The Wizard of Oz The Wizard of Oz is a classic American film interpreted from L. Frank Baum’s book published in 1900. We have all seen the film as a child and enjoy it equally as adults. It is a film we watch repeatedly to experience the wonders of our imaginations. There are many key elements that have made this film a notorious childhood memory as well as an American classic that we have treasured for generations. How could we forget the magical characters, the music, and the outstanding cinematography? The theme of the film can be summed up simply from one of the many notable phrases, “there’s no place like home”. Dorothy, a Kansas farm girl dreams of a better place and life. During a tornado she is struck …show more content…
The beginning scene which takes place in Kansas was filmed in sepia toned black and white. This lends to the feeling of Dorothy’s dreary life and the impending tornado. The magic begins when she arrives in Oz. The use of bright colors sets the tone for the magical journey that is to begin in Oz. Technicolor had been around since 1916. Previously it had been only the two-strip method. The advances in the 1930's produced a three-strip method, which produced deeper, brighter colors. It was this method that enabled success to the Wizard of Oz. “ In Kansas we had no idea that Dorothy’s dress was blue or that Toto was blackish grey. Now everything took on a new meaning. The color in Dorothy’s dress and the color of her skin gave her a happier, more hopeful feeling. In fact, the whole setting was happier and more hopeful. The high saturation of the colors made Oz a much more appealing place than Kansas. The dress of the people in Oz was more exciting and appealing"(Bordwell 2008). The director and cinematographer did an excellent job using color and costuming in the film to effectively convey certain messages, especially those of danger and evil. Most of the film was colorful and happy, but when danger was lurking,the audience was made well aware of it with dark colors and costuming. This movie uses many different film techniques which aid in its fantastical journey. For example, the very beginning of the film there is a direct shot of Dorothy’s dog
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz projects its message in a very subtle unsuspected way. For a child the story is just a magical story full of colors but underlying the colors “Baum created a children’s story with a symbolic allegory implicit within its story line and characterization” (50). The book is full of symbolism, when Dorothy lands on West Witch with her house, she is given a pair of silver slippers by the Good Witch of the North. She is
The conspiracy regarding the Illuminati has circulated for several years. This theory states that, “there is a ‘global elite’ society that is either in control or seeking to take control of the world” (Citation). Beliefs regarding the Illuminati conspiracy are prevalent in recent books and movies, reaching the cult fiction perception. A significant example is The Wizard of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum. The history behind The Wizard of Oz proves that this story line has had an essential role in the occult world all along. Associations of occultism, Illuminati rituals and Monarch Programming exists in sequence of books with satanic activity and intellect controlling it along the way. Viewers perceive The Wizard of Oz as an innocent fairytale, though the story has a deep symbolic meaning pertaining to the use of the Illuminati.
The image is brighter and sharper in the film. The contrast of the film really affects the mood. Since the contrast is so bright the viewer is bound to stay focused and aware because everything is so catchy and noticeable. Also, the exposure changes throughout the film. At the very beginning the film starts in black and white and changed to color as the story progressed. The filmmaker uses a lot of Long Takes, each shot of Dorothy meeting someone new is pretty lengthy.
The colors change as the story evolves and defines turns in the story such as when her dress turns white when she searches for the wicked witch and helps psychologically associate Dorothy as being good, protected and pure for her conflict against the wicked, good vs evil. Her dress is blue in the beginning which communicates loyalty and purpose. Once she reaches Oz its a pretty silk green dress. Green signifies growth. Additionally the closer to Oz Dorothy and her friends get- the more dark and dreary & scary their environment becomes. The forest before they reach Oz represents obstacles, fear, uncertainty and boundaries. The goggles required to enter Oz represent visual trickery and the color green represents growth. The color usage is essential for The Wizard of Oz to create it's appearance verses reality and good verses evil essence and essential to the ability to relate to evolution of Dorothy's experiences and lesson to learn. The color usage in significant symbolism is the driving force of the story in terms of interpretation of details, how they relate together and the relateability the story offers the
Scene: This scene in the film comes just after the house has been picked up in the twister. Dorothy's house has been lifted up into the sky and suddenly dropped back down to earth in the middle of the Land of Oz. In the scene itself, Dorothy leaves her home to see that she is "Not in Kansas anymore," and finds the new and amazing world of the munchkin city in front of her. She also meets Gwendela the good witch as her journey in Oz begins.
In 1939 one of the most memorable film was released, The Wizard of Oz. In 1978 The Wiz, an urban reimaging of the exemplary novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz put an African American vibe to a film. The novel turned into films follows the adventures of Dorothy, a girl who embark on an adventure in strange and fantastical land just wanting to go back home. In this essay I’m going to plot each film and compare the main character of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and the Wiz and discuss how the design and music differ from each film.
