THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
What can you say? This is the kind of film that you love as a child; then, much to your delight, you find that it still amazes and entertains you even when you`re older, and not just out of any sense of childhood nostalgia. The songs are great; the technicolor production values are amazing; indeed, everything about this film places you in the wonderful world of Oz. More important, however, the makeup, dialogue, and performances combine to create memorable fantasy characters out of the Tin Woodsman, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow. Unlike too many special effects creations today (are you listening, Lucas? I`m talking about Jar-Jar), this trio of impossible being manage to become totally believable and lovable characters.
Fortunately, the human in their midst doesn`t fade into the background, thanks to the magic of Judy Garland. She may have been a bit old for the part, but somehow the power of her star charisma and vocal talent overcomes that tiny discrepancy. And Margaret Hamilton, as the Wicked Witch of the West, gives one of the great examples of exuberantly evil acting: she takes the performance farther and farther in each new scene, yet somehow she never goes too far or descends into camp. (Maybe Glenn Close could learn a thing or two.) This is a film that has lost none of its magic during the sixty-one years since its original reelase.
--Steve Biodrowski
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