Another interesting point regarding the Wizard is the duality that exists between the character of the Wizard and the other characters he portrays in the film. Frank Morgan, the actor that plays the Wizard, also plays the parts of the gatekeeper, cabbie, and palace guard within the city of Oz. Coincidence or not, this duality presents an interesting viewpoint regarding the Wizard’s need for control within his city. By acting as the gatekeeper to the Emerald City, the Wizard can regulate who enters the walls, thus ensuring that those who do enter are easily susceptible to his ongoing deception. When Dorothy tells the gatekeeper that she wishes to see the Wizard, he seems frazzled and replies by saying “Nobody can see the great Oz, nobody’s ever seen the great Oz! Even I’ve never seen him!” (0:59:02). The only reasonable explanation to this strange response is that the select few that enter the city are chosen based upon the premises that they will succumb to …show more content…
the authority of the gatekeeper. Additionally, this statement is a blatant example of a BFL. The gatekeeper knows that he himself, and the Wizard, is a “humbug,” but chooses to protect his own identity in order to maintain his position of power (1:29:09). He recognizes the complexity of the situation and chooses not to reveal the truth to Dorothy and her friends in order to protect the façade he has so meticulously crafted. The cabbie and the palace guard are another case of the Wizard attempting to regulate the people closest to him.
More importantly, the palace guard is the direct line of communication to the outside world for the Wizard. Because of this, the Wizard has even better opportunity to learn about those who wish to see the him. When the Wicked Witch threatens Dorothy with the message in the sky, the guard still refuses to let anyone see the Wizard (1:02:24). He unconvincingly tells the crowd that “The great and powerful Oz has got matters will in hand” (1:02:57). It is only after Dorothy begins to cry that he decides to allow them to see the Wizard. Because the guard witnesses this breakdown of Dorothy’s confidence, he decides that she is in a vulnerable enough place in which she can be easily manipulated. Ultimately, this duality of characters falls into the deception category of a BFL. The BFL is an attempt to intentionally mislead, and truly, the Wizard is doing just that by playing multiple parts within the
film.
The narrative begins with Dorothy, who lives on a farm in a black and white setting presuming the absence of vitality and the insufficiency of a place that was in poverty at the time. However, when Dorothy is picked up by a twister and wakes up in the Land of Oz, she finds herself in a completely opposite environment full of life, beauty, and color filled with new found opportunities. On her quest to Emerald City, Dorothy is presented with a few characters who are The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion, and The Scarecrow who all feel like they need something more to complete them and they all seek out the “all powerful” wizard to obtain the things they want. The items they yearn for were a brain, a heart, and courage. Three things that we learn to utilize with experiences we go through. The characters eventually realize that they have always had what they have been longing for after the many obstacles they came through on their journey. In the end, Dorothy says, “If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't
The loin in the story has no courage and is seeking courage form the wizard in order for him to be the king of the jungle. He tries to scare people or even hurt them but he cant. The lion creates a direct comparison with William J. Bryant. This is because when William Bryant tried to solve the problem that was going on in the US Treasury by improving the treasury with free gold. Both the lion succeeds in protecting his forest and so does Bryant by receiving a higher rank in office, and becoming more popular.
The first major connection in The Wizard of Oz was the Scarecrow. The scarecrow was used to symbolize the farmers and their struggles in America in the 18th century (Foner, Eric 636-640). The scarecrow made of straw was vulnerable with no brain. The scarecrow had little control over the circumstances he was facing just as the farmers did in the 18th century. The western farmers had issues with overproduction and when prices fell farmers suffered ended up losing their farms (Foner, Eric
In Baum’s inventive and creative storyline of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, he uses a hidden trait that only some people can pick out. The symbol is using details throughout the story to represent different wealth and the path to a better life. The view of this story can be interpreted completely different between a child and an adult’s mind. In the story Dorothy gets her silver shoes when she successfully kills the Wicked Witch of the East. The two viewpoints are represented through kids believing that Dorothy is rewarded with beautiful shoes on the path to find Oz. In Novels for Students, they express how one person viewed Baum’s
Frank Baums, The Wizard of Oz is arguably one of the most popular films made. Even though it was released in 1939, nearly three-quarters of a century ago, the film continues to entertain audiences and speak to them in a personal way. The question that comes to the mind when analyzing this film is: What is it about this film that gives it such timelessness? When reflecting on the film’s timeless qualities, it seems clear the plot is one of the things that enable it to maintain its relevance. Primarily, the plot of The Wizard of Oz is timeless because it is such an excellent example of the heroic journey, both in literally and cinematically. This journey of self-awareness is a metaphor for growth, which is something we all search to discover at some time in our lives.
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 film directed by Victor Fleming, which follows Dorothy Gale on her journey through the magical land of Oz. Dorothy is swept away from a farm in Kansas to the land of Oz in a tornado and embarks on a quest to see the Wizard who can help her return to her home in Kansas. The director, uses a number cinematic techniques such as camera angles, lighting, colour and dialogue to portray a central theme of There’s no place like home.