The single most important component associated with managing a successful organization, entails the empowerment of employees. People that are empowered are able to make smart decisions without always having to rely on authority, to point them in the right direction. Creating an empowered organization involves interest in the workplace; minimal absence from work, high retention rates; loyal and motivated team members; as well as efficient results and effective communication amongst team members. In the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my! More like a disappointment, a disaster, a failure, and a complete waste of my time. The 1939 MGM production of The Wizard of Oz, mainly directed by Victor Fleming, is a horrendous motion picture based on the best seller, classic novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. But what makes MGM 's production sheer filth and putrefaction? The Wizard of Oz is a horrible movie because of innumerable audio problems, terrible continuity editing skills, and copious cockamamie mistakes.
Frank Baums, The Wizard of Oz is arguably one of the most popular films made. Even though it was released in 1939, nearly three-quarters of a century ago, the film continues to entertain audiences and speak to them in a personal way. The question that comes to the mind when analyzing this film is: What is it about this film that gives it such timelessness? When reflecting on the film’s timeless qualities, it seems clear the plot is one of the things that enable it to maintain its relevance. Primarily, the plot of The Wizard of Oz is timeless because it is such an excellent example of the heroic journey, both in literally and cinematically. This journey of self-awareness is a metaphor for growth, which is something we all search to discover
Our research topic was on how influential the Wizard of Oz was and how its impact changed the entertainment and dramatic arts industries. We decided to choose a topic that was interesting and something that almost everyone would have some knowledge about. In our project we addressed the characters, music, and the values of the film. The Wizard of Oz is one of the most influential films in history. It was one of the first movies to be filmed in color and whole production cost set a record at MGM studio with the movie costing 2.8 million dollars to make. The success of this film opened so many doors for other movies. Something we also found to be interesting was that The Wizard of Oz was the first videocassette tape released by MGM and CBS Home Video nearly forty years after it hit the big screen.
“There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home”, repeated Dorothy. A young girl trying to go back home to Kansas after a cyclone lands her and her dog, Toto, in the Land of Oz. There Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, the TinMan, and the Cowardly Lion who are all in need of something that is considered important to them; a brain, a heart, and courage. Along the way, they have to travel to Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz, directed by the Good Witch of the North, especially for Dorothy to get back home. However, Dorothy and the gang run into problems with the Wicked Witch of the West, who wants Dorothy’s ruby slippers (which was originally the Wicked
Could you ever imagine if The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum didn’t have a yellow brick road or an Emerald City? The colors chosen are significant and give the story a deeper meaning. Three colors that stand out in the beginning, middle and the end of the novel are gray, yellow and green. In the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Baum’s use of color is symbolic by associating distinct colors with specific settings and characters.
For these reasons production occurred entirely indoors on the sound stages of MGM. Because of the large set, as many as nine cameras hidden in bushes or potted plants would be used to film one scene. The hidden cameras took close-ups, while the main camera, used to capture the whole scene, was on the end of a boom and was constantly moving. The extensive lighting equipment necessary for Technicolor photography in 1939 is very apparent in these behind-the-scenes shots. Banks of lights lined the floor of the stages and the catwalks above the actors and made the set uncomfortably hot, especially for the actors wearing heavy costumes. Because the film was studio-bound, a lot of responsibility fell on the special effects department. Mattes were used extensively to give depth to the Kansas landscape, and a sense of distance to the Land of Oz. Intricate trick photography was employed to allow a
There always seems to be some discrepancy when a film is adapted into a movie. Often times, crucial scenes, or even characters, can be left out in order to satisfy the directors’ and screen writers’ visions. Unfortunately, such changes can clearly be seen in the film adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The movie leaves out characters such as the Witch of the North and the queen of the field mice, but adds characters such as Professor Marvel and Miss Gulch. However, while many changes were made, there are still a few instances where this “fairy tale” novel almost directly translates into the film. One scene in particular that is closely mirrored to the novel is when Dorothy first meets the scarecrow. This scene is nearly an exact word for word adaptation including dialogue, vivid visual images for the viewer, and how point of view directs the attention of the audience.
Wizard of Oz is a fantasy and at the same time adventurous story of a girl named Dorothy. It is fantasy because it shows the image of a scarecrow who wishes to have a brain which in reality doesn't exist. A Tin Woodman who wants to have a heart and the irony of the Lion who wishes to have courage. It also shows magic such as the wicked witch, good witch and the other characters who was portrayed in the story.