A magical film that will capture your imagination!

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2005)

Since the story of The Wizard of Oz has fallen into the realm of common knowledge and pop culture, I won't get into it here. If you don't know the story, you absolutely must see this film. Don't even read the rest of the review, just go see it! This movie "captured my imagination" when I was a kid, and to see it now, after over twenty years was to rediscover it. Honestly, it was like seeing an old friend. However, I got even more out of seeing it now than I did as a child. Aside from the awe-inspiring land of Oz, the brilliant use of Technicolor to suggest another "world," and the tender performance of Judy Garland, this film contains little bits of Wiz-dom that make it that much more enjoyable years later. Warm performances from Frank Morgan, as Professor Marvel/The Wizard of Oz (among other roles in the picture), Ray Bolger, as Hunk/The Scarecrow, Bert Lahr, as Zeke/The Cowardly Lion, and Jack Haley, as Hickory/The Tin Man, all add to the sincerity of the film. Margaret Hamilton is great as the heartless Ms. Gulch and the sinister Wicked Witch of the West. I would recommend this movie to anyone, especially anyone with children. This is a wonderful fantasy/musical! Truly delightful!