Revisiting Oz

[cinemalover]

I just had a chance to revisit this fabulous movie. Sometimes I take films for granted, especially films that I watched regularly while growing up. This is one of those films. This was the first time I had seen it on DVD on a HD TV (though this was NOT a HD DVD). It just gets better every time I see it! I posted this review on my other thread, but this is a movie that needs a thread all its own. What are YOUR special memories of OZ?

Date watched: 10/8/2007
Title: The Wizard of OZ Made: 1939
Genre: Fantasy Studio: MGM
Format: DVD Extras:2 disc Special Edition, Commentary, Restoration Featurette, Documentaries (includes the TCM produced Doc.), Outtakes, Deleted scenes, Trailers, Stills Gallery, 6 hours of audio only material, etc...
Number of times viewed:18

Stars:
Judy Garland--Dorothy Gale
Frank Morgan--Professor Marvel/Wizard of Oz/ and others
Ray Bolger--Hunk/The Scarecrow
Bert Lahr--Zeke/The Cowardly Lion
Jack Haley--Hickory/The Tin Man
Billie Burke--Glinda the Good Witch
Margaret Hamilton--Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch
Charlie Grapewin--Uncle Henry
Clara Blandick--Auntie Em
Terry the dog--Toto
The Munchkins--The Singer Midgets

Taglines:
Mighty miracle show of 1,000 delights!

Biggest screen sensation since Snow White!

I can't imagine that I would have to recap this fantastic movie adventure for any readers of this sight. So here are a few of my favorite quotes from the movie:

Zeke (Lahr) talking to pigs, "Get in there before I make a dime bank out of you!"

Dorothy (Garland) upon arriving in a foreign land, "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in a Kansas anymore!"

And, "We must be over the rainbow." Which ties in perfectly to Dorothy singing Somewhere Over The Rainbow earlier.

Dorothy, "Do you think there could be animals in here?"
Tin Man (Haley), "Perhaps..."
Scarecrow (Bolger), "Even ones that eat....straw?"
Tin Man, "Some, but mostly lions and tigers and bears."
Dorothy, "Lions?"
Scarecrow, "And tigers?"
Tin Man, "And bears."

Dorothy to the Wizard, "Weren't you frightened?"
Wizard of Oz (Morgan), "Frightened? Child you're talking to a man who's laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe.....I was petrified!"

I think the cast is as close to perfection as you could get (though it is interesting to ponder what difference Buddy Ebsen would have made as the Tin Man). A movie that captures your imagination and refuses to give it back until the closing notes. The choice of sepia colored Kansas scenes was inspired. The bright technicolor images glare at you, defying you to catch all the details of each frame. The witch scared the stuffing out of me as a child. The print is stunning, I was able to notice detail that had previously escaped me. One example of that is the texture on Scarecrow's face. I had never noticed the cloth texture to the cheeks of his face, amazing.

Normally I don't spend a ton of time with the extras (because it takes time away from other films I could be watching) but these extras are worth the investment of time. The documentaries are very interesting and include the Scarecrow dance scene that was cut from the film. Buddy Ebsen is interviewed, and tells his story of how the aluminum dust from the Tin Man makeup sent him to the hospital. They discuss the wardrobe department (what an undertaking!) and just about every detail of the film.

Karie 9* (out of 10) She loved the movie from beginning to end and had a whole new appreciation of it.

10* (out of 10) I almost never hand out a 10, but if this isn't perfect cinema, what is? Creative use of color, set and costume make this a once in a lifetime experience. And I haven't even mentioned the wonderful songs that all advance the story. My only regret is that I have never seen this on the big screen.

[movieman1957]

My biggest memory of "Oz" was it was a night I met my wife's family. We had only dated a short time and while I had seen the film for them it was a family event. Carolann and her two brothers acting out the musical numbers like they had done when they were little kids. They were especially good walking around on their knees in colorful raincoats during the munchkin numbers.

I was happy to have found a girl that liked old movies. The fact that her brothers were a little weird like her made it all the better.

[jdb1]

My uncle took me to see a then rare theater screening of Oz when I was about six. I was terrified by the tornado and the monkeys, and had bad dreams about them for weeks (I still have a similar dream once in a while, especially when there are news reports of tornadoes). Seeing the film on TV every Easter helped me to get over it (I guess mostly because the screen was smaller, and it was all in b&w for us back then).

About 5 years ago I saw Oz again on the big screen and I loved it. It's a beautifully executed movie and, armed with a fuller appreciation of its stars by that time, I really enjoyed every aspect of it. I would like to have seen a bit more Bolger and Haley, and little less Lahr, though.

