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The Wizard of Oz follows Dorothy (Judy Garland), a young girl that is unhappy with her life in rural Kansas and longs for a place "somewhere over the rainbow" where life is pleasant and there are no troubles. After a tornado sweeps her house out and drops it in the magical land of Oz, she sets out on a quest with three colorful characters to find the titular wizard to see if he can help her return home.
Even though I feel I've always been "familiar" with the basics of this story, it really wasn't until 15 years ago that I ended up watching the film properly. But what a magical experience it was! Even at the tender age of 32, I found myself captivated by the fun characters, the charming story, and the colorful direction and overall production design. Even though the first two aspects are top quality, I feel this is a film that lives and dies by how vibrant and "alive" it looks and feels.
This rewatch, however, was significant for me because it was the first time I showed the film to my kids. Like me, they were already somewhat familiar with the story; they have a book about it, they've seen short stories, and they had seen one of the many animated sequels (Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return) several years ago. Thankfully, it seems they were as captivated at 10 and 11 years old, as I was at 32. They laughed, they gasped, and enjoyed the whole ride.
One of my favorite moments is when Dorothy walks out of her house, right after landing in Oz, and we can see her clothes and surroundings "change" from sepia to color. At that moment, my older kid said out loud "Look how her clothes changed!" in amazement, and I could just feel the magic flow through me, and I just smiled. Same as I saw my younger kid laugh at the Scarecrow, or noticing the directions that the gang heads to, whether it was East or West. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for all of us.
As anybody that has seen the film knows, there's a message about the things we want and the things we have. If you see, everything that the characters wanted was already within them; the Scarecrow's smarts, the Tin Man's love and emotion, and the Cowardly Lion's bravery. All of that is encapsulated by the above quote from Dorothy; that sometimes we don't have to look that far for the things we long for, cause they might be right there with us in our own back yard, or our own living room, watching a film with us. Is that right?
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THE WIZARD OF OZ
(1939, Fleming)
(1939, Fleming)
"If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with! Is that right?"
The Wizard of Oz follows Dorothy (Judy Garland), a young girl that is unhappy with her life in rural Kansas and longs for a place "somewhere over the rainbow" where life is pleasant and there are no troubles. After a tornado sweeps her house out and drops it in the magical land of Oz, she sets out on a quest with three colorful characters to find the titular wizard to see if he can help her return home.
Even though I feel I've always been "familiar" with the basics of this story, it really wasn't until 15 years ago that I ended up watching the film properly. But what a magical experience it was! Even at the tender age of 32, I found myself captivated by the fun characters, the charming story, and the colorful direction and overall production design. Even though the first two aspects are top quality, I feel this is a film that lives and dies by how vibrant and "alive" it looks and feels.
This rewatch, however, was significant for me because it was the first time I showed the film to my kids. Like me, they were already somewhat familiar with the story; they have a book about it, they've seen short stories, and they had seen one of the many animated sequels (Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return) several years ago. Thankfully, it seems they were as captivated at 10 and 11 years old, as I was at 32. They laughed, they gasped, and enjoyed the whole ride.
One of my favorite moments is when Dorothy walks out of her house, right after landing in Oz, and we can see her clothes and surroundings "change" from sepia to color. At that moment, my older kid said out loud "Look how her clothes changed!" in amazement, and I could just feel the magic flow through me, and I just smiled. Same as I saw my younger kid laugh at the Scarecrow, or noticing the directions that the gang heads to, whether it was East or West. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for all of us.
As anybody that has seen the film knows, there's a message about the things we want and the things we have. If you see, everything that the characters wanted was already within them; the Scarecrow's smarts, the Tin Man's love and emotion, and the Cowardly Lion's bravery. All of that is encapsulated by the above quote from Dorothy; that sometimes we don't have to look that far for the things we long for, cause they might be right there with us in our own back yard, or our own living room, watching a film with us. Is that right?
Grade: