The Wizard of Oz is the first movie I selected from the list and it's at least a little appropriate. My wife swears her youngest daughter watched it on VHS once a day for a few years. The ball n' chain also says she can remember very clearly running out of the room screaming when the monkeys flew in to drag Dorothy away.
I've got to be honest. I don't like musicals much. The genre never made much sense to me even when I was a kid and thought there was no way anyone could just make up songs like that! The Wizard of Oz is part of our culture however. Oddly I don't think I ever watched it when I was a kid. It's possible I did but regardless, it's part of the shared experience I think. You can make reference to a cowardly lion and almost anyone will know what you're talking about. "We're not in Kansas anymore" is a phrase I have used when leading raids in WoW for pete's sake. Guild members in their teens will still know what the heck I'm talking about.
There's a chant that the guards of the Wicked Witch of the West sing while the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion are watching during their rescue attempt of Dorothy and Toto. It's the same chant that's heard in O Brother, Where Art Thou? has when the KKK is about to string up a black guitar player. This is another example of how the the movie has become part of our culture and should be on the AFI list.
The transition from black and white to colour, and the belief of some that it was the first feature live action colour film, adds to this cultural significance. We should note it wasn't even close to the first live action colour film. Aside from dyed films or films painted frame by frame there were colour films all the way back to 1912 using Kinemacolor. There are also Technicolor films dating back to the early 20's.
No doubt it should be in the top 100 but the top 10? Not so sure. A great film and I think Bert Lahr was absolutely fabulous! The history and stories about the film are also very interesting. From the Munchkins being rowdy to the allergic reaction of Buddy Ebson to the aluminum make-up that was originally powder rather than paste. The Munchkin stories are myth and in part due to a movie Under the Rainbow staring Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher. The movie depicted a Culver City hotel that has some Munchkins as guests during filming.
Only 99 more to go!
When I was growing up (yea, in the stone age), the Wizard of Oz was shown on tv once a year, in the spring. It was an annual event; people stayed home to watch it. Once VCR's came around in the 80's, it kind of spoiled the event, since you could tape it and watch it anytime.
ReplyDeleteIt's also interesting to note that when I watch the movie now, it's painfully obvious how primitive the movies were in that era. The backdrops are clearly drawn - they almost look like cardboard scenery from a highschool play.
Regardless, this is definitely one of my favorite movies of all time. Even having Jessica watch it every day didn't spoil it for me. :)
PS: There should be a way to edit comments without having to delete and re-post the whole message...
It's a sad day in Mudville folks! My son checked and while the chant is CLOSE to the same between O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Wizard of Oz. It's not the same. Score 1 for the kid. So I think we're at about 4984 to 1 :)
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