Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The Wizard of Oz Review










The Wizard of Oz


Release Date: 18th April 1940 - Australia


Production Companies
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)


Genre: Family/Fantasy/
Musical

Rating: G

Runtime: 101 minutes


Budget: $2,777,000

Box Office Gross: $29,691,923 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Dorothy Gale's ordinary life turns upside down when a tornado hits her hometown of Kansas and sends her to an unfamiliar world, the land of Oz. Here, she encounters new friends, such as a Scarecrow with no brain, a Tin Man with no heart and a lion without courage. Together, they journey to find the Wizard, who is said
to hold great power so
that all of them can grant
what they are missing (in
Dorothy's case, to get back
home). All the while, they
are chased by the Wicked
Witch of the West and her
animal cronies.


Cast
Judy Garland - Dorothy Gale
Terry - Toto
Ray Bolger - Hunk/The Scarecrow
Jack Haley - Hickory/The Tin Man
Bert Lahr - Zeke/The Cowardly Lion
Margaret Hamilton - Miss
Elmira Gulch/The Wicked Witch of the West
Frank Morgan - The Wizard/
Professor Marvel/Doorman/
Cabbie/Guard
Billie Burke - Glinda the Good Witch of the North
Clara Blandick - Aunt Em
Charley Grapewin - Uncle Henry
Pat Walshe - Nikko
The Singer Midgets - Munchkins

Crew
Director - Victor Fleming
Based on the Book" The Wonderful Wizard of
Oz" - L. Frank Baum
Adaptation/Screenplay - Noel Langley
Screenplay - Florence Ryerson and
Edgar Allan Woolf
Director: Kansas Scenes - King Vidor
(Uncredited)
Associate Producer - Arthur Freed
(Uncredited)
Producer - Mervyn LeRoy
Art Directors - Cedric Gibbons
and Wade B. Rubottom (Uncredited)
Set Decorations - Edwin B. Willis
Costume Designer - Adrian
Creator: Character Makeups - Jack Dawn
Photographer: In Technicolor - Harold Rosson
Associate: Technicolor Photography -
Allen M. Davey
Special Effects - A. Arnold Gillespie,
Mack Johnson (Uncredited), Jack McMaster
(Uncredited) and Hal Miller (Uncredited)
Songs & Lyrics - Harold Arlen and
E.Y. Harburg
Film Editor - Blanche Sewell
Recording Director/Sound Designer
(Uncredited) - Douglas Shearer
Musical Numbers Staged - Bobby Connolly
Musical Adaptation/Composer:
Original Music - Herbert Stothart


Awards

1940 Academy Awards
Best Original Song "Somewhere Over the
Rainbow" - Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg (Won)
Best Original Score - Herbert Stothart (Won)
----------------------------
Best Picture (Nominated)
Best Cinematography, Color - Harold Rosson (Nominated)
Best Art Direction - Cedric Gibbons and
William A. Horning (Nominated)
Best Special Effects - A. Arnold Gillespie
and Douglas Shearer (Nominated)


Review
Victor Fleming's THE WIZARD OF OZ doesn't seem as grand as it used to be due to the many advancements in film production since its release. It's been decades since the premiere of THE WIZARD OF OZ. It is still a popular classic with historical value. Incidentally, the film was overrated, even though it's a colourful fantasy musical for all ages. The most obvious example of the underwhelming elements would be the acting and the songs sung by the Munchkins, the latter in particular, whose voices are too weird.

However, Margaret Hamilton shines the wickedness in her role as the Wicked Witch. The fact her performance with the intentional accent that creeps me out shows she was good at playing that part. Not to mention the make-up that will surely scare off young kids and tiny tots, I was never a big fan of Judy Garland. She looks a bit grown up to play the 11-year-old Dorothy Gale. Quite simply, I enjoyed her performance and singing. The film's photography is splendid. I like how it changes through its sepia tone into colour to show how magical is the land of Oz. The songs were great and timeless, including "Over the Rainbow".

Somebody will likely one day remake THE WIZARD OF OZ with CGI and motion capture. I can't say that THE WIZARD OF OZ is a bad musical fantasy. The film may have ups and let-downs, but it's at least refreshing to re-experience the Yellow Brick Road.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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2 comments:

  1. I agree, The Wizard of Oz is a good movie, but not a great movie. For its time, it looked great, but the movie does not hold up as well as a lot of people would like to think.

    -James

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well said, never a doubt about it and at least Oz the Great and Powerful is a better movie.

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