Classic Movie Review: 'The Wizard of Oz'

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Directed by Victor Fleming

Written by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allen Woolf

Starring Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Burt Lahr, Jack Haley

Release Date August 25th 1939

Published September 25th, 2023

The Wizard of Oz is a rich template for movie makers past and present. It's a movie that created a dynamic that became the model for thousands of movies that followed it. Movies that you would never assume have a connection to The Wizard of Oz are in many unique ways connected back to Victor Fleming's wildly imaginative, influential and generationally beloved adventure. In 2022, an entire documentary was released that charted the many ways David Lynch movies were influenced by Lynch's unending fascination with The Wizard of Oz. That's how wildly influential and groundbreaking The Wizard of Oz was and is more than 80 years later.

Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) is a sheltered child living in Kansas on a farm that seems days away from any neighbor or civilized area. It's close enough for her to attend school and for her to cross paths with a vile neighbor named Almira Gulch (Margaret Hamilton). Ms. Gulch claims that Dorothy's beloved Dog Toto chased her cat and bit her. She has talked to the local sheriff and intends to take Toto to be euthanized. Toto manages to escape and return to Dorothy and the two make a run for it, running away from the only life Dorothy has ever known.

This lasts for a couple of miles before Dorothy and Toto meet Professor Marvel who's crystal ball convinces Dorothy to turn back and return home. Just as she does, a massive tornado sweeps through and Dorothy is knocked out. As she comes to, she finds her house swept up in the twister and various different horrors and visions fly past the window, including the terrifying Mrs. Gulch. When the farm house finally comes to a rest, Dorothy finds that she's been transported to a magical land, a color filled landscape she will come to know as Oz.

Dorothy's unique adventure beings in Munchkin Land where she meets Glinda the Good Witch (Billie Burke) and the wonderfully sweet Munchkins of Munchkin Land who introduce themselves with a charming tune. The Munchkins hale Dorothy as a hero because her farmhouse just happened to land on the Wicked Witch of the East, a witch who has tormented Munchkin Land for years. Killing the witch means Dorothy magically takes on the Witch's ruby red slippers, much to the dismay of the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton in a dual role). With the slippers, Dorothy is told she must travel the Yellow Brick Road to to the castle of the Wizard of Oz. He's can help her get home to Kansas.

On her journey along the Yellow Brick Road, Dorothy will encounter three new friends. First up is the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger). The Scarecrow doesn't have a brain and feels a little self conscious trying to help Dorothy while not being very bright. But help he does after a wonderful introduction song about not have a brain. Next up is the Tin Man (Jack Haley). The Tin Man became rusted in place years ago and now, he doesn't have a heart. After another lovely musical explanation, he joins Dorothy and The Scarecrow on the road to Oz to see if he can get a heart.

The final member of this group is The Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr). He lacks courage, even as he starts out by trying to scare Dorothy and her friends away from the path. It doesn't take long for him to be scared and admit that his lack of courage is something he's gravely ashamed of. Dorothy in her youth and kindness, invites the Cowardly Lion to join them on the path to Oz where, she hopes, the Wizard will be able to give the Lion some courage. The plot fully joined, we head for Oz where our group is turned away. The Wizard will only help them if they travel to the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West and steal her broom.

That's the plot and it is rich with readings and meanings of various stripes. But, on a very simplistic level, The Wizard of Oz is simply a child's adventure story. Dorothy is a lovely innocent who sees the good in everyone she meets. She's hopeful and naive and learns to become heroic and stand up for those in need. She's loyal and kind and a wonderful youthful role model for compassion and understanding. It's as wholesome as that description sounds and yet, there is so much more to this journey than the simplest reading.

The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion are all stand ins for real people in Dorothy's life. They represent what she sees in each of these men who work on her farm and how they might improve themselves. The Scarecrow underestimates himself, the Tin Man is filled with heart but needs to open himself up to the world. The Cowardly Lion was always brave, he's just shy and a little scared. His courage comes out when he really, really needs it and he can be a hero. It's lovely and easy to understand. It's a perfect narrative for a movie, everyone has a recognizable start and finish arc.

Page upon page of discourse has assigned various meanings to The Wizard of Oz. There are so many political deconstructions of every aspect of The Wizard of Oz that there is a Wikipedia entry solely documenting the potential political metaphors of The Wizard of Oz, the Yellow Brick Road, the individual characters, even theories about what Toto represents in a pro-communist viewing of The Wizard of Oz. Okay, I may have made that up about Toto but it made you think for a moment about how Toto might fit into a pro-communist reading of The Wizard of Oz and that's the point. Frank L. Baum's characters are rich with meaning because they are also, in many ways, cyphers, characters we can project ourselves or our opinions on to.

There is a lack of specificity, or rather, such a deep simplicity to Dorothy and her friends that it is very easy to adapt the movie to any meaning you want. That's essentially how the film became associated with the band Pink Floyd. So non-specific, so simple, The Wizard of Oz was synced with the Pink Floyd record Dark Side of the Moon and a conspiracy was born that the band had written the record specifically to sync up to the story of The Wizard of Oz. It's all an illusion, if you want Dark Side of the Moon to match the story of The Wizard of Oz, then it will, your mind will create that for you.

This lack of specificity or simplicity that I am talking about is not a slight to The Wizard of Oz. I believe the film is magical in and of itself. I love the color, the characters, and especially the deep well of empathy that radiates at the heart of The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy Gale's defining trait may be innocence, but that innocence comes with a wealth of love and care for others. She immediately takes to her new friends out of a desire to help them get the things they need, a brain, a heart, courage, because Dorothy is kind and has empathy for these new friends.

That's a wonderful basis for a character at the heart of an adventure. Add to that Judy Garland's wide eyed wonder of a performance and you have a recipe for an all time classic movie. Garland is a young powerhouse in The Wizard of Oz. That's tinged with a bitter aftertaste, the way she was treated on the set of the movie is horrendous and inexcusable. That she managed to deliver this incredible performance while being so desperately mistreated is a testament to just how talented Judy Garland truly was, even as a child. I want to believe that the performance was just Garland being Garland and not the result of her having been abused but that is now an inescapable part of the legacy of The Wizard of Oz.

I don't want to end on a sad note, so let's once more talk about the magic of The Wizard of Oz. The reason The Wizard of Oz has lingered for as long as it has, inspiring love from generation after generation, is because it has a lovely and simple premise. It's a good versus evil adventure with a clear delineation of who is good and who is not. It's good guy characters are lovable, heroic, and deeply flawed individuals who are easy to relate to. That's by design, Dorothy projected these personas upon the people around her because she genuinely hopes that the people she cares about will find the parts of themselves that will give them peace or satisfaction. Warmth, empathy, and a deep abiding love for others, that's at the heart of The Wizard of Oz and why it still inspires love in audiences today.

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