Whereas art is majorly considered as a reflection of the society, it is common for the producers to extend their imagination to accommodate scenario that may marvel the consumer. Film is no exception whereby out of the ordinary scenes are created to put the viewer on the edge by making the motion picture more captivating. The practice is common in fantasy stories and the theme of supernatural and magic will always be employed to move the story. The aim of this essay is to undertake an analysis of the film titled The Wizard of Oz with intention to highlight how the magical and supernatural scenarios and action have been distributed as recurrent motifs.
Characterization and costume have been used to extend the theme of supernatural which is introduced as the protagonist escapes from home to save her dog. Professor Marvel, as the fortune teller, is given unnatural powers to turn the girl back. Although he deceives her that her aunt is ailing his ability to learn that she is on the run and mention a known relative to trigger her compassion marks the introduction of the supernatural as the force behind the plot development. On top of supernatural characterization, the fortune teller is furnished with a crystal ball that has magical powers to help in convincing the girl to return.
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The story becomes more interesting with the protagonist encountering supernatural scenarios on her return. An inexplicable tornado catches up with her before she gets to storm cellar and blows the house she runs to into the skies. Again, the supernatural theme is highlighted as Dorothy regains consciousness and peeps through the window to see her diminishing neighborhood (R.D.M., 1978). More highlight of the supernatural lies in the protagonist’s vision of Miss Gulch, the antagonist, who has turned into a witch and is riding a broom. The idea of Gulch’s transformation, and the broomstick as an accessory, further cements the supernatural theme as prominent in the film.
Apparently, the spinning house takes Dorothy and her dog to the Land of Oz which happens to be an imaginary land beyond the skies. This development of the plot reveals the producer’s heightened imagination which makes room for adjustments that do not come with natural explanations. More acts that happen either by chance or magic include her landing at the Land of Oz whereby the protagonist and her dog are as safe as they would have been had they taken a plane. The only other event is their landing on top of the Wicked Witch of the East. By this time the viewer is convinced that the course of nature has been deterred and has to make allowances to accommodate the developments that are only limited to the producer’s imaginations.
The use of the cinematic language involving color choice and tonal variations is another feature that has been employed to enhance the theme of supernatural and magic. The sepia tone, for example, is used in the opening scenes up to the point where the house lands in the Land of Oz. the black-and-white motion picture presents the real world considering that the film was produced at the time when grayscale photography was common. However, the pictures turn to Technicolor when the protagonist opens the door in the Land of Oz. the fact that color was just being introduced to motion picture ensures that the changes play with the mind of the viewer to decode that the scene has moved to a magical world. This is not only effective to the viewers of the time of production but also applies to the critical viewer of modern times who can ascertain that color shift informs that there are two different worlds.
At the Land of Oz there are more manifestations of magical and supernatural scenarios where the producer further upsets normalcy and in its place imagines out-of-the-world characters and actions. The Good Witch, for example, has to employ magic to prevent the bad witch from taking the ruby slippers. The bad witch, on the other hand arrives in a ball of smoke and fire. Such accessories are further confirmation that the producer was keen to ensure that the theme of the supernatural is perpetuated throughout the film. Dorothy’s friends on the way down the yellow brick road are magical to say the least. A scarecrow, for example, who is personified to the status of speaking his mind, cannot be taken for a natural character. Neither is his claim that he wants a brain as it triggers the viewer to wonder what use a scarecrow will have for a brain. The Tin man and the Cowardly Lion, more so, are not characters that would represent anything natural. This is confirmation that the viewer is not expected to employ logic when looking for interpretation but has to make room for magical and supernatural beings and occurrences.
In conclusion, The Wizard of Oz is an idealized reflection of the society that has ensured that the highly imaginative filmmakers involved have developed the theme of supernatural to tell a story that captivates the viewer. The plot development, for example, defies logical interpretations as the unnatural occurrences sway from realism to involve magic and witchcraft as possible explanations. Characterization, more so, whereby the actors are not representations of real people is another feature that parallels the theme. Use of magical costumes and the cinematic language of color dynamism are further adjustments that have made the film elevate the theme of supernatural.
References
Fleming, V., Vidor, K., Cukor, G., Thorpe, R., & Taurog, N. (Dirs.) (1939). The Wizard of Oz. United States. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
R. D. M. (1978). Supernatural, Pseudonatural, and Sociocultural Fantasy. Science Fiction Studies, 5 (3), 291-298. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4239205
