The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Timeless classic still entertaining the masses as each new generation comes in.
Dorothy is a young girl living on a Kansas farm, during a tornado, she, along with her dog Toto, is swept up and plonked down in a magical and mysterious land known as Oz. Desperate to get back home and under threat from a wicked witch, she is advised to seek out a great wizard who should be able to help her get back home. As she sets off and on her way, she meets and befriends a wonderful array of characters whom also have something to ask of the fabled wizard. It's a journey that will prove to be both magical and fraught with danger.
The Wizard Of Oz is a film that has been pored over and dissected from almost everyone involved in the wonderful world of film. One thing that strikes me every time I view it is that there not only is no place like home, there is also no film like The Wizard Of Oz, and really, when all is said and done, there is unlikely to be another film of its ilk to ever grace the silver screen. Upon multiple viewings only the most biased of film fan could say that it is a technically perfect picture, it clearly isn't, for at times it's a wee bit creaky and when scrutinised, some of the performances in the piece are far from being of an excellent standard. Crucially, though, any misgivings are quickly erased due to the utter wonder of it all, you see this is because the film has a beguiling ability to transport everybody who is watching it and slot them into OZ alongside Dorothy.
The Wizard Of Oz appeals (and caters) to every demographic and pretty much any age group, we have adventure, the meeting of new friends, fears and trepidations, booming colour, songs to singalong with, and of course the total crux point of homely values. The Wizard Of Oz stands up well 80 years later because it taps into all the emotions available to the human being. Be it a young child spellbound on a first viewing, or an octogenarian couple of grandparents wistfully humming along to the tunes, it's a film that shouldn't be dissected looking for faults and hidden meanings, it's a film that should be loved and praised for the ode to fantastical whimsy that it so obviously is.
The film of course will forever be associated with its darling star, Judy Garland. Viewing now, and knowing what a sad life she would eventually lead, The Wizard Of Oz is a fitting picture on which to remember what a magical and wonderful performer she was. Myself as a lump of waning middle aged machismo, has no shame in saying that as Judy sings Somewhere Over The Rainbow I melt and feel as though I'm being sent spinning into another world, that's the power of the piece, because as a sepia Kansas becomes the glorious colour of Oz, nothing else in my world matters, I'm in hook line and sinker.
There are many interesting back stories to the picture, with books galore available to anyone interested. Some notes that might interest you being the original castings to be W.C. Fields, Shirley Temple and Deanna Durbin, munchkins running riot, drunken cast members, sadness and suicides, and grizzled old pros fighting hard not to let Garland steal the picture. Well it makes for a great read, for sure, but what remains to this day is one of the most beloved pictures to have ever been made, for once in the pantheon of great cinema we have a film that is termed a classic, that actually deserves to have that tag!
One of the great things about the advent of technology is that it can benefit old classic movies to make them better, for now we can view remastered editions of The Wizard Of Oz and appreciate even more what a great job the makers did. Keep your eyes on Dorothy's Ruby Slippers during the film and see how they are the sparkling important character that they should be, or take in the brilliant work of the make up crew, the tiniest of rivets on The Tin Man a testament to the brilliant work that goes into bringing magic to our lives. Get the newest copy you can and then also see it on the biggest screen available to you because The Wizard Of Oz is a 10/10 movie. And then some.

I was really fortunate, recently, to catch this on a big screen and it is still wonderful. After her dog is taken by "Miss Gulch" (Margaret Hamilton), "Dorothy" (Judy Garland) is all in a tizz. She decides to run away from her kindly aunt and uncle but only gets about a mile down the road before she encounters a medicine show run by "Prof. Marvel" (Frank Morgan). A twister is approaching - she must get home before she is blown away. She makes it into her room but is clouted by a blown-in window and next thing, the house is flying through the air and she lands in Oz and on top of the "Witch of the East" - exposing only her ruby slippers. "Munchkinland" proves to be a friendly enough place, but the good witch "Glinda" (Billie Burke) tells her that she must seek the help of the great and powerful Oz should she wish to get home. Now in possession of the dead witch's slippers, she sets off down the legendary "Yellow Brick Road" along which she encounters the scarecrow, the tin man and the frequently scene stealing cowardly lion (Bert Lahr) as they set off on their adventures - constantly harassed by the evil "Witch of the West" (Hamilton) who has designs on the shoes! The story evolves in the best traditions of a classic fairytale. Good vs. evil, humour, friendship, a good degree of pantomime menace, a can of WD40 and some small people with squeaky voices all contributing magnificently to the overall cinema experience. The colours of 'Oz" are vivid and joyous - contrasting well with the drab, downbeat monochrome Kansas from whence "Dorothy" has come and to where she hopes to boldly go again! The cast is small and tightly knitted, allowing the relationships and momentum to build up stealthily from Frank Baum's original story to probably the finest denouement of any fantasy film made since. Miss Hamilton's characterisation (I always love a good baddie) reminded me of my English teacher at school - only this one wore less make up; and Bert Lahr and Jack Haley never fail to raise a smile - or even a tear - as they follow their own yellow brick roads. Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen have worked their magic with a score and songs that compliment the adventure splendidly - I wonder how many singers have had a go a "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" since 1939? Despite being over eighty years old, it has lost little of it's magic. The visual effects rely on simplicity and vivacity, and they deliver well a thoroughly engaging story of longing, companionship and the most fiendish laugh in cinema history. Watch it, my pretty... or else!