The Wizard of Oz is based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum. Directed primarily by Victor Fleming, the film has entertained audiences of both young and old. It was released August 25th, 1939 by the American media company called Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Incorporated (MGM). Although it was made seventy-one years ago, the charming qualities of this classic musical masterpiece still find their way into into our hearts today. The film portrays Dorothy Gale, played by Judy Garland, with her family and friends on her farm in Kansas. With her eminent dog Toto by her side, Dorothy gets knocked unconscious by a window pane in her bedroom when a tornado hits. When she awakes, she is overwhelmed to find the colorful, magical Munchkinland called Oz. Accompanied by somewhat familiar friends along the way, Dorothy follows the yellow brick road to the Wizard of Oz so she can return home to Kansas. The Wizard of Oz childish fantasy movie reached a total gross of 16,538,431 dollars today. Now, that's a lot of magic!
Released in what was known as the “Golden Age of Hollywood”, The Wizard of Oz has timeless cinema qualities that are being commemorated today. Filmmakers were originally drawn to trying to appeal to a youthful audience because of the success of Walt Disney's animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It showed that films adapted from children stories could in fact be successful in the movie industries. Many actresses were considered for the main role as Dorothy, including perhaps the most famous child star at that time, 10-year-old Shirley Temple. However, MGM's musical mainstay, Roger Edens listened to Shirley sing and felt that a different vocal style was needed. Judy Garland was soon cast as Dorothy along with Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, and Margret Hamilton playing the infamous Wicked Witch of the West.
At that time, movies filmed in black and white were very common. In The Wizard of Oz, Technicolor is one of the factors of what brought the magic of Oz to life. The opening and closing credits and the scenes of Kansas are all shot in black and white and later colored in a sepia tone while Oz is shown in full color. This was done to show the novel's description of a “gray Kansas” and a rather blasé world compared to bright colors of Oz. This simple yet crucial detail has always played a major role in the film's sense of fantasy. It truly is quite interesting to see the contrast of the two places, especially when Dorothy is first entering Oz.
The dramatic and frightening scenes are acted out brilliantly by all the cast members, but the Wicked Witch of the West played by Margret Hamilton takes the cake. Originally, the witch was planning to have a more seductive and slinky tone. Filmmakers later shifted the Witch's persona and gave her the “ugly hag treatment”. The Wicked Witch we know today has striking features including her all-black attire and green skin color. She's made memorable movie quotes including “I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!” and her famous last words of “I'm melting!”.
The Wizard of Oz not only pleased audiences; it pleased critics. It received an array of Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Song (“Over the Rainbow” sung by Judy Garland), and Best Original Music Score. The film received roughly fifteen other honorable mentions. There has been fifteen different adaptations of Frank L. Baum's novel, including everything from two silent films from 1910 and 1925 to The Wiz, a 1978 all-African American adaptation starring Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow. Yet The Wizard of Oz stands above all of them. In fact, the Library of Congress declared The Wizard of Oz “The most watched film of all time”. These lists of titles, awards, an honorable mentions just go to show the outstanding film The Wizard of Oz has been recognized as. It has withstood the test of time and simply gotten better with age. Needless to say, it has turned into a household name with it's famous movie quotes, music, and even costumes. It's unforgettable message of “There's no place like home” truly captures the American spirit of this genial film. The Wizard of Oz is a true Hollywood classic film, and only such movies can continue to go down in history as so.
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