One of the great classic movies, The Wizard of Oz was released in 1939. The story is one we all know, although many will have come to know it through one of the many remakes.
The story is based on a novel by L. Frank Baum, who wrote it around the year 1900. The 12 year old girl Dorothy is knocked unconscious and finds herself in a strange fantasy world called the Land of Oz. Helped by the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, she goes looking for the Wizard of Oz who can bring her back to her own world. In the mean time the are pursued by the Wicked Witch of the West. It doesn’t work out the way they planned but in the end Dorothy is able to return to her world by herself.
Although the initial release was not that successful but later releases and the showing of the movie on national American television several times, made the movie very popular and influential. The story, the fact that the movie was made in color (Technicolor) and the songs all contributed to this.
There have been several remakes of the movie and also a cartoon television series. This also ensured that every child growing up in the western world has been introduced to the story. After the success of Tim Burton’s new Alice in Wonderland, there are also plans for producing a new Wizard of Oz movie.
Not only is The Wizard of Oz fun to watch, it has also been very influential and is seen by many as one of the best movies of all time. Even after 70 years, it still is a great movie to watch and one you should have at least seen once in your lifetime.
Tags: Fantasy Movies, The Wizard of Oz
