“‘Wizard of Oz,’ still magical after 70 years”
Great piece by Geoff Boucher at Hero Complex, one of the LA Times entertainment blogs:
It was 70 years ago this week that “The Wizard of Oz” arrived in theaters and even in this CGI-jaded era those old red ruby slippers still sparkle brightly.
The anniversary has been celebrated over the past year with numerous events, including a national tour by a seven-story Oz-themed hot-air balloon. The festivities will wrap up with a Sept. 23 one-night theatrical re-release of a newly restored version of the film in 450 theaters and the release next month of an “ultimate collector’s edition” package on Blu-ray and DVD with that remastered version and 16 hours of bonus material.
That may sound like a lot of attention for an artifact from the FDR administration, but there’s a timeless quality to the cinematic adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s novel that still transports new generations over the rainbow. The movie remains an essential reference point — this December in James Cameron’s much-ballyhooed sci-fi epic “Avatar,” for instance, when the main character arrives on a dazzling jungle planet, moviegoers will hear a familiar line: “You’re not in Kansas anymore.” Cameron chuckled when asked about the line. “Yeah, it’s my favorite movie; I had to get it in there somewhere,” he said. Cameron is not alone in his ongoing romance with “Oz.” To mark the anniversary, The Times interviewed creators in film, television, music and books who have never wearied of the cinematic trip down the yellow brick road.
In the online version of the article, Boucher gets quotes from a variety of people in the entertainment business including:
Guillermo del Toro, filmmaker, “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Hellboy,” “The Hobbit” (2011)
Ray Harryhausen, visual effects pioneer, “Clash of the Titans,” “Jason and the Argonauts,” Mighty Joe Young.”
Stephen Schwartz, composer, the musical “Wicked” and the films “Pocahontas” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”
Norman Lear, producer, “All in the Family,” “Maude,” “The Jeffersons”
Wayne Coyne, lead singer, the Flaming Lips
Joe Dante, filmmaker, “Gremlins,” “Innerspace,” “Twilight Zone: The Movie”
Michael Moorcock, author, “Elric of Melnibone,” “Behold the Man,” “The Metatemporal Detective”
Zack Snyder, filmmaker, “300,” “Watchmen” and “Dawn of the Dead” (2004)
But probably the most relevant comment re The Wizard of Oz for a screenwriting blog is provided by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf, Zathura):
“The part I gravitate to is hero’s journey, the film as a piece of archetype. It’s the coming-of-age journey in the Joseph Campbell mythic structure. So much of the movie seems so random, with the flying monkeys and the Munchkins, but if you chip all that away it’s the hero’s journey, in this case about a girl becoming a woman and leaving behind the safety and comfort of home. You don’t think about that, which is why it’s so good. . . . The movie’s influence is everywhere. Years ago when I was making ‘Swingers,’ a relatively small, uneventful film, I actually had a ‘Oz’ reference in it because it was about this outsider’s journey into this strange place, the Hollywood nightlife instead of ‘Oz.’ ”
I concur. The story is a classic example of Campbell’s articulation of the “monomyth”:
“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” — Campbell, “The Hero With a Thousand Faces,” P. 30
Moreover we can see more archetypes at work in The Wizard of Oz — with the characters.
Protagonist — Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland)
Nemesis — Miss Gulch / Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton)
Attractor — Hunk / Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), Hickory / Tin Man (Jack Haley), and Zeke / Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr)
Mentor — Glinda (Billie Burke)
Trickster — Professor Marvel / The Doorman / The Guard Who Cries / The Carriage Driver / The Wizard of Oz (Frank Morgan), and Toto
For my more detailed character archetype analysis of The Wizard of Oz, you can go here and here.
And don’t forget: Turner Classic Movies will be screening The Wizard of Oz in 440 theaters nationwide on Wednesday, September 23rd. For more info, go here.
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