Post by Mike Sullivan on Nov 27, 2005 6:08:48 GMT
The Wizard of Oz
Director: Victor Fleming
1939 USA
Dorothy Gale runs away from her Kansas prairie home with her dog Toto into a land of dazzling colour. When she inadvertantly kills the Wicked Witch of the East, she is given her shoes by the Good Witch of the North. The Wicked Witch of the West, however, East's sister, vows vengeance. Dorothy meets a scarecrow, in need of a brain, a tin man, in need of a heart, and a lion who longs for courage. Dorothy wants to go home. All four must follow the yellow brick road to reach the Wizard of Oz, the only person who can help them achieve what they want. But the Witch is hot on their trail...
I belive we can all agree that this is probably the first great film we've all seen in our lifetime. It is a traditon to show children this film about childhood and discovery.
On the surface it is a happy-go-lucky musical with an excellent score by Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg. Of course all their songs are original and we see here a perfect example of how talented both men were. Arlen could write some of the greatest tunes ever and when combined with his collaborator Yip Harbourg he was always gurranted to have great, witty lyrics acompany him. The highlight of the film to me besides the "There's No Place like Home" sequence is Judy Garland's solo performance of "Over The Rainbow", perhaps one of the greatest songs ever written for a film. Her innocence serves as a great counterpoint to her performance some 15 years later in "A Star Is Born" . Here she plays a child trying to get away from her worries and sorow only to discover that regardless of the problem she might have with those close to her, "There's no place like home".
A director that deserves more credit yet never seems to be rewarded is Victor Fleming, who at this point would then follow up with Gone with the Wind. He should be credited for helping make Judy Garland a star and suppresing the like of Ray Bolger and the other stars of the film who seemed to try to steel the film from under her.
Again, it is one of the crowning achivements of the Hollywood studio system, and although one can spoof it or make fun of it (Just look at the deleted scenes skit on Mad TV) it really is a film that tugs at your heart. Although I'm only 16, I am begining to see the powerful message of the film, and the longing for innocence.
I guess that's life.
CAST
Director
Victor Fleming
Producer
Mervyn LeRoy
Screenplay
Noel Langley
Florence Ryerson
Edgar Allan Woolf
based upon the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Director of Photography
Harold Rosson
Film Editing
Blanche Sewell
Art Direction
Cedric Gibbons
William A. Horning
Original Score
Harold Arlen
Songs
E. Y. Harburg
Harold Arlen
CAST
Judy Garland
Dorothy Gale
Frank Morgan
Prof. Marvel/Emerald City doorman/The cabbie/The Wizard's guard/The Wizard of Oz
Ray Bolger
Hunk/The Scarecrow
Bert Lahr
Zeke/The Cowardly Lion
Jack Haley
Hick/The Tin Man
Billie Burke
Glinda, the Good Witch of the North
Margaret Hamilton
Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch of the West/The Wicked
Witch of the East
Charley Grapewin
Uncle Henry
Clara Blandick
Auntie Em
Director: Victor Fleming
1939 USA
Dorothy Gale runs away from her Kansas prairie home with her dog Toto into a land of dazzling colour. When she inadvertantly kills the Wicked Witch of the East, she is given her shoes by the Good Witch of the North. The Wicked Witch of the West, however, East's sister, vows vengeance. Dorothy meets a scarecrow, in need of a brain, a tin man, in need of a heart, and a lion who longs for courage. Dorothy wants to go home. All four must follow the yellow brick road to reach the Wizard of Oz, the only person who can help them achieve what they want. But the Witch is hot on their trail...
I belive we can all agree that this is probably the first great film we've all seen in our lifetime. It is a traditon to show children this film about childhood and discovery.
On the surface it is a happy-go-lucky musical with an excellent score by Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg. Of course all their songs are original and we see here a perfect example of how talented both men were. Arlen could write some of the greatest tunes ever and when combined with his collaborator Yip Harbourg he was always gurranted to have great, witty lyrics acompany him. The highlight of the film to me besides the "There's No Place like Home" sequence is Judy Garland's solo performance of "Over The Rainbow", perhaps one of the greatest songs ever written for a film. Her innocence serves as a great counterpoint to her performance some 15 years later in "A Star Is Born" . Here she plays a child trying to get away from her worries and sorow only to discover that regardless of the problem she might have with those close to her, "There's no place like home".
A director that deserves more credit yet never seems to be rewarded is Victor Fleming, who at this point would then follow up with Gone with the Wind. He should be credited for helping make Judy Garland a star and suppresing the like of Ray Bolger and the other stars of the film who seemed to try to steel the film from under her.
Again, it is one of the crowning achivements of the Hollywood studio system, and although one can spoof it or make fun of it (Just look at the deleted scenes skit on Mad TV) it really is a film that tugs at your heart. Although I'm only 16, I am begining to see the powerful message of the film, and the longing for innocence.
I guess that's life.
CAST
Director
Victor Fleming
Producer
Mervyn LeRoy
Screenplay
Noel Langley
Florence Ryerson
Edgar Allan Woolf
based upon the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Director of Photography
Harold Rosson
Film Editing
Blanche Sewell
Art Direction
Cedric Gibbons
William A. Horning
Original Score
Harold Arlen
Songs
E. Y. Harburg
Harold Arlen
CAST
Judy Garland
Dorothy Gale
Frank Morgan
Prof. Marvel/Emerald City doorman/The cabbie/The Wizard's guard/The Wizard of Oz
Ray Bolger
Hunk/The Scarecrow
Bert Lahr
Zeke/The Cowardly Lion
Jack Haley
Hick/The Tin Man
Billie Burke
Glinda, the Good Witch of the North
Margaret Hamilton
Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch of the West/The Wicked
Witch of the East
Charley Grapewin
Uncle Henry
Clara Blandick
Auntie Em