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All Movie Info
Starring:
Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin, Clara Blandick, Pat Walshe, Terry
Directed By:
Victor Fleming, Richard Thorpe
Written By:
Noel Langley, L. Frank Baum
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The Wizard of Oz (1939)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
November 23rd, 2007
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'The Wizard of Oz' is one of the all-time greats, a timeless fantasy that has enthralled audiences for generations, children and adults alike, and is an utter delight, with wonderful songs and iconic characters that have been so deeply embedded into American culture, that not to know them is almost unheard of. It made a star of Judy Garland, who was 17 when she played Dorothy Gale, the young girl from Kansas who ends up in the magical land of Oz, with her faithful dog Toto. Garland's troubled personal life, her five marriages, including her most famous one, to Vincente Minnelli, did little to diminish her status as a screen legend, and though she appeared in several other features, including Meet Me in St Louis and A Star Is Born, she would always be known as Dorothy, and for good reason. She shines in the role, and has a great singing voice, which lends itself well to her trademark tune, "Over the Rainbow". Dorothy lives with her aunt and three uncles on a small farm. A tornado comes along and whisks her house off to Oz, after she has an encounter with the nasty Mrs. Gulch. The Kansas segment is black-and-white, and there is a stunning transition to ;luscious Technicolor scenery as Dorothy steps out into Oz, or more precisely, the village of the Munchkins, odd little dwarfs that greet her warmly after they see that her house has landed on the Wicked Witch of the East.
But that still leaves the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), who shows up in a cloud of smoke and swears to snag the sparkling ruby slippers that are now on Dorothy's feet. Glinda, the good witch who arrives in a big bubble, tells Dorothy to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City, where she is to meet the Wizard, who of course turns out to be an old man (Frank Morgan) with no special powers. Along the way, she picks up three traveling companions, a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a Tin Man (Jack Haley), and the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), all of whom seek to ask the wizard for things, as well.
And they protect Dorothy on her journey, even if this means infiltrating the foreboding castle of the Wicked Witch herself, and fighting off her legions of flying monkeys. These things scared the crap out of me when I was little, and could still terrify kids today. Hamilton is perfect as the Witch, and how many Halloween costumes and popular images have been modeled after her appearance, the green skin, the big pointed hat, flying on her broomstick, the big crooked nose, it is difficult to visualize a witch any other way, though they have been younger and more attractive in recent films, but this is the classic representation. Bolger, Haley, and Lahr are truly magnificent singers and dancers, and each one, when first met, performs a terrific musical number.
Morgan plays several different characters, five in all. The Emerald City breathtaking at first glance, and who can forget the final confrontation with the Witch, and her fatal weakness to water. Her demise is one of many unforgettable scenes, which have been parodied and referenced in dozens of other movies (not to mention sketch comedy shows like Mad TV). The original L Frank Baum stories were much darker and more gruesome, their content toned down for this adaptation, undoubtedly the best one, which was released in what was considered to be Hollywood's golden year, 1939, which also saw the debut of Gone with the Wind, Stagecoach, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, and Wuthering Heights.
Victor Fleming directed this and Gone with the Wind. It won 2 Oscars, for Best Original Score and Best Song (Over the Rainbow). Garland won a special Oscar, I believe she would have deserved Best Actress, which went to Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara, another iconic performance in its own right. Anna Paquin and Tatum O'Neal would be the youngest recipients of Oscars, both for Supporting Actress, Paquin for The Piano and O'Neal for Paper Moon. Its enduring popularity speaks for itself. I would argue that no one dislikes this movie, and I haven't met any, but I suppose they are out there somewhere.
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 | Tim
Nov 23, 2007 1:03 AM
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| glad you reviewed this one...it deserves to have as many as the newer films.... |
 | KRuNCH
Nov 23, 2007 2:04 AM
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| The one major flaw in this movie is that Dorothy's problems still aren't resolved when she returns to Kansas at the end of the film. They're all still going to have to deal with Elmira Gulch again when she returns to get Toto so he can be destroyed. So,flying over the rainbow accomplished nothing. |
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Nov 26, 2007 8:52 AM