Review of “The Wizard of Oz”

Review of “The Wizard(ˈwizərd) of Oz”

By Roger Ebert

As a child I simply did not notice whether a movie was in color or not. The movies themselves were such an overwhelming mystery(ˈmist(ə)rē) that if they wanted to be in black and white, that was their business. It was not until I saw “The Wizard of Oz” for the first time that I consciously(ˈkänSHəslē) noticed B&W versus color, as Dorothy was blown(blōn) out of Kansas(ˈkanzəs) and into Oz. What did I think? It made good sense to me.

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We study all of these details, I think, because “The Wizard of Oz” fills such a large space in our imagination. It somehow seems real and important in a way most movies don’t. Is that because we see it first when we’re young? Or simply because it is a wonderful movie? Or because it sounds some buried(ˈberēd) universal note, some archetype(ˈärkəˌtīp) or deeply felt myth(miTH)?

I lean toward the third possibility, that the elements in “The Wizard of Oz” powerfully fill a void that exists inside many children. For kids of a certain age, home is everything, the center of the world. But over the rainbow, dimly(ˈdimlē) guessed at, is the wide earth, fascinating(ˈfasəˌnādiNG) and terrifying(ˈterəfīiNG). There is a deep fundamental fear that events might conspire(kənˈspī(ə)r) to transport the child from the safety of home and strand(strand) him far away in a strange land. And what would he hope to find there? Why, new friends, to advise and protect him. And Toto, of course, because children have such a strong symbiotic(ˌsimbīˈädik) relationship with their pets(pet) that they assume(əˈso͞om) they would get lost together.

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https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-wizard-of-oz-1939