In my analysis of The Wizard of Oz I will argue that though the film appears to be a fantasy film intended for children, it goes beyond both its limited genre and the classical Hollywood form to create political commentary about its time. The majority of the film seems to be a political allegory that states that the collective group and the government will create a brighter future for America, however, it seems that by the ending the film becomes an objection to mass governmental intervention and brings the focus back onto the individual. This paper will explore how the use of color and sound composition effectively propelled the film’s transition from a dreary life to a place full of hope to carry on the political message that the government will help its people. This paper will examine how this political allegory was created by using the seven shots from 18 minutes and 58 seconds until 21 minutes and 05 seconds of screen time as its support. However, I will go deeper than this original assumption and look at the film as a whole, taking into account the historical-political situation of the time, to understand the film’s intentions at the conclusion of the film.
The Wizard of Oz (1939) directed by Victor Fleming is arguably one of the most well known movies of the century. The film was based on the book written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. However, the film takes the book to another level, allowing the audience to receive an intimate visual experience, while creating a magical place in the Land of Oz that uses sound and color to go beyond one’s imagination. Even now, with advanced special effects and high definition quality in current Hollywood films, people still appreciate Dorothy’s (Judy Garland) opening up of the door of her house in black and white and stepping into the Technicolor Land of Oz.
Though initially The Wizard of Oz was not commercially successful, it achieved its status and fame through annual televised airings starting on November 3, 1956. Where else can one watch munchkins, wizards, witches and “lions, tigers and bears oh my?” The annual TV airing became one of the most anticipated events of the year as families would gather around the TV to watch Dorothy, the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), the Tin Man (Jack Haley), and the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) travel through the mystical Oz and escape the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) in order to return Dorothy to her home and find a brain, heart and courage respectively for the other characters. It became the perfect family film because the movie’s explicit message is that even if it takes a journey to understand where you are and who you are, it may not be until the end of the road you will realize that “there’s no place like home.” The film emphasizes family as a core value. It has become such a household stable that whenever The Wizard of Oz is mentioned, people can instantly quote their favorite lines that they have memorized after watching the film again and again. However, beyond the messages at its surface, The Wizard of Oz attempts to become a political allegory for American society. The ideals used to establish its political messages, interestingly, have been relevant throughout our history and therefore is one main reason why this film has had timeless appeal.
The 1930s and some of the 1940s has been labeled “The Golden Age of Hollywood” because during that time the classical Hollywood period dominated film production. The 1930s was the decade of experimentation with the sound and color revolutions (Dirks). In addition, new genres were developed, new Hollywood stars were born and the studio system rose to elevated status. The Wizard of Oz is a classical Hollywood film that followed the narrative norms and conventions like that of other commercial cinema of its time. The Wizard of Oz was the movie that propelled Judy Garland into widespread fame and it was produced by one of the biggest production studios Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (or MGM).
Though the 1930s was a period of innovation and success for the film industry, it was far from a successful era for America’s economy. In the 1930s, America experienced the Great Depression, one of the worst economic disasters in American history, as well as the Dust Bowl, a series of droughts and dust storms in the Southern Plains that destroyed the crops and the lands and further hurt the American economy. The Wizard of Oz begins in Kansas, one of the states severely affected from the massive droughts, and then turns to a fantasy world in the Land of Oz to create political commentary on the American economic situation at that time. Throughout the Great Depression, political controversy was created over the extent of the power of the Government, as the government believed the people should turn to them as the ones who would bring the Depression to an end. The film attempts to weigh-out both government intervention as well as individual self-sufficiency throughout the film.
David Bordwell’s essay Classical Hollywood Cinema: Narrational Principles and Procedures can very much be related to The Wizard of Oz. It is no secret that on the surface, The Wizard of Oz follows many of the guidelines in Bordwell’s essay. After all, the film was created and filmed during the prosperity of the Classical Hollywood film that Bordwell writes about. The film follows Dorothy’s journey to find her way back to Kansas. Dorothy is the protagonist of the film who drives the narrative along and is therefore the subject of the audience’s gaze and “the chief object of the audience’s identification.” (Bordwell)
In the beginning of the film Dorothy is shown in Kansas, portrayed in black and white. Her situation in Kansas was dreary and dull. Her life revolved around the hard work and the mundane life of farming, her dog is in trouble with Miss Gulch and she sings about living a happier life. Prior to shot 1, Dorothy had been knocked unconscious by a windowpane and awakes to find herself in the midst of a twister. In shot 1, Dorothy’s house has just landed in Oz and her story in this new fantasyland begins. In these seven shots, the importance of the individual is emphasized. Dorothy is seen leaving her miserable life in Kansas and moving on to something new.
