Friday, November 29, 2013

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

MGM
Directed by Victor Fleming
My rating: 4 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Warner Bros.)

Farm girl Dorothy is knocked unconscious during a tornado and wakes up in Technicolor. She is greeted by Munchkins who proclaim her a heroine after landing on a witch and killing her. However, Dorothy can only think about getting back home to Auntie Em, but must travel to a distant city and its great Wizard to ask for help. She picks up a trio of friends along the way, each hoping to fulfill their own desires. They overcome great obstacles to reach the wizard, but he demands they kill another witch before granting their wishes. The wizard is revealed to be a fraud, but a resourceful one who still finds a way to satisfy everyone. Dorothy wakes up back in dreary black and white Kansas where she recognizes the characters of Oz as people in her every day life. The enduring classic works on multiple levels: everything from escapist musical to psychological symbolism, each viewing seems to reveal something new.

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