Technicolor And The Wizard Of Oz

The Wizard of Oz was a technological innovation of film and changed the way movies were presented to audiences. The Wizard of Oz was the definition of high tech for its time; this film utilized the Technicolor number 4 process which gave audiences a more realistic feel and connection with the movie. The Wizard of Oz also accurately portrayed the time period of the Great Depression; this film shows the desolate Kansas and gives the feeling of how bad the United States was during this time period. The Wizard of Oz has been a staple in classic films for decades; the implications that this film hold for the past, present, and future is endless. This film also was during a time of American history where America was in the verge of entering World

War II. The film has significant themes and symbolism to correspond with being produced during this crucial time period. The Wizard of Oz grasps a place in American film history as one of the most influential films of all time; this was achieved by utilizing new and superior special effects and coloring process of the time which provided the audience with an escape from the problems of the real world.
The Wizard of Oz was one of the most advanced films of its time.

It utilized a new coloring process that was invented by Technicolor called the number 4 process. Jon Lewis writes,” Finally in 1932, Kalmus introduced Technicolor process No. 4 (also known as three-strip Technicolor), a three-color system that would become the industry standard in color film production for the next twenty years.” This new color process allowed the film to come alive and draw the audience in for a more captivating experience. The Wizard of Oz plays the color film, which was not a standard of the time, to its fullest potential by contrasting color with black and white. The films shows the real world, which for this film is Kansas, in black and white and, the film shows the mystical Land of Oz in full color. Carol Billman writes,” Seeing is believing in Oz. In the film, spectacular vistas appear, one after another, before the travelers. . . The cumulative effect of these vistas is that the viewers of the film do – as readers of the novel do not – have a point of view. We see things along with the four travelers, and we share in particular Dorothy’s awe at the foreign and marvelous things she sees.” This contrast helps the audience experience an escape from the bleak and dreadful Great Depression and provides them with the colorful and perfect Land of Oz where all your dreams come true by following the yellow brick road. This Hollywood trick of contrasting two opposites with the use of color

and black and white provides the audience with a yearning to go to the Land of Oz and escape the harsh conditions of the Great Depression.
The Wizard of Oz utilized many other state-of-the-art techniques for its time to create a wonderland that the audience could escape to.

One such technique that the director used to help bring the film to life was the use of special effects. Numerous special effects were added to the film to help create a more realistic feel. Bilman writes,” Special visual effects, moreover, are put to intelligent use in the film; they enhance the visual dimension of the story. Arnold Gillespie, director of special effects, and his staff invented a thirty-five foot muslin cyclone suspended by and overhead crane to re-create the cyclone that transports Dorothy to Oz.” This use of special effects adds to the realistic feel of the film and further draws the audience in the Land of Oz. The Wizard of Oz had many new special effect scenes including the scene where the Wicked Witch spells out “Surrender Dorothy” in the sky with her broom. This adds a feeling of magic to the movie and further creates the illusion of the mystical Land of Oz. The Wizard of Oz uses many new special effects that were groundbreaking for the time period to create an aura of magic and awe to draw the audience into the mystical Land of

Oz.
The Wizard of Oz was written during a time of turmoil in the United States. World War II had just started and the United States was unsure of its place in the War. A feeling of isolationism was prevalent throughout America. Themes like this are seen hidden through The Wizard of Oz. Lynette Carpenter writes,” The final scenes emphasize the film’s moral, using the platitude, “There’s no place like home,” to transport Dorothy back to Kansas. . . Once home, “home,” Dorothy expands on the lesson she has learned, and ends the film with the by now predicable last line. Even if Dorothy’s adventures in Oz were part of a dream, they were sufficiently unpleasant enough to make her repent of running away and promising never to leave home again.” This shows the American view of the time which was isolationism. This symbolism describes how Americans felt about the War and not wanting to fight in it. America was trying to stay neutral in the war and keep out of it. The American people did not want to fight in another world war. The moral of the film proves that there really is no place like home. The American people were hoping that War World II was really a bad dream and that they would not have to get involved, but, as we now know, they were wrong
The Wizard of Oz is a beautiful crafted film that takes a magical children’s story and brings it to life by utilizing the newest in film technology and special effect. These effects and techniques help draw the audience into a mystical land where they can escape the harsh reality of the Great Depression and the looming World War II. This film also has underlying symbolism in it that shows how Americans were thinking at the time and what they felt. The Wizard of Oz has a core tone that home was better off than any other place. Americans had embraced the isolationism idea that no place was better than home and home is all that America needed to worry about. Americans did not wish to go overseas to fight a war that did not matter to them; this ideal was evident with the underlying themes of The Wizard of Oz and other films of this time period. The Wizard of Oz was somehow able to take a children’s fairytale and bring to life by using color and special effects while also imbedding the way American’s felt at the time; this created a major film which children and adults alike can continue to enjoy and relate to today.