The focus of many of the films created during the “Golden Age” of the classical Hollywood cinema largely centered upon the human body. Dorothy is seen in three medium shots out of the seven shots total. These three shots emphasize gestures and facial expressions, thus allowing the audience to identify with Dorothy. For these shots, the focus on Dorothy (and Toto) helps bring the audience’s attention to them as they help carry along the narrative with their trip through Oz. In shot 3, the audience only gets a glimpse of the wonderful Land of Oz, which builds suspense. In shot 4, for the first time, Dorothy is shown in color, which brings the focus again back onto her. With the use of Technicolor, the mid-shot in shot 4 allows the audience to directly relate to Dorothy before getting blissfully lost in the Land of Oz, the land of hope and opportunity. In addition, the mid-shot of Dorothy in shot 4 emphasizes the curiosity and awe that Dorothy and therefore, the audience, had for the Land of Oz. Dorothy is experiencing so much “awe” that the audience relates to this and experiences this sensation as well. Shot 4 allows the audience to really appreciate Dorothy in vibrant colors before showing off Oz. The film lets Dorothy appear at first to be very important, but then later in the film and in the following shots, the film shifts the importance onto the group (whether it be the collective Munchkins or Dorothy and her friends the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow). The audience must focus on Dorothy first in order for the film to shift its attention onto the collective group. In shot 6, the first instance of the masses is shown when the Munchkins peek out of the bushes. The director is allowing for a small glimpse of the collective group before the total emergence happens.
Another similarity of The Wizard of Oz to classical Hollywood films is the narrative structure and its dual plot line. Since Dorothy was only 12, the heterosexual romance does not necessarily make sense, but nevertheless there is arguably a romance that exists between the Scarecrow and Dorothy. This can be seen when Dorothy says, “I think I will miss you the most” in the end of the film. The other plot line is the quest of the protagonist which is of course Dorothy escaping the Wicked Witch of the West and finding the Wizard who Dorothy believes will guide her home. In addition, the film follows aspects of the classical Hollywood cinema by its use of continuous editing. Time was consistent. The linear time progression can be followed with eyeline matches, shot reverse shots, and continuous editing between shots, which is used throughout the film (for example, there is continuous editing between shot 1 and 2- Dorothy reaches for the door and the next shot we see Dorothy stepping through the door).
This movement into a dream world of hope and opportunity is emphasized by the transition from black and white to Technicolor. One of the most fascinating scenes is in shot 3, when Dorothy opens the door of her house and steps into Oz. From 1922 to 1952, three-stripe Technicolor was the filming process of choice in Hollywood and was characterized as hyper-realistic, saturated levels of color. Technicolor was especially used in filming musicals (The Wizard of Oz and Singin’ in the Rain) and animated films (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). As mentioned in the book “Film As Social Practice IV” by Graeme Turner, color is used in the fantasy world of Oz, while the real world, or Dorothy’s home in Kansas, is represented by the black and white. (Turner 28) The color composition is fascinating, especially for its time. At the time of The Wizard of Oz’s production, color films were rare and expensive and The Wizard of Oz’s use of Technicolor was a defining aspect in helping to transform and enhance the Land of Oz from ordinary to an extraordinary fantasyland. In shot 1, Dorothy looks back and out of the frame in this shot four times emphasizing the split between the old life and the new. Essentially, she is stepping into the fantasy/Land of Oz and out of Kansas. Even though Dorothy looks behind to where Kansas once was, she does not turn back because she is enticed by the allure of what is beyond that door. A large door appears in shot 3. For almost a whole second it is the only object in the shot. The door takes up most of the shot emphasizing its importance because it represents the break between the old and the new, unknown world. Dorothy excitedly runs up to the door and opens it without looking back. Dorothy walks forward into the Land of Oz, ultimately symbolizing her belief in positive change and hope. The color in the Land of Oz creates an exciting and hopeful feel, just as government intervention was supposed to create in the minds of Americans.
In addition, the sound composition in the shots after Dorothy steps into Oz at 19:29 till 20:46 seconds of screen time is really important to show Oz as an even more exciting place. The contrast from silence to sound is important in transforming the film from Kansas to Oz, from dreariness to cheerfulness. When Dorothy steps out of her house in shot 3, the sound is a mixture of chirping birds, high-pitched chimes, oohs and ahhs. The use of sound is effective in further emphasizing the importance of government intervention because the sound creates a happy, exciting, and mystical feel. When Dorothy walks into Oz the film score goes back to the song Dorothy sang in Kansas, and one of the most famous songs from a film, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” This song helps the audience realize that Dorothy’s dream to find that special place has just come true. For the first time in shot 5, the camera pans over the curvy Yellow Brick Road, and new sounds are heard. It’s cheerful and upbeat to help juxtapose the Yellow Brick Road with adventure and a sense of hope. Can this yellow brick road take Dorothy home? Can it bring America out of economic turmoil? Dorothy also helps create this feel by her continued fascination with the new place and by speaking the famous lines in shot 6 and 7, “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. We must be over the rainbow!” The sound in this sequence really helps create the mystical feel of the fantasyland. The chirping birds and the mystical chimes of the music help emphasize the happiness of Oz that has yet to come.
