Like most people i had very fond memories of watching this film on television with my family at Christmas. As a child i was mesmerized by the catchy songs, bright colours and captivating characters that this film contained. I remember very strongly my whole family, grandparents and all sitting down together and enjoying this movie. I feel that one of the factors that makes The Wizard of Oz so special is the fact that it can be enjoyed and appreciated by almost every generation, from the very young, to the elderly. This can be explained by the fact that almost everyone from the 1940's onwards has grown up with this film, either by watching it at the cinema n 1939, or on television since 1956. For many people, this film incapsulates their childhood, they associate it with cheerful and happy memories spent watching this family film at Christmas time, and so many people still enjoy this film as it possesses a certain sense of nostalgia.
Having grown up watching and enjoying The Wizard of Oz i went into the screening with relatively high expectations. I was hoping to feel the same enthusiasm and delight when watching the film. However I was slightly disappointed, it is hard to pinpoint the reasons why. I still enjoyed most, if not all of the songs in the film, i felt they were of a very high quality especially considering some of the rubbish musicals that are at the cinema now (Fame). I think the only reason why i was slightly let down was because of the conditions i was watching the film under, I wasn't at home with my family, it wasn't Christmas, and people weren't singing along.
I did however find it interesting to watch this film as an adult rather than as a child. I discovered that I picked up on small details that had totally bi-passed me when i was younger. For example I failed to recognise that the farmers Dorothy talks to in the opening section of the film are actually played by the same people as the Tin man, scarecrow and lion. These observations make the story go slightly deeper and make more sense. However as a child i barely even remembered the black and white sections of the film. Like many people, what stood out to me most as a child was the scenes involving vivid colours and the well known songs. After speaking to my mum, who watched the Wizard of Oz at the cinema in the 1960's, she said that this film was the first movie she had ever seen in colour and found it amazing. She also told me that after watching the film and going to sleep at night, she woke up the next day and told her mother that she had a dream in colour. I feel that this shows the impact that The Wizard of Oz has made on people my mums generation, to see colour at the cinema was something revolutionary. I think that the film was very clever to place such an emphasis on colour throughout the film, the images of the yellow brick road, the emerald city and Dorothy's ruby slippers all stick out very clearly in most peoples minds when thinking about the film.
After re watching the film I can see why people of any age group can enjoy the film. To still be shown on television and used as intertextual links within other modern programs made today, the film clearly must have done something correctly. I think the success can be summarized into three factors the first being the wonderful songs, some of which have been re recorded by modern artists, others that have been nominated for, and won academy awards. The second being the revolutionary way of using colour and the strong and easily identifiable images the film creates. I think the final reason for the long time success of this film is the ideology the movie creates. It's positive message that "There's no place like home." Has and in my opinion will continue to resinate with people all over the world for many years to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment