My Favorite Movies: The Wizard of Oz (1939)

What movie from any time or any place in the world has had a bigger impact on viewers than The Wizard of Oz? It is certainly the most seen and well-known motion picture ever made, endlessly parodied and referenced, with every single little thing that appears in the movie now a permanent part of American culture. One of its endearing qualities is its association with pretty much every person’s nostalgia attached to it. Most people see it when they are children and then always associate its images with their childhood. Even I, who was raised in a strict Baptist church that strongly protested letting parents show the movie to their children because of its depiction of “good witchcraft,” saw it at a young age. I know this because I remember having nightmares about the witch flying past my window.

I have seen The Wizard of Oz many times through the years, to the point that I have taken it for granted. Having just watched it for the first time in years, and for the first time as a real adult, I am only just realizing what an extraordinary force the movie is. It’s easy enough for grown-ups to laugh at all its goofiness, with the singing midgets and talking trees, but what would the movie’s fantasy world be without these charming moments of cute whimsy? It would be bleeding terrifying, that’s what.

Residing alongside all the cute characters and bright colors of Oz are, of course, the Wicked Witch and her flying monkeys. Margaret Hamilton’s evil sorceress is arguably the most famous element of the film, and she is a real scene-stealer, croaking and cackling the movie’s most famous lines (“I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!”) and building up to her messy demise. If children are scared of the movie, it’s probably because of her, and why shouldn’t they be? She threatens to kill the main character.

The film is also psychologically frightening. Even though it ultimately suggests that the entire fantasy section is a dream, consider the fact that the moral of the story is “there’s no place like home.” This refers to a real home with a real family. Note that Dorothy lives with her aunt and uncle who ignore her, and she loves her dog Toto so much as to suggest that it is her only “real” family. The idea that that family could be taken away from her is what makes her want to run away, and why she would dream that an evil witch has nothing better to do than threaten it.

Judy Garland as Dorothy is a warm and lovable performance and the movie wouldn’t have worked so well without her. Something most people seem to miss is how scared this little girl is. We all know that Garland was several years older than the character, but she brings such a timidity to the role that we believe it for every second. A wise-cracking Shirley Temple defiantly skipping through Oz would have been ridiculous and would have meant nothing. Judy Garland plays the part not far from the truth and, therefore, it rings even more true. Horror stories persist that the studio pumped her full of speed at the beginning of every shoot and followed it with a tranquilizer. The uncomfortable brassiere she had to wear to make her chest appear flatter also caused her physical harm, and none of it could have helped her eventual drug addiction and untimely death. What she got in return, whether she wanted it or not, was eternal stardom.

Although the movie’s story, message, content and psychological effect on all who see it have been the source of much careful study through the decades, the film was never meant to be analyzed. Its sole intention is to be a pleasing entertainment, which it continues to be. Although director Victor Fleming and his crew obviously had no idea they were making what would become the most beloved film ever, but they were surely anticipating success. MGM gave it the largest budget of any movie to date, which was topped the same year by their own Gone with the Wind.

The art design of The Wizard of Oz is one of its many pleasures, evoking a style most commonly associated with the stage, only bigger. I often hear complaints about how the sets and costumes look fake and silly and aren’t big and realistic enough. I also heard someone say once that a bigger yellow brick road would not have been a better one. One of the delights of watching this movie in our time of great technological advancements is being able to see a magical world that actually exists. No matter how much more expensive creating an Oz today would be, the 1939 one is still more real. It is my opinion that computers have stolen all the true charm of the movies for this reason. I suppose the only real complaint that could be raised about natural special effects is that they do sometimes go awry, like when Margaret Hamilton was severely burned during a fire mishap.

The Wizard of Oz is a prime example of cinematic imagination at its peak. Watching it seventy years after its release is a reminder of the wondrous things film is capable of, now that we’re living in an age where actually awe-inspiring movies are a rarity. That is this movie’s power. It sparks a feeling of innocence and amazement inside all of us that few other things can. To a certain extent, the movies couldn’t exist as they do without Dorothy, Toto, the witches, the monkeys, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and the Great and Powerful himself. These are our nation’s symbols of childhood, and the best place I can think of to start discovering great movies.