“The Wizard of Oz” was for many years shown annually until the rights for the film were bought by Ted Turner the owner of Turner Classic Movies. After the movie was bought by Turner it has aired over 32 times since 2000. The songs and images from the movie are a recognizable part of American culture and have been borrowed from numerous artists, filmmakers, advertisers, and cartoonists. A number of films have been made in honor of “The Wizard of Oz” like “The Wiz” and “Wild at Heart” along with musicals like “Wicked”. The movie also inspired one of Elton John’s album cover for “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, lunchboxes, backpacks, and commemorative plates. The movie has also been referenced in many songs, such as “Tin Man” by America, and “Return to Oz” by Scissor
The Wizard of Oz the movie demonstrated all three stages Joseph Campbell's theory of the hero’s journey. The first stage or known as the departure of the hero. The hero in the movie is Dorothy. Dorothy’s call to depart is to run away from home to protect her dog Toto from being taken away from her inferior neighbor. While running away Dorothy comes upon Professor Marvel, a fortuneteller. Professor Marvel tells her that her Aunt Em is in danger and needs her assistance back on the farm. When returning to the house a twister hits the ground. As the winds started to get heavier the hero’s house moved across the air uncontrollably, but then she leaves home and enters a new world of talking animals and colorful objects. In the new world of the Oz
“Were off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of oz” One of the infamous phrases from one of the most well know classics of all time. The original movie titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was made in 1939 by Frank Baum. This film featured stars such as Judy Garland, Jack Hayley and many others. This was not only a movie, it was a fantasy, and a musical storytelling adventure with unusual characters that shook the audience. This was one of the first films to make it to the big screen with color. Because of its success, this film has been remade many times with multiple different spins making it rhetorical. Over the years this film has become one of the best films of all time and is still watched today among all ages
Shot 1: Wide shot. View behind Dorothy in black and white. Dorothy opens the door to the color world of Oz. She steps out into Oz and stops. Straight on shot, camera moves into Oz first through the door, followed by Dorothy appearing again in the foreground. Light symphonies playing magical music, birds are singing in the background.
What makes a film interesting? What makes it stand out from other films? What makes it unique? The visual design aspects of color and lighting in a film play a major role in giving the film meaning and depth. A lot of thought goes into what colors and lighting should be used that will help convey a mood and theme central to the film. You wouldn’t see dark colors and lighting used in a children cartoon, instead you see bright color and bright lighting. And vice versa; most horror films don’t focus on bright colors and bright lighting. In The Wizard of Oz (Dir. Victor Fleming, 1939) , the director uses bright colors and lighting to portray the moods of happiness, joy and innocence in Dorothy’s life. In contrast, dark colors and lighting that go hand in hand with the evil parts of Oz portray the
In the words of Michael O’Shaughnessy, ‘narratives, or stories, are a basic way of making sense of our experience’ (1999: 266). As a society and a culture, we use stories to comprehend and share our experiences, typically by constructing them with a beginning, middle and an end. In fact, the order that a narrative is structured will directly impact the way it is understood, particularly across cultures. This idea originated through Claude Lévi-Strauss’s concept of structuralism in anthropology which ‘is concerned with uncovering the common structural principles underlying specific and historically variable cultures and myth’ in pre-industrial societies (Strinati 2003: 85). In terms of media studies, structuralism’s inherent objective is to dig beneath the surface of a media text to identify how the structure of a narrative contributes to it’s meaning. Structuralism encompasses a large range of analytical tools, however, this essay will examine Joseph Campbell’s monomyth and Claude Lévi-Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions. Through analysis of Victor Fleming’s film, The Wizard of Oz (1939), it will be shown that although the monomyth and binary oppositions are useful tools with which to unveil how meaning is generated in this text, structuralism can undermine the audience’s ability to engage with their own interpretations of the film.
In the infamous movie, The Wizard of Ox, a magical tornado rips the Kansas, where a girl and her dog are taken away from their home to the magical land of Oz. Dorothy and her little dog Toto have to have been transported to this weird world, and now they have to travel down the yellow brick road. Along her journey down the yellow brick road she meets new friends. They are the Scarecrow, a Cowardly Lion, and a Tin Man. Each one the characters need something that the Wizard can apparently give them. The Lion wants courage, the Tin Man wants a heart, and the Scarecrow wants a brain. Lastly the main character Dorothy’s only wish is to go back home to Kansas. All she wants is to get back to good old Kansas, where everything is perfect, but was everything
The Wizard of Oz is a fiction story written by L. Frank Baum. The story has two main settings. The first setting is, Dorothy’s home, the Kansas prairies. The prairies are described as dry and gray. The second setting is the land of Oz. Oz is opposed from Kansas, it is colorful, bright, and full of joy. The Wizard of Oz has a grate theme or message behind the story. The message is that we all have good qualities in us, but it is up to us to use them.
The Wizard of Oz is a film created by MGM Studios in 1939, directed by Victor Fleming and starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, Frank Morgan as the Wizard and Margaret Hamilton as The Wicked Witch of the West. The Wizard of Oz is commonly known as the classic film of American cinema and is loved by many people. It can be classified as a Family, Fantasy, Musical film due to the touching messages told throughout the film, the magical special effects featuredn and the beautiful musical numbers highlighted in the film.