The Wizard of Oz

No, I didn’t try the Dark Side of the Moon thing; maybe next time. It’s an astonishing fact that, until now, I had never watched this movie all the way through from start to finish; I had only seen pieces of it here and there. Now I can report that the effort is well worth it. The story is a marvel, chock full of fun and pleasure, interesting symbolism, and more than a bit of old-fashioned wisdom. From a visual standpoint the film is hard to beat, even at this late stage. The look of everything holds up remarkably well, and that moment when Dorothy opens the door and step out of the sepia into that technicolor dreamscape is pure magic. Judy Garland is terrific as Dorothy, even if she was a tad old for the role (the character comes across as somewhat younger than the teenager Garland depicts). The supporting cast performs admirably throughout, including Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch, and Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr and Jack Haley as the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Woodsman, respectively, perform perfectly in their roles. And that’s not just in the acting—they nail it in the singing and dancing, too. The musical numbers throughout are great, and the score perfectly complements the action, with “Over the Rainbow” serving not just as the lead number but also as the primary musical theme as well (with a touch of help from Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain at the Witch’s castle). It is all a delightfully rich tapestry, one that has grown over time to be one of the most beloved movies ever, and deservedly so. It is worth noting that this film is thoroughly within the realm of fantasy stories, even given its literary roots (with the book’s symbolic agenda of critiquing the then-current economic structure), and that that genre has always come in for its share of criticism and outright dismissal from those who pretend to be intellectually superior—yet, it is this fantasy tale that has endured and continues to have cultural relevance, while less whimsical works like, for instance, Dark Victory (another 1939 academy award nominee) is hardly remembered these days. Maybe stories that see the world in more colorful dimensions truly are the ones that inspire us the most. Something to think about the next time you feel like watching or reading the latest work about modern suburban angst or some such thing. As for me, I’ll gladly go over the rainbow to bring a bit of brightness to my own angsty life.