The Wizard of OZ

The Wizard of Oz is a special kind of film. it's the one film that every american  not only knows but can recite by chart. The all around american classic if there ever was one. we all love it we all watch every year when it shows up on TBS; don't lie you know you do! it's just an the epic feel good movie. the imagery to the acting to the humor. it's all solid and extremely pleasant. so what is it that makes the the most beloved film to grace pop culture so good lets find out. 

Do i really need to explain the plot of this film? Dorothy Gale is a small town girl living in Kansas during the Dust Bowl. She yearns to be somewhere better than where she is and sets out to run away. One day a twister strikes her farm and before she can make it into the storm cellar her entire house whisks her and her dog Toto off to a mysterious land know as Oz there she discover by means of a very beautiful which named Glinda that she has killed the Wicked witch of the East and inherited her magic ruby slippers, bout that the Wicked Witch of the West is out for revenge now. Determined to get home Dorothy is told to find the Wizard, who is the only one who can help. along the way she encounters a scarecrow in search of a Brain, a Tin Man in search of a heart, and a Cowardly Lion in search of courage. The four friends must ban together to find the wizard before the Wicked Witch gets to them first, and hopefully Dorothy will find her way back home. 

The story is so simple and straight to the point you really can't help but love this movie. This is a film where the hero's journey is shown in it's rawest form. Dorothy is our hero, Glinda is the wise figure that put's Dorothy on the path, and the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lin are her companions. watching it again for what must be the one millionth time I find my self so surprised at how fresh the film still appears to be and how i still enjoy it as i it were the first time i was watching it. It genuinely is an excellent film.

If we are going to discuss The Wizard of Oz it is absolutely important to discuss the use of color in this film. Often sighted as the first film to use the perfected system of Technicolor, the Wizard of Oz stunned audiences with its big reveal. the first part of the film is completely in black and white, it's not until the second act after Dorothy arrives in oz that we see the gorgeous vivid color for the first time in a major motion picture. It takes my breath away every time I see it, as if it were the first time i ha seen color for the first time. I particularly love the way The Wicked Witch's skin contrasts so heavily from the rest of the film it's such a harm green and it really brings out the already nastiness of the character. 

The acting is wonderful in this film. The Late Judy Garland, plays the role of Dorothy Gale and is just lovely on the screen everything about her portrayal has become so iconic that it's hard to imagine anyone else portraying the character any other way. In fact, that goes for pretty much the entire cast, i can't imagine anyone being replaced by another actor. by far my favorite has to go to Margaret Hamilton with there portrayal of The Wicked Witch. she is just in love with this role and every second, every bit of dialogue ever stag direction is filled with so much energy and passion that (once again) you can't help but imagine anyone else playing this character. If i had to think of a performance that was weak it would have to be the Wizard himself; after the big reveal i found the character to be rather boring and just kinda there. yeah i'm aware that's supposed to be the point. but there's a difference between playing a character that is lame and being lame, and the entire time I just felt as if this character wasn't fully fleshed out. But when it really comes down to it these characters can't be imagined any other way. i remember watching Return to Oz and the previews for Dorothy of OZ,  thinking that no, thats not what the Scarecrow looks like! Thats not how the Cowardly Lion is supposed to sound like. the fault in this imply originate sin how big an impact The Wizard of Oz had on popular culture. It was so beloved, that it made it nearly impossible to see the film in any other way.

So yeah this is a musical so it makes sense to talk about the music right? Well, what is there to say except that we've all heard the music and we all know every song by heart or at the least are able to hum every song. the music is so good and so excellent that they have expanded beyond the popularity of the film itself being included in commercials and parodied more times than can be accounted for. short and simple the music is one of the best parts of this film. 

That's pretty much it. The Wizard of Oz is something more than just a movie, it's a centerpiece of popular culture. it's a movie that connects us all because we all love it so dearly. iv never known people to debate not he merit and quality of this movie, and I'm sure they exist but I've never seen them. in truth films especially the ones that we love, connects all in way that makes cinema so beautiful. friendships and even relationships can be created over the love of film. some of the best conversations I've ever had started because of a discussion of a certain movie. and that's exactly where Wizard of Oz unites us all it is the one film that we all agree on that we all take a moment to enjoy together revery year and for me that's very special .