[cinemalover]

Okay, now I'm jealous. You got to enjoy the movie on the big screen! How was the presentation? Print quality would have been beautiful I assume? Audio? The saturation of color in this film is just astounding, did you need sunglasses?

[jdb1]

Okay, now I'm jealous. You got to enjoy the movie on the big screen! How was the presentation? Print quality would have been beautiful I assume? Audio? The saturation of color in this film is just astounding, did you need sunglasses?

Actually, it wasn't at all bad, considering it was screened in a ghastly, tiny local movie house. The colors were very deep and rich looking, almost like a tapestry - the screen seemed "full" at all times, but not overly busy. It was really beautiful - the storybook quality is much more evident on the big screen. I would like to be able to see it several more times in the theater - there is so much more you miss in the TV showings.

I was also very much more aware of the actors' eyes for some reason - I suppose on the TV screen you don't seen them as clearly. And Margaret Hamilton was as the same time scarier and more human. Everyone should see this one on the big screen at least once.

[cinemalover]

John,
I must have still been in my denial/take the film for granted mode. My appreciation for film has really increased dramatically during the last five years with the availability of so many quality presentations on DVD. It the opportunity arises again I won't waste it!

[EleanorPowellFan]

I think I've seen this film almost a thousand times which I guess is why I haven't seen it for many years. Though when I was little it was something that I religiously watched aswell as the Sound of Music.

[classicmonster]

This is my All time favorite film.My mother told me when I was older that had started to watch it at about the age of 2.I have always been a fan of Judy Garland since watching this film.When she passed away in 1969 I was crushed for quite some time.I still watch it at least 1 - 2 times a year.
_____________
Mark

[knitwit45]

to all of us who still have the heebie-jeebies when we see those flying monkeys:

I just saw a Halloween display in a floral/decorator shop, and hanging in front of the usual "stuff" was the following sign.


I HAVE FLYING MONKEYS AND I'M NOT AFRAID TO USE THEM!

[moira finnie]

That's so funny, Nance.

Now, if you spot one of those t-shirts with "Surrender Dorothy" written by the vapor trail of the Wicked Witch riding her broom, won't you let me know? Thanks for my best laugh today. I've always wanted one of those.

[Moraldo Rubini]

Normally I don't spend a ton of time with the extras (because it takes time away from other films I could be watching) but these extras are worth the investment of time. The documentaries are very interesting and include the Scarecrow dance scene that was cut from the film. Buddy Ebsen is interviewed, and tells his story of how the aluminum dust from the Tin Man makeup sent him to the hospital.

It's almost the anniversary of your DVD viewing of this movie! When I first got ahold of the Deluxe DVD set, I spent a good deal of time watching the outtakes of the tornado effects with fascination. Having grown up in California, tornados are an exotic phenomenon to me. I've always been fascinated by them -- probably due to the annual television screenings of this favorite movie that I watched throughout my formative years.

...I was terrified by the tornado and the monkeys, and had bad dreams about them for weeks (I still have a similar dream once in a while, especially when there are news reports of tornadoes). Seeing the film on TV every Easter helped me to get over it (I guess mostly because the screen was smaller, and it was all in b&w for us back then).

My first few viewings were on black/white televisions. The first experience of seeing it in color still lingers in my memory. I think at the time, it was a bit of a rite of passage for kids to finally see it in color. To discover that the witch was actually green, and the biggest surprise of all -- that the "horse of a different color" truly was.

[Rita Hayworth]

Revisiting Oz



I know its kinda of funny, for me to pop up old threads in Silver Screen Oasis ... one of my favorite things to do around here is go through all the old threads here and re-read some of them for my own personal enjoyment. Then I came across cinemalover's thread and started reading some of the many comments here. And, decided to re-activate it!

My favorite scene in this beloved movie is this when Dorothy, The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion, and The Scarecrow on the Yellow Brick Road going to Emerald City (ironically, my nickname of my hometown, Seattle) and seeing the Emerald City in all its splendor! To me, this scene endures in my heart forever. It's magical, its enchanting, it's spectacular, it's colorful, it's awe-inspiring to behold! That magnificent emerald green with a dark blue background is so enduring of which makes the "Wizard of Oz" one of most beloved movies of all times.

I watched this movie about 40-50 times in my life and one of my fondest memories of seeing this movie at the old Lewis and Clark Theater by the Airport (sad to say, its no longer in operation) big screen when I was 9 years old. I saw this movie on my television set when I was 8 (I was terrified by the flying monkeys) ... by the time I was 9 (I was not) ... seeing this scene above ... simply blew me away! And, it brought me a big on my face!

It was AWESOME on the Big Screen!

This my favorite scene in the WIZARD OF OZ ... and it's still is!