What a joy to see this classic film in the DVD format, accompanied by so much interesting background material which includes the documentary "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic," hosted by Angela Lansbury; various out takes, including the rarely seen "Jitterbug" dance; interviews of Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Margaret Hamilton; and excerpts from previous versions of "Oz," including the 1914 and 1925 silent films and the 1933 cartoon version. Great stuff! How ironic that this film was considered a failure at the box office after its release in 1939 despite several Academy Award nominations, was "rediscovered" on prime time television in 1956, and continues to appear on television screens, either when broadcast or played in VHS or DVD format. As Lew Wasserman constantly insisted, television was the best thing that ever happened to the film industry. How right he was.Each time I see and hear this third film adaptation of L. Frank Baum's book, I am still enchanted by it while also marveling at the technical achievements in a film produced more than 60 years ago. It was a stroke of genius to begin the film in sepia tone black and white, then transition to color after Dorothy and Toto arrive in Munchkin Land, then return to black and white after Dorothy awakens in her home. How clever also to have characters such as Miss Gulch, Professor Marvel, and the three hired hands (Hickory, Hunk, and Zeke) reappear as the Wicked Witch of the West, Gatekeeper and Wizard, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion, respectively.
Each of us has her or his favorite scenes. Mine include the tornado's approach and then later what Dorothy sees through the window as her farmhouse is hurled through the air; the series of welcomes by various Munchkins (especially the Lolly Pop Guild members); and the Wizard's desperate response after Toto pulls back the curtain. (We now know that Margaret Hamilton was severely burned during the scene which concludes when a bucket of water is thrown on her and she evaporates.) Make-up, special effects, musical score, and cinematography are integrated seamlessly.
Probably because this film was generally neglected until shown on network television in 1956, it did not have as much of an impact on those in my generation as it has had on our daughters and sons....and on their own children. However, for me at least, the film supports several important life lessons while brilliantly presenting the adventures of Dorothy and her companions. First, that there really is "no place like home" wherever that home may be. For many of us, it is a state-of-mind and/or a condition of the heart rather than a physical location. (Recall the line "I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.") It is human nature, I guess, to take so much for granted until we encounter problems with health, money, an important relationship, etc. Only after a loss do we fully appreciate what we once had.
The film also reminds us that we may already possess almost all of what we need to achieve our goals. Henry Ford once observed, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." (Yogi Berra agrees with Ford, noting that "half of success is 90% mental.") If birds fly over the rainbow, why can't we? Although we may yearn to be somewhere else as Dorothy does, or to become something else as her three companions do, the "rainbow" may be within us -- not out there somewhere -- if we but recognize and then follow it like a yellow brick road.
These are not so much critical observations, I realize, as they are personal musings about a film which has lost none of its charm after more than 60 years. At the first opportunity, I will be off to see The Wizard of Oz in a theatre...curious to know if those around me (regardless of age) enjoy it and appreciate it as much as I will. And then at its conclusion, perhaps agreeing with me when paraphrasing Pogo, "We have met the Wizard...and he is us."
