-aged, I finally really listened to some of the songs. While some, such as "Over the Rainbow" were amazingly sublime, a few surprised me because they had great music but the lyrics were, well, nonsense. Try listening to some of the songs and you might notice that the lyrics, while memorable, are a bit silly. Really...and this is the only reason I can't give this film a 10.
However, despite this minor complaint, what else is there about the film that could be improved? Judy Garland is perfect and at her best. The cinematography, costumes, sets and everything about the film is first-rate--even if the story, at times, diverges greatly from Frank Baum's original tale.
A film that you must see if you haven't. Just try NOT to pay attention to lyrics in songs like "We're Off to See the Wizard" and "If I Only Had a Brain". It might give you a headache. Here are a couple examples:
"You'll find he is a whiz of a Wiz! If ever a Wiz! there was. If ever oh ever a Wiz! there was The Wizard of Oz is one because..."
"I would dance and be merry, life would be a ding-a-derry, If I only had a brain."
Oh, and one other problem. At the end of the film, there is no resolution with Miss Gulch and you can assume she STILL is going to have Toto put down!