One of the great joys over the last few years has been introducing my children to some of the great, classic films that I have known and loved over the years. Some of them are films that I didn’t see until I was an adult, but figured they would really like them anyway, like Bringing Up Baby and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. Others are films that I have watched since I was young, like Shane, Star Wars, Duck Soup, and now today, we watched The Wizard of Oz together. It was their first time seeing the film in its entirety. I had given thought to showing them the film a few years prior, but in discussions with my spouse we had determined to wait. I actually remember being extremely scared of the witch when I was a kid, and every year when the film came on, I seemingly only remember watching until that part of the film when the Wicked Witch of the West appears in Munchkinland for the first time, before I ran off to bed deathly afraid of finishing the film. I was probably only 5 or 6 years old. My daughters are now ages 6 and 4, so about a week ago, they started to beg to watch it. We felt like it was the right time.
My girls have of course known of this film for more than a few years,
and even at one point wanted to be Dorothy for Halloween without even having
seen the film. I would show them little Youtube clips from time to time, as I’m
a huge fan of the film, and of Judy Garland and my girls loved seeing her in
Summer Stock and in Meet Me in St. Louis. Garland’s appeal in the film, has not
waned a bit. Every time I watch The Wizard of Oz, I’m amazed at the range and
emotional depth of her performance, guiding the audience through this strange
land with the clarity and honesty of a seasoned actress despite her being 16
years of age at the time of casting. Garland was always sort of an old soul
though, and gives one of that all time great performances by any actress, and
it’s partly because of the innocence and transparity of her emotions. There’s
this little gesture she gives to Toto at the very end of the “Somewhere Over
the Rainbow” sequence where she leans over in a sort of weary moment of melancholy.
I don’t think I’d ever quite noticed the brief expression before this latest
viewing. There’s that pure and open graciousness as she says, “Very well thank
you,” to the Scarecrow. Or how about that moment when confronting the Wizard
when she brazenly says, “You outta be ashamed
of yourself!” It’s such a well-rounded performance and Garland’s approach was
so true to the actress that she would in fact become throughout the years. It’s
amazing how singular and effective is her style already at this young age.
There were some funny things about the film that I picked up this time
seeing it. I maybe have seen the film 20 times or so in my lifetime, but it’s
amazing what slips past your eyes so often. Garland has a moment right after
she’s slapped the Cowardly Lion and he’s beginning to whimper where she nearly
breaks a smile and almost begins to laugh but is able to hold it in. Check it
out for yourself at about the 51 minute mark. Then there’s the part where the
Munchkins are running after Glinda in the bubble and one of them is that “kid”
with the horn hair from the lollipop guild. Well, the next shot shows him
behind Dorothy in a moment of poor continuity. Then amazingly, in the scene
when they are putting the cape and the crown on the Cowardly Lion and they’re
walking up the little green carpet up the stairs, Garland almost stumbles over the
edge of the carpet that curls over a bit after the others walk up before her. These
imperfections are quite endearing in that it reminds me that the films’ power
does not lie in its technical prowess nor in its filmmaking per se. One can count
multiple moments of script incontinuity for instance. But it’s a reminder that sincerity,
human nature, and talented actors can entertain as much as or even more-so than
any special effects laden blockbuster can.
Sitting down to watch the film with small children who have never seen
it before became an interesting experience in and of itself. I thoroughly
enjoyed watching the film for myself, but more so, enjoying watching their
reactions and answering their questions. Such as, “Is this movie in black and
white or color?” (“actually it’s both)…….“Which road of the yellow brick road
is the right way?” (“you know what, I’m not sure”)….. “Is the witch going to come back later?” (“Yes
she will definitely be back.) …… “Why is that horse turning colors” (“because
it’s the horse of a different color”). I also realized that they seemingly
needed a bit of assistance to understand what was happening, and why she could
get to this place called Oz and why Miss Gulch had turned into the witch. We
discussed that even though it felt real, it was a dream and that she was
imagining that Miss Gulch was a witch. Part of the intensity of the film
though, is that it feels so hyper-real. Once the film enters the dream state,
one is quickly absorbed into the world, and so thorough is this effect once the
film bursts into color. One almost forgets entirely that it IS a dream as it
feels so emotionally real and linear. Although we talked about the film being a
dream early on, my girls were so believing that Dorothy was going to
die that they began to get worried once the hour glass began to empty. Thus,
much of the film’s power is brought about because of its dual power to both
reassure us of what we know and to challenge us toward overcoming our fears. One of my favorite elements is in fact
the way that Dorothy, the heroine, leads the group. She’s not quite so meek as
she calls herself, as she is a leader of a rag-tag assemblage of “misfits”. I’m
occasionally surprised at how often my children become conscious of the fact
that they don’t “fit in” for whatever reason. This film reassures us that it’s
okay to be imperfect and to make mistakes…..and also to keep trying and to take
on the challenges that come our way. These are lessons that we all sometimes
need to be reminded of.
