Movie – The Wizard of Oz

Movie – The Wizard of Oz 
Score : 9/10 
Year : 1939

Director: Victor Fleming (also 5 more uncredited directors : George Cukor, Mervyn LeRoy, Norman Taurog, Richard Thorpe, and King Vidor)
Cinematography: Harold Rosson 

Music: Harold Arlen  and many others on the team (see above for linked all movie team)

Country:  USA
Language: English
Duration: 1h42

Writers:
Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf (screenplay) ; 
Noel Langley (adaptation) ;
L. Frank Baum (book) ;
15 others are un-credited, with roles of additional dialogues, or contribution. See list in full cast link 



Full cast & team (IMDB) 

During a tornado, Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away, from her farm in Kansas, to the magical land of Oz. As her house lands into Munchkinland, she accidentally kills a witch, so her sister seeks revenge, whilst Dorothy and Toto embark on a quest to see a Wizard who can return them home. On the way, they makes new friends, who join the quest for their own needs. 


Each of these new friends wishes to improve one specific aspect about themselves : the scarecrow wants a brain to think with, the tin man yearns for a heart to feel with, and the lion seeks courage. I love that the message of the movie is all about our inner qualities and tools, that we already have all that we need within ourselves, and love that a few dialogues and outcomes add political messages... And also, that kindness is positive, as we see several characters are mean and want to torture and kill, whilst others want to help one another, and save each other as a team. 

Despite a few goofs, and one small scene where characters are flown away and the clunky aspect of making it is apparent, most of the movie still looks great and the effects held up quite well, even after all those decades, which is astounding. Cinematography and effects were thus quite amazing for its time, though colors seem slightly too bright at moments - for instance, Dorothy's blush is way too red in several occasions (but could be an issue of image transfer to the dvd, I am not sure).

I enjoy some of the musical bits, but some are just outright silly and annoying ; dialogues, as I alluded above, do include some political comments, and are overall well written. The instrumental moments flow naturally and smoothly. 

Editing is so good, that it gives this movie a great pace, from Sepiatone ( a type of black& white) for the farm scenes to the full color for the rest of the movie, in a seamless continuity is really well made. The sepia is everyday, rather boring life, and the color segments are the fantasy, the magical and adventurous portions in life. 

Acting is alright, and not anticipated to be super deep, yet, the actors who play both on the farm and as the new friends in Oz show great abilities in body-language and contorting themselves as their other selves : thus, Ray Bolger as the scarecrow moves as if he really were a scarecrow come to life, stumbling, flailing, etc. Jack Haley as the tin man moves sometimes as if he were rusty, stuck and mechanical. Bert Lahr takes that lion's fear and anxious nature as well as the dramatic with great skill.

The Wizard of Oz is a classic movie, whose story is based on a book ; despite changes, it's very entertaining, full of humor, and simple perils, with a target audience of family and wants to include children ; it has positive messages, both on political and personal level. Highly recommend, though you have to be in the mood for a few musical bits. 

Starring : Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, et al.