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Wizard of Oz

Good Essays

The Wizard of Oz (1939) uses both mise en scène and sound to create an immense sequence of dream imagery, particularly in the second to last scene where Dorothy is at the point of going back to Kansas. This scene is distinctly significant in terms of mise en scène and sound as it concludes the film and highlights the themes that have been revealed throughout, giving a clearer message to the film’s audience.
The mise en scène is used to describe what it is the frame and why it is there. The scene near the end of the film where Dorothy is saying goodbye to the fantasy characters before leaving to go home in a hot air balloon is particularly significant in terms of mise en scène. The setting consists of bright colours in the Land of Oz …show more content…

This scene shows that Dorothy could have gone home if she believed in herself and realised what she wanted.
Sound within a film is divided into three categories; speech, music and noise. This scene begins with diegetic sound in the form of the cheering crowd, accompanied by the non-diegetic cheerful music which relates rhythmically to the scene and gives the audience the impression that it will now be a happy ending. The music is an example of a sound motif throughout the film, in that the tune ‘Merry Old Land of Oz’ has previously been featured in another scene. It was played during the scene where Dorothy is taken to see the wizard, therefore similarly to this scene, the music is hopeful that something good is going to happen. The tune is played in a slightly higher pitch which adds to the cheerful vibe. The director has included a sound bridge to carry the audience into the next scene. The tune from the next scene begins to play while the image is still lingering on the previous scene. The music then changes to a more solemn tune to signify the change in mood, which helps to emotionally condition the audience.
‘Sound doesn’t have to be in-your-face, traditional, big sound effects. You can especially say a lot about the film with ambiences – the sounds for things you don’t see.’ (Bordwell, 2008) The music throughout this film adds to the ambience of the story, and follows the conventions of a family fantasy

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