“If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.” – Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland)
Few films are as iconic as The Wizard of Oz, a masterpiece that is lampooned and remade but is unmatchable for its quality and heart.
Judy Garland plays Dorothy, a Kansas girl aching for adventure. When a twister blows her farmhouse into the magical world of Oz, she finds what she’s looking for in the form of the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), Glinda the Good (Billie Burke), a brain-seeking Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a heart-needing Tin Man (Jack Haley) and a courage-lacking Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr). When Dorothy decides pretty quickly that she just wants to be home, the latter three join her in a quest to see the Wizard, who can fulfill their wishes.
Color is pivotal to the storytelling of The Wizard of Oz, which is known for its exploitation of the technology. The transition from sepia to full color emphasizes the differences between the Kansas and Oz, and the vibrant colors used “over the rainbow” help convey the magic of the setting. When Dorothy opens the door to Oz, the frame gets clearer, and color — not just color, but bright colors that don’t exist in everyday life let alone dusty old Kansas — meet the eye. The use of these shades in Oz makes “over the rainbow” a literal term; because of the vividness of everything, she knows immediately that she “must be over the rainbow.” Director Victor Fleming and his crew successfully transported not just Dorothy but also the audience to Oz.
Color isn’t the only tool used to throw the viewer headfirst into the same twister that transports Dorothy. Garland’s wide-eyed kid is endearing from the first moments of the movie, and her costars have cartoonish qualities that make up for their lack of depth. Dorothy’s the only one who needs to have a character transformation in an adventure like this — as soon as she recognizes that she rather be home, which is very early in her adventure, the story focuses on her travels through Oz to the Emerald City. Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West is unbeatable, and she deserves her spot in “Greatest Villains of All Times” lists. Her performance is so convincing that Hamilton had a hard time finding work after the completion of the film for fear that she’d be nothing but the green-skinned villainess. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophesy.
The Wizard of Oz has visuals and characters that transport audiences, like Dorothy, to “somewhere over the rainbow,” but unlike the heroine, they aren’t as happy to return to the lackluster world outside the silver screen.
2014: A Film Odyssey 