Close your eyes and daydream for a while, and take yourself back 67 years to 1939…..
In Europe, Adolf Hitler had just invaded Poland and the Second War World had begun, it was an event that would change the World, as we knew it forever. Yet across the other side of the Globe, a different kind of change was taking place. This was a much more peaceful event of the cinematic kind. I am talking about the launch of a film called the Wizard of Oz.
This film has stood the test of time and it has established itself as a timeless classic. It is a film that I have watched many times on TV, and if I am honest, there was a (some may say sad) period in my life when Christmas would just have not been the same without it on TV.
During a recent dash around my local Sainsbury's imagine my surprise when I spotted a DVD of the very same film in a bargain bin for just £6. I could hardly contain my excitement as I exchanged the Chicken I was planning to have for my meal, and swapped it for the aforementioned masterpiece. Well OK, I may be exaggerating a little bit here, but suffice to say I did add the DVD to my trolley.
THE STORY
The Wizard of Oz is based around the central character
of a girl called Dorothy, played by Judy Garland, in a role which was to make her not only a household name, but to many a legend.
Following a bump on the head during a fierce storm Dorothy finds herself, and her Dog, Toto, transported to the magical World of Oz. This is a fantasy World where everything is very brightly coloured and everyday mundane things come to life.
During her journey through the Land of Oz Dorothy is befriended by several different characters. Some of these help her to follow the correct path back home to Kansas, but other people that she encounters are devious and try and deceive her. The helpful characters include a talking scarecrow, a tin man and a lion. Whilst Dorothy is searching for the way home, each of these characters are also in search of something too. The scarecrow has no a brain; the tin man has no heart; and the lion has no courage. Amongst the not so friendly characters there is the Wicked Witch of the West, a creation that is certain to have put fear into many a child.
The story itself is based on a Children's novel by L Frank Baum called the Wonderful Wizard of Oz originally published in 1900. This film version of the story is told in the format of a musical, although it is probably true to say that if this film was remade today, it would be probably be in the form of a Cartoon. Songs included within the Wizard of Oz, which will be familiar to most people, include "Over the Rainbow" "Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead, and "Follow the Yellow Brick Road."
THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS
Dorothy - Judy Garland The Scarecrow - Ray Bolger The Tin Man - Jack Hayley The Lion - Bert Lahr Wicked Witch of the West - Margaret Hamilton
SPECIAL FEATURES ON THE DVD
As you would expect these days the DVD contains a wealth of additional viewing material. This came as a bit of a surprise to me considering the age of the film.
A large section of this is a behind the scenes documentary entitled "The Wonderful World of Oz." This is a documentary narrated by Angela Lansbury, which tells the story behind the making of a movie classic.
There is a section of out-takes and deleted scenes, which make interesting viewing. These include the jitterbug dance, and an extended version of the scarecrow dance, which appears in the film.
One of the most interesting extras on the DVD however is called "Oz History." These are a series of clips, which show footage from two earlier versions of the film, which I didn't even realise existed. These were both silent movies made in 1914 and 1925, the latter starring Stanley Laurel of Laurel and Hardey fame. There was even a Cartoon version made in 1933.
The section called Oz afterlife features short interviews with three of the stars Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger and Jack Haley.
MY OPINION/CONCLUSION
As I said at the beginning of this review, this is a film that has stood the test of time. I think its success lies in the fact that it appeals to both children and adults alike. The story is simple, yet it is also one which the majority of many of us can relate to in some sort of form.
Back in 1939 when this film was made, this was an era before TV movies, but it was a time when cinema movies were popular. These were however still largely in black and white. The Wizard of Oz was one of the first movies to be made in Technicolor, which only helped add to the fantasy.
I particularly like the way in which at the beginning of the film when Dorothy is at home in Kansas the film is shot in a drained sepia colour, but suddenly as she finds herself in the Land of Oz , the colours are bright and vivid. At the end of the film when Dorothy returns back to Kansas the vivid colours once again drain away. I think that this is an ingenious use of the new technology of the day.
Would I recommend this DVD to others?
Yes, Yes, Yes. Anyone who has seen and enjoyed this film will find this DVD with its extra bits of information fascinating. It also has the advantage of being slightly digitally re-mastered so the quality of the picture is better and sharper than you would expect from a film of this age and the version that you will have probably seen on TV.
Thank you for reading.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Music / Performing Arts, Comedy - Director: Trevor Nunn, Geoffrey Posner - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, Parental Guidance - Starring: Duncan Preston, Celia Imrie, Julie Walters, Victoria Wood, Jim Broadbent
One of the earliest adaptations of L Frank Baum's compelling children's book, it was ... more
directed by and starred Larry Semon, one of his few feature length films. It's revival however owes much to the presence of Oliver Hardy in the role of a farmhand/tin ...
Young Dorothy is bored of her gray life on a Kansas farm. When her house is whisked away ... more
by a tornado, it lands somewhere over the rainbow in a Technicolor world, and Dorothy knows she's not in Kansas anymore. This beloved, incomparable classic based o...
Advantages: Timeless classic to be enjoyed by all, great story, beautiful sets, rousing musical sequences Disadvantages: The moral seems to be (in addition to "There's no place like home") that Dorothy should kill Miss Almira Gulch
davey 19.11.2001 (20.11.2001)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Wizard Of Oz (DVD)
Advantages: Timeless classic to be enjoyed by all, great story, beautiful sets, rousing musical sequences Disadvantages: The moral seems to be (in addition to "There's no place like home") that Dorothy should kill Miss Almira Gulch
Advantages: Fun for all the family Disadvantages: Not as popular as the original
charlottehammond 09.04.2007 (10.04.2007)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Muppet's Wizard Of Oz (DVD)
Are you the manufacturer / provider of The Wizard Of Oz (DVD)? Click here
![The Wizard Of Oz [1925] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78495568.jpg "The Wizard Of Oz [1925] [DVD]")
very helpful by (100%):
