The Wizard of Oz is an old but well-recognized film released almost 86 years ago on August 25, 1939. It was directed by Victor Fleming and King Vidor. Several film writers produced this G-rated fantasy movie, including Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allen Woolf.
The Wizard of Oz has many central characters, but the true star is Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland. Along her adventure in Oz Dorothy meets many characters that help her on her journey, the Tin Man (Jack Haley), Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) and famously known in Munchkin Land as the Good Witch, Glinda (Billie Burke). With all of these people on her side, she can pass through the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton).
This story goes through the journey of Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto. It begins in Kansas, drained of color, where Dorothy is furious that Mrs. Gulch, her crabby, old neighbor, has taken her dog and goes to complain to her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. When they don’t listen she seeks out the long-time workers on Henry and Em’s farm but faces the same problem. Dorothy runs away and finds Professor Marvel with his caravan, a traveling magician about to go to the next town to share his mind-reading techniques. His questionable talents lead her to believe she must go back home, and once she does a tornado arrives, sweeping her and her home up and into the remarkable and mystical land of Oz.
When she arrives in Oz it is filled with color and delight. The Good Witch sends her on this journey to talk to the Wizard of Oz, during which she befriends three characters: the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow. Just like Dorothy, these characters need something from the Wizard of Oz: a brain, a heart, a nerve and to get back to Kansas.
As these characters travel along the yellow brick road they overcome many obstacles. Once they finally reach Emerald City, where the Wizard of Oz lives, he gives the others what they wish, but leaves Dorothy with nothing. Glinda then appears and tells Dorothy that she just needs to realize home is where her heart is, so Dorothy taps her ruby red shoes three times and transports back to Kansas, where she is reunited with her family and friends.
This movie’s best qualities are its attention to character detail, how it is paced and how the actors portray the characters expertly. Another good quality is how The characters are written and how they have similar personalities in two different worlds. An example of this would be how the scarecrow and Hunk have the same character traits but are portrayed differently in Kansas than in Oz. Hunk while being a human also is a little clumsy and has the same personality in and out of Oz. The Scarecrow shows Hunk’s clumsiness very clearly by the way he walks around and this is because he is filled with hay, which makes him less of a human-like figure and more uncoordinated. The actors, in general, fit their parts very well and are able to act out all of the specifics and small details of each character. For example, Jack Haley is able to show the stiffness in the Tin Man’s walk and his longing for a heart on their journey along the yellow brick road. The flow of the story is illustrated perfectly. Even though the beginning seems to go by quickly, it is that way because the movie is called The Wizard of Oz not The Wizard of Kansas. It is about Dorothy’s journey to remember how important home is.
On the other hand, the worst qualities of the movie are its costumes and makeup. Although they are iconic, in retrospect, they are not outstanding. Even though it was so long ago costume designers definitely could’ve put more effort into the cast members’ attire. For instance, the Lion’s costume isn’t cohesive it has different colors of fur throughout the different parts and different fur patterns. Dorothy’s costume, while iconic, is also very bland if it were to have some more aspects like a belt or more shaping of the skirt it would have been much better. In this movie and many others, costumes and makeup play such an important role in how the characters are portrayed. If Glinda and Elphaba were to switch makeup and costuming, that would create a whole new meaning to the show. If Glinda were to have come out green and in dark clothing Dorothy would have been way more hesitant to talk to her or even go through Oz altogether.
According to IMDB.com The Wizard of Oz is a G-rated movie because it is a child-like movie and the story is written for anyone to watch (adults, kids, etc.) Since this movie can be watched by anyone, The Wizard of Oz has uplifting themes like adventure, friendship and the importance of “home.” These three themes are clearly shown throughout the movie, from Dorthy making new friends in Oz to her realizing that her home in Kansas is truly where her heart is. Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB.com and Common Sense Media all rated it 4/5 stars or higher. Overall, it is a classic and a great film to watch with your friends or family, which is why this movie earns a 4/5.
