The Wizard of Oz Film Response
- jessicadawnruiz
- Jun 25, 2015
- 5 min read
Jessica Ruiz 09-21-2013
There is no wondering why The Wizard of Oz has stood the test of time. The artistic aspects of this film make it colorful and easy to watch over and over again. Upon doing research, I was fascinated with all of the little things I had never considered regarding the making of this classic film I enjoyed when I was young and am now able to share with children of my own. (We really did have a good time, by the way, eating our popcorn balls and enjoying the film!)
Anyone who appreciates the film knows how the use of bright colors upon opening the door to the land of Oz causes the viewer to become more engaged with the film. There is an interesting history of the transition from the use of sepia tones and black and white. The original film was produced using sepia during all scenes in Kansas. However, in 1949 when the movie was re-issued, it was decided to make these scenes black and white. During the 50th anniversary of the film's debut, they decided to go back to the original sepia. As intricate as this artistic measure was, it is interesting that viewers do respond as it does change the effect it has on the movie. I fall into the majority as I prefer the sepia Kansas scenes over black and white (Wikipedia).
I am surprised at the profound effect the black and white or sepia tones used in Kansas has on the stigma of our geographical area. At http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index…, Nicole Smith poses the question, “What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Kansas (not pertaining to The Wizard of Oz)?” Some of the answers were tornado, corn, grass, and flat. Although she had to specify that she did not want this word association to correlate to the film, these answers all depicted the immediate association most people not from this area have about Kansas. The clever use of sepia tones in the Kansas scenes are overpowered by the beauty of Oz, and I feel this has a direct correlation with the common perception people around the world have of our state as being drab and boring (Yahoo).
Technicolor is a color motion picture process that was introduced in 1916, and it added a whole new aspect of the artistry that could go into film making. The team that created The Wizard of Oz did a fantastic job of incorporating this innovation into the film. I can only imagine how the radiant splash of color must have intrigued audiences that were accustomed to film in black and white. While I believe part of the reason they decided to keep Kansas in sepia was to depict the geographical location, I think they also used it to their artistic advantage in another way. The viewers at that time would think they were watching a typical movie, and then they would be sucked in by the sudden use of color once Dorothy and Toto arrive at the beautiful land of Oz (Wise).
While the use of artistry in this film was clever and very innovative for it's time, advancements in chemistry were not as fine tuned as they are in our modern world, causing an actor to become very ill. Few realize that the original actor who was to play the famous Tin Man was not Jack Haley. Buddy Ebsen was to set out on the famous quest for a heart, but the makeup used to create the metallic comrade contained aluminum dust. After a short period of time, Ebsen began to complain of shortness of breath, and his lungs completely failed at one point. Unfortunately, that ended his role in a film that could have taken his career to a new level. This obvious health risk made it necessary to try something new. The crew created a paste rather than dust that would instead be painted on . Although this, too, caused a reaction, Haley was able to complete the filming even though he suffered with an eye infection. Interestingly, the production crew paid tribute to Ebsen by including his recording of the song “We're Off to See the Wizard” in the movie (About).
I found it interesting how little changes to the artistic quality of the film did result in time delays, but I think it was worth the setback. Dorothy is a simple girl from Kansas. She did not wear heavy makeup, and her checkered dress and little dog made her fit in well with the depiction of Kansas. It also set her apart from the lavish of Oz and helped the audience remember that she is not from this magical land. However, the original depiction of Dorothy was nothing of this nature. She was made to wear an elaborate blond wig and lots of makeup. Unfortunately, once the crew decided this was not the best artistic move, they had already shot several scenes, and they all had to be recorded again (Wiki).
Another artistic aspect the movie incorporated was keeping the original depiction of the Munchkins the way they were portrayed in the original book, and this took a significant amount of work. For starters, the producers had to find little people who were willing to appear, enticing them with $125 per week. Once they had their crew, the task of creating over 100 appealing costumes was on. According to Meinhardt Raabe, the actor who played the coroner, each Munchkin had to be photographed and cataloged that first grueling day to ensure the makeup application would be able to be matched each day of shooting this memorable scene. Next time I watch the show, I know I will be paying more attention to individual Munchkin to see if I notice any differences as their makeup is reapplied (Wiki).
Aside from the seemingly uninteresting scene set in Kansas and the magical world of Oz, there was one more scene viewers are taken to that adds much of the excitement of the movie. As a child, I could not help but feel nervous anticipation for the characters on screen as they head off to the territory of the Wicked Witch of the West. Her character was very well designed. The brilliant green skin always captivated me. The scary birds with the glowing eyes were also frightening. I feel the crew did a really good job transitioning the audience from an exciting time of preparing to see the wizard to a frightful, life-threatening situation. No longer was the scene bright and cheery. It was dark, and danger appeared to be lurking in every corner.
From the tornado to the very scenic route along the yellow brick road, I know a lot of work went into painting those enormous backdrops that depict what lies ahead. My favorite one is the painting of Emerald City as the four new friends skip toward the hope they'd been traveling for. As a kid, I thought it was real. I was disappointed that I could not find much information about the crew who painted these original backdrops, but it was interesting to find that they were inspirational enough to cause people today to spend hundreds of dollars for wall-sized replicas for kids' rooms.
Although this movie is old, it will continue to captivate the hearts of viewers into the future. The clever artistic choices that were made in the production of this masterpiece were extremely innovative for the time, and, even with all of the special effects and graphics that are available to movie producers today, what they did with the resources they had available will continue to maintain iappeal.
Works Cited
“Wikipedia” The Wizard of Oz (1939 Film). http://en.wikipedia.org/wi…/The_Wizard_of_Oz_%281939_film%29
Yahoo Answers. “The Film Director” Nicole Smith. 2011 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index…
Wise Geek.. “What is Technicolor?” http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-technicolor.htm
About.Com Chemistry “The Tin Man's Toxic Metal Makeup.” Anne Marie Helmenstein, Ph.D. October 28, 2012.
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