Review 240: The Wizard of Oz
Based on the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) lives on a farm in Kansas with her Aunt Em (Clara Blandick) and her Uncle Henry (Charley Grapewin) until a cyclone arrives, and picks her, her house, and her dog Toto up and deposits them in the land of Oz. Things in Oz are strange and beautiful, but Dorothy just wants to get back home. She's helped by Glinda the Good Witch of the North (Billie Burke), a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a Tin Man (Jack Haley) and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) but she's also in trouble with the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), who seeks revenge for the death of her sister; the Wicked Witch of the East, for which she blames Dorothy.
The plot is in one word "Beautiful, stunning", it's a simple plot which is stunningly developed, it's about a ordinary girl who doesn't appreciate what she's got and is searching for more by the end of the movie she discovers that really life isn't so bad and that home is the most important thing anyone could have.
It's also a story about friendship, along her way to Emerald City, she meets a Scarecrow who wants some brains, a Tin man who wants a heart and a cowardly Lion who wants courage and they travel with Dorothy to the City hoping the Wizard can give it to them and the film is all about how the four of them stand by each other against the Witch.
On the subject of what The Scarecrow, The Tin Man and The Cowardly Lion want, the film shows that you don't have to be smart to be great, you don't a heart to be kind, you don't need courage to be brave and most importantly, home is where people love, Dorothy thinks she's running off in search of love but soon realises love is right there in front of her.
Director Victor Fleming's direction is precise, the cinematography is gorgeous (the scenes in Kansas are filmed in Black-and-white and the scenes in Oz are filmed in color, in fact it was one of the first films to be shot in color. How cool is that?), the special effects are spectacular, the score by Herbert Stothart is beautiful, the songs by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg are memorable, the production design is wonderful (the films depiction, of L. Frank Baum's world of Oz is mindblowing, the costumes are brilliant, the props are beautifully crafted, the make up is rich and beautifully detailed, the sound effects are great, the scenery is breathtaking and the ending puts a smile on my face.
The whole cast was just wonderful, Judy Garland gives the best-if not one of the best performances of her career as Dorothy, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr are just fantastic in their duel roles as Hunk / Scarecrow, Hickory / Tin Man and Zeke / Cowardly Lion respectively, Billie Burke is luminous and lovely as Glinda, Clara Blandick and Charley Grapewin are just fine as Aunt Em and Uncle Henry respectively, Frank Morgan is fabulous in his duel roles as The Wizard / Professor Marvel / Doorman / Cabbie / Guard, Margaret Hamilton is a sensational villain and the rest of the cast is great.
Please comment and subscribe. 5/5
The Anonymous Critic.
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