Ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best American films, THE WIZARD OF OZ is deceptive. The first description would be to call it a family film then a fantasy. But few would call it a musical first. How many other musicals can step beyond being a musical, first and foremost? This grand production transcends the constraints of genre. In 1939, family films were often weighed down by an overly earnest message, or dumbed down by a simple light adventure plot. While OZ has adventure and some preachy moments, such as the Wizard's pep talk and Dorothy's closing "no place like home" speech, the development of the characters and the themes are worked into the corners of the fantastic journey. Who would have expected such subtle complexity from a film about a girl and her little dog Toto?
But indeed Dorothy Gale's story is more than a simple adventure. It's a coming of age story of sorts, but mostly a parable about learning that home is where the heart is. Dorothy is brought to life in an effervescent performance from Judy Garland. Beside her soulful singing voice, she gives Dorothy the naïve pluck that the role needs. She's a young girl who dreams of something more than her little farm in Kansas. But when she is whipped away in a twister and ends up in Oz, she wants nothing more than to return to her beloved Aunt Em (Clara Blandick, 1939's THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN).
The transition from the sepia toned scenes in Kansas to the Technicolor splendor of Oz is one of the best uses of style for artistic expression in any film. Oz is truly otherworldly. As one knows, once Dorothy arrives in Oz, she makes quick enemies with the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton, WAY DOWN EAST) after her house drops on the green one's sister and Glinda, the good witch (Billie Burke, FATHER OF THE BRIDE), bestows on the young girl the magic ruby slippers. If Glinda is such a good witch then why stick poor Dorothy with those two red bull's eyes? But it's just part of Oz's dreamlike state where anything can happen, and the villain is always on your heels no matter how fast you run.
In her effort to get back to Kansas, Dorothy and Toto head down the yellow brick road — off to see the Wizard. At this point in the film, I really remembered that it’s a musical. And have remembered it for days after seeing it, as I've been humming the tunes in my head ever since. But while sometimes annoyingly catchy, the songs are never filler. They always define character. Each of Dorothy's fellow travelers — the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion — all get their own song to show off their inner struggle. The first song of the film "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" marks Dorothy's inner struggle pointedly.
Ray Bolger (BABES IN TOYLAND) as the Scarecrow is a master of physical expression. Still the most impressive today of the iconic make-up and costume jobs, the Scarecrow has stuffing for a brain, but easily establishes himself as the leader of the group. The great scene with the apple-throwing trees showcases his ingenuity. Bolger's performance of "If I Only Had a Brain" ranks up there with Donald O'Connor's "Make 'Em Laugh" number from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN as one of the funniest and most athletic dance musical numbers ever put to celluloid.
The Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are both contradictory characters. The Tin Man, played by Jack Haley (POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL), is a metal woodsman carrying an ax, yet he is effeminate and sentimental. Bert Lahr (SHIP AHOY) was brilliantly cast as the Cowardly Lion. The burly Popeye-looking man looks like a lion, but handled the cowardly side of the character with perfect comic timing. His performance of "If I Were the King of the Forest" is a vocal acrobatics display that never fails to impress.
And let's not forget Margaret Hamilton's The Wicked Witch of the West. Hamilton is first introduced as Elmira Gulch, the wicked old maid, who wants to have Toto put to sleep for biting her. She sets the wheels of the story in motion and serves as the constant antagonist. She's an evil bully, who is washed clean from Oz by the pure Dorothy. With her classic black pointed hat, broomstick, hooked nose, green skin and cackling voice, WWW is the first image everyone thinks of when they think of witches. AFI ranked her the #4 greatest villain of all time for good reason. And the pitting of her versus Dorothy touches on some many grand conflicts — good vs. evil, young vs. old, beauty vs. ugliness, poor vs. rich. The same conflicts that make many young folk want to head out on their own.
From classic lines like — "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore" and "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too" — to magical images of the Emerald City and flying monkeys, THE WIZARD OF OZ is one iconic moment after another. So many elements of this film have slipped into pop culture that someone coming into the film for the first time might feel they've seen it already. It's a story for kids, but as the foreword graphic states — the film is dedicated to the young at heart. The young will simply be whisked away in the fantasy, but for the truly young at heart, they'll see a film rich in its understanding of the process everyone goes through in growing up, and understand more fully what Dorothy means when she says — there's no place like home. Home isn't always in Kansas with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, and some of us have to go to Oz to find it, but when we do there's nothing quite like it.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
