This beloved movie has many merits, and some flaws, but has stood the test of time. The movie in some ways is a paradox: it is a children's movie, but deals with death, it is innocent in nature, but has capture fans of the psychedelic, it is a musical, but still watchable. It has a vast fan base: It appeals to the most liberal, and the most conservative, the most gay and the most strait the most young and the most old. Why does following the yellow brick road captivate so many?
I first saw this movie as a child, as I assume most people have. When you are that age slack jawed amazement comes easy. People can pull quarters from behind your ear and you think it is real, so watching a ludicrously over the top musical is right up your ally. Singing and dancing along with the movie bears no odd looks from your peers, it may actually be applauded. At that age the movie is just plane fun. It has vibrant colors, neat looking characters, and a story line that can be followed while climbing furniture, and rubbing muffin crumbs into the carpet.
My son loves this movie. He is 2 years old and asks for, "Witch... DVD? Please!" He dances, sings, climbs on furniture and rubs muffin crumbs into the carpet. To date it is the only live action movie he likes, and he likes it because it is just plane fun. He yells, "POOF!" when the witch disappears in a cloud of smoke, and tries to sing with the lion on the "if I were king of the forest," song. All the while that he is watching it, I am loving being a father. This movie has brought to the surface for me everything that is good about being a kid. I am not even so mad cleaning up the muffin crumbs. The truth is, I think I like the movie as much as he does because I sing, dance, chase him up the furniture, and rub muffin crumbs into the carpet.
My wife is about as liberal a women I have met. She went to an all womans college in Boston, and makes me wash dishes. She loves watching us jump around while watching the movie (occasionally jumps in too), and doesn't get too mad when muffin crumbs get ground into the carpet. She like the movie because it is just plain fun.
My father, is one of the most conservative (and strait) people I ever met - Vietnam vet. USMC. While this movie was on (once a year when I was a child) he used to sing the songs dance around and chase me up furniture... Why I ask? It's just plain fun.
This movie has sprouted a display in just about every gay pride parade in the form of Dorothys. It is a group of gay men who dress like Dorothy and march. This probably stemmed from the term "Friend of Dororthy" which possibly refers to a closeted homosexual similar to Dorothy's friend the cowardly lion living a lie as king of the forest when he is just a "Dandy Lion." Judy Garland herself although not homosexual has also been a long standing icon adored by the gay community. I can only assume, because I am not gay, that they like this movie too because it is just plain fun. I mean hey, who hasn't wanted to dress like Dorothy(Did I just say that out loud?)? I am also reasonably sure that there is some singing and dancing and climbing on furniture in that community as well.
Pink Floyd has rumored to have written music to match events in this movie. I hear they deny it, but that the similarities if played right are uncanny. I know many a fan to smoke their stash, drop a load, or eat some fungi while trying to sync the music to the movie. Which always made me wonder who the first stoner was that tried it. Why is it that the spend their time with this movie? It is just plain fun.
My son recently watch this movie with his great grandmother, she is 84. She saw this movie in the theater when she was a young woman. If she could have danced, if she could have sung, if she could have chased him around over the furniture she would have done it. Why? it is just plain fun.
As an adult critic I see some poor acting on the side of the wicked witch of the west. She sound like she is reading out of a script most of the time. The cowardly lion is ridiculously over the top. The Tin Man is more in the closet than any other character (with his big ax and all). The man behind the curtain thing is quite anticlimactic. Dorothy on the other hand, is one of the most solid performances in movie history.
The child critic tells my adult self that, it doesn't matter that the witch is a stiff actress, because she has a big nose and is green, it doesn't matter that the lion is over the top because he is funny, it doesn't matter that the man behind the curtain is predictable, because he has a big balloon, and most of all it is just plain fun.
I first saw this movie as a child, as I assume most people have. When you are that age slack jawed amazement comes easy. People can pull quarters from behind your ear and you think it is real, so watching a ludicrously over the top musical is right up your ally. Singing and dancing along with the movie bears no odd looks from your peers, it may actually be applauded. At that age the movie is just plane fun. It has vibrant colors, neat looking characters, and a story line that can be followed while climbing furniture, and rubbing muffin crumbs into the carpet.
My son loves this movie. He is 2 years old and asks for, "Witch... DVD? Please!" He dances, sings, climbs on furniture and rubs muffin crumbs into the carpet. To date it is the only live action movie he likes, and he likes it because it is just plane fun. He yells, "POOF!" when the witch disappears in a cloud of smoke, and tries to sing with the lion on the "if I were king of the forest," song. All the while that he is watching it, I am loving being a father. This movie has brought to the surface for me everything that is good about being a kid. I am not even so mad cleaning up the muffin crumbs. The truth is, I think I like the movie as much as he does because I sing, dance, chase him up the furniture, and rub muffin crumbs into the carpet.
My wife is about as liberal a women I have met. She went to an all womans college in Boston, and makes me wash dishes. She loves watching us jump around while watching the movie (occasionally jumps in too), and doesn't get too mad when muffin crumbs get ground into the carpet. She like the movie because it is just plain fun.
My father, is one of the most conservative (and strait) people I ever met - Vietnam vet. USMC. While this movie was on (once a year when I was a child) he used to sing the songs dance around and chase me up furniture... Why I ask? It's just plain fun.
This movie has sprouted a display in just about every gay pride parade in the form of Dorothys. It is a group of gay men who dress like Dorothy and march. This probably stemmed from the term "Friend of Dororthy" which possibly refers to a closeted homosexual similar to Dorothy's friend the cowardly lion living a lie as king of the forest when he is just a "Dandy Lion." Judy Garland herself although not homosexual has also been a long standing icon adored by the gay community. I can only assume, because I am not gay, that they like this movie too because it is just plain fun. I mean hey, who hasn't wanted to dress like Dorothy(Did I just say that out loud?)? I am also reasonably sure that there is some singing and dancing and climbing on furniture in that community as well.
Pink Floyd has rumored to have written music to match events in this movie. I hear they deny it, but that the similarities if played right are uncanny. I know many a fan to smoke their stash, drop a load, or eat some fungi while trying to sync the music to the movie. Which always made me wonder who the first stoner was that tried it. Why is it that the spend their time with this movie? It is just plain fun.
My son recently watch this movie with his great grandmother, she is 84. She saw this movie in the theater when she was a young woman. If she could have danced, if she could have sung, if she could have chased him around over the furniture she would have done it. Why? it is just plain fun.
As an adult critic I see some poor acting on the side of the wicked witch of the west. She sound like she is reading out of a script most of the time. The cowardly lion is ridiculously over the top. The Tin Man is more in the closet than any other character (with his big ax and all). The man behind the curtain thing is quite anticlimactic. Dorothy on the other hand, is one of the most solid performances in movie history.
The child critic tells my adult self that, it doesn't matter that the witch is a stiff actress, because she has a big nose and is green, it doesn't matter that the lion is over the top because he is funny, it doesn't matter that the man behind the curtain is predictable, because he has a big balloon, and most of all it is just plain fun.
