Released on August 25, 1939, the Wizard of Oz is a technical example of a notable first American fairy tale that has captured the attention of many through ages. The epic work is attributed to different directors who played different roles in bringing together the different episodes to make the film complete. Primarily, the position was held by Victor Fleming who left to be a director of another company. He was then succeeded by King Vidor, George Cukor and later Norman Taurog.
Various other players took up different roles to ensure the film was a masterpiece and reflected what prevailed in the environment at the time the movie was made. Screenplay was done by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Wool. The above individuals played a major role in putting down the original thoughts as given by the producer who in the above film was Mervyn Leroy. Given the time at which the movie was produced, it would not be an epic production were it not for the efforts employed by the cinematographer as well as the editor who were Harold Rosson and Blanche Sewell respectively. With the intervention of Harold, the lighting, angular placement of the camera as well as different filming effects that have made the film spectacular could not have been achieved. The major transitioning effects, as well as the representation of color, hues, character as well as the story in general, would not be well synchronized were it without the artistic work done by Blanche Sewell. Even with the indispensable contribution of the above crew, the plot would not have been what it is without the intervention of each and every character. Even then, the major characters are extensively used to develop the minor ones. Some of the major characters are Dorothy, The wicked witch of the west, scarecrow, witch man, cowardly lion, and the wizard of Oz, Glinda, and the good witch among others. All of the above characters complement each other to bring out their real nature and by doing so, help in the development of the plot ((Fleming, Taurog, Cukor & Vidor, 1939).
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The plot of the story starts with Dorothy, the protagonist in Kansas. She gets into trouble with Margaret Hamilton who later wants to take Dorothy’s dog for being in a constant fight with her cat. Dorothy’s dog escapes while Dorothy’s aunt and uncle witness without taking any action. As a result, Dorothy decides to leave. However, her plan does not materialize as she is guided back home by Professor Marvel. Upon her return, the journey to the magical land starts when she is given a ride by a Tornado. A bad, as well as good occurrence, occurs when the tornado she travels in lands her on a witch’s house. This makes her an enemy to the bad witch while at the same time making her famous among the inhabitants of the magical land. Later on. Dorothy encounters a good witch, Glinda, who advises her to travel to the emerald city where she is to meet the wizard of Oz who will help her to find her way back home. They succeed to reach the emerald city only for their plans to be averted when they encounter a scary wizard who forces them to get the witch's broomstick. In the encounters, Dorothy is taken back to the Witch’s castle where efforts by her friends to rescue her fail when the witch counters them. Dorothy engages in a confrontation with the witch and throws a bucket of water on her in a bid to rescue the Scarecrow who is set ablaze by the witch. They manage to escape with the broom and take it to the wizard who apologizes for sending them on a risky mission. After the wizard gave them some stuff to pay for his actions, he decides to take Dorothy home on a balloon. However, when the deal is sealed, Dorothy’s dog starts chasing a cat and when she tries to get the dog back the balloon goes up without her. Finally when Dorothy seemed to have given up, the good witch comes with news that Dorothy’s magic shoes could help her get home. She then returns home where all her relatives and friends were waiting for her.
The Wizard of Oz is one of the films that has had universal appeal due to how it was cast. Other than the rich storyline, it is constituted of comedy and music while at the same time special, effects that bring about ecstasy to the viewers are intertwined with the interesting plot of the movie. One of the most special effects incorporated in the film is the use of Technicolor (Harmetz, 2013). Set in 1939, most of the films produced at the time and prior to that were in black and white. Some parts of the film were sepia color tinted, giving them a more attractive and tangible feel. Besides the above, color has also been used to transition the film into different scenes, making it an intimate part of telling the story. To add to the above, both tinting and toning have been incorporated to bring about the authenticity of the various occurrences. The lighting, for example, could not have been more realistic if a monochrome color replaced the yellow tint used to signify daytime. Color, hence, had a huge effect on how the costumes, characters, as well as the different scenes, appeared.
Editing has been used to achieve various effects. The movie is introduced in black and white, and it transitions to have scenes with different colors incorporated through edition. Inside out editing is for example represented when in the Land of Oz, Dorothy is first focused on, and then the camera gradually moves away from her to reveal the surrounding. Besides, fade-outs, as well as dissolves editing techniques, are also used for transitioning.
The film was a breakthrough even without major technological interventions. The small technology at the disposal of the directors was used to their advantage. The use of color was one of the most brilliant intervention of technology in the film. Besides the above, technology is also used to give characters supernatural capabilities which are impossible in real world. An example is in Dorothy’s dream where she is transported to the Land of Oz, an unnatural man made of tin exist, a horse has the capability to possess different colors, a lion can sing dance as well as talk just like a human being and monkeys, just like birds of the air can fly. Without special technological manipulation, it is impossible to give the characters the supernatural abilities which they portray.
The film has political social as well as personal impacts. Allegory, to a large extent, has been used to reveal aspects of the movie inherent in the then society. The yellow brick road, for example, could be a symbol of capital in form of money. Dorothy following it could be interpreted to be the search for money, which could then be related to the gold trade and the pursuit of capital that President Franklin Roosevelt was involved in between 1916 and 1933. Another allegory that presents a political aspect is the sentiments uttered by the tin man. He says that he has held the ax he had for ages, symbolizing the rule of law as well as commercial laws that had been in play among the Americans for ages.
The social impact of the film was notable and is still notable. Released during the great depression and at a time when Hitler had started his wicked pursuit of the Jews, it became one of the escapades that the citizens used to shield themselves against the reality of their struggles (Rockoff, 1990). Affording a movie ticket to watch a fantasy movie with all the notable effects seemed like a consolation to the people at the time.
The personal impact of the movie is mainly through the themes presented. The themes of family and having a home, exploration as well as coming of age are a source of vital lessons such as to appreciate the families we have, grow up to be courageous while at the same time being responsible. The other themes such as lies and deceit, portrayed by characters present in Oz whose actions are not a real reflection of them is a source of lessons on not being influenced to believe on things based on their physical appearance easily.
The political, as well as social aspects inherent in the society at the time of the movie development as represented through symbolism, played a major role in the development of the plot of the plot of the story.
In conclusion, Different Individuals have played a major role towards the completion of the film the Wizard of Oz. Through them, aspects such as technology have been used to enhance different scenes in a way that they seem a real representation of political as well as social issues at the time the movie was set. With the rich plot, the film remains a masterpiece.
References
Fleming, V., Taurog, N., Cukor, G., & Vidor, K. (1939). The Wizard of Oz . United States: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Harmetz, A. (2013). The Making of the Wizard of Oz . Chicago Review Press.
Rockoff, H. (1990). The" Wizard of Oz" as a monetary allegory. Journal of Political Economy , 98 (4), 739-760.