In shot 5, the audience is able to fully appreciate the beauty of Oz. The sequence following Dorothy’s entry into Oz has great use of space and establishes enthusiasm for Oz. In addition to the use of sound in shot 5, this shot is visually appealing because of the bright colors and lighting and the sparkling alive nature of the background of Oz juxtaposed to Dorothy’s house which is shown from the outside colored in a grayish tone. The camera’s slow panning movement over the land further helps accentuate Oz’s importance and mystical feel and presents an ideal image. As applied to Stephen Heath’s Narrative Space, this shot of the Land of Oz “serves, that is, as a kind of master fold in the sequence, setting it correctly in place.” (Heath 41) This shot of just images of a mystical land lacks any dialogue or action, but its essence alone is very important in creating the appeal and hope that the Land of Oz will bring for Dorothy (and essentially, what government will bring to the people). When the Munchkins come out later in the sequence, the songs, dances and energy further help create enthusiasm for governmental intervention. In this sequence, a happy mood is created by the film techniques that emphasize movement and action.
Not only does the film allow for an escape into a dream world of hope and fantasy, but as just explained, it is also a film with political commentary about themes that exist in the past and present. Hollywood films embedded American themes in their narrative whether as an underlying message or explicitly. The film was created in the midst of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. Though the film was produced during this turmoil, the politics in the film were idealistic and ambiguous so that they have lasting effects in America even today. Dorothy and her friends represented the common people who each have weaknesses, leading them to believe that they need a higher source to help them solve their problems. This can be related to the state of the American people at this time. Americans were hoping for a brighter future and positive images while destruction and failure of the economy was all around them. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the President of the U.S. and he enacted a series of governmental programs called the New Deal to help America’s economy. The New Deal was all about government helping the people, so therefore, the dominant ideology of that time was that the “government is the people” and good will result from the working of the two together. In these seven shots, the film eases its audiences into the new concept of governmental intervention. The first few shots emphasize Dorothy, while contrasting her with the black and white Kansas. The black and white Kansas represents the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl and the bleak economy and the bright, sharp Technicolor is used for the Land of Oz to represent a fantasy world of hope. In addition, the next few shots of Oz begin the transition to the hope that the government will bring for America. Soon, the film follows Dorothy and her friends across the Land of Oz in order to find the Wizard who they believe will guide them on the right path to achieve their goals.
However, the end of the film attempts to reverse the happy images that have just been created. Along the Yellow Brick Road, tainted images come to life. Oz is not what it first appears to be. The Wicked Witch of the West and her evil monkeys, the scary forest and the drug induced poppy fields show that the Land of Oz was not as happy and hopeful as it originally presented itself. The film wants Americans to remember where they came from and to not become carried away with seemingly enticing offers. Even though Dorothy had a miserable life at home, by the end of the film all she wants is to go home. Prior to the implementation of the governmental programs, the American economy was generally laissez-faire. Looking back at the film as a whole, the main political statement that the film makes is that Americans can be self-sufficient and should not wait for the government to take action. This belief is basically an anti-governmental message and puts the power in the common people. The Wizard of Oz provides examples of why the government cannot be trusted. For example, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion all go to the Wizard believing that he can solve their problems. However, the Wizard cannot help at all and instead he tells them that the things they were looking for were inside them all along. Another interpretation of the film as written by Salman Rushdie in his book The Wizard of Oz, is that the film’s driving force is all about the inadequacy of adults to help children, Auntie Em and Uncle Henry cannot protect Dorothy from the evil Miss Gulch just like the Wizard can’t bring Dorothy home. In the end, it’s up to Dorothy to find independence within herself. (Rushdie 10) Dorothy must believe in herself and with a few taps of her heels she is transported back home. It isn’t until the end of the adventure that she grows up on her own to fill those ruby slippers. I believe Rushdie’s interpretation correlates to the inadequacy of government to solve the common people’s problems. These characters represent the American working class as this film wanted Americans to “take initiative and don’t wait for the government to solve your problems.” (Levy)
So what once seemed like a simple children’s film, no longer seems to be that innocent anymore. The Wizard of Oz is rich in meaning in both historical and political context. Though my interpretation of the film is just one out of many, I believe that overall the film’s take-home message is to focus on the individual’s self-sufficiency over government intervention. The use of color and sound in the clips that were analyzed were important methods used to create the initial appeal of government intervention. However, my main point is supported when the Wizard tells Dorothy in the end, “I'm a very good man. I'm just a very bad wizard.” This parallels the goodness in the individual over the untrustworthy government. Its timeless appeal exists because the film is not only entertaining but also has important substance.
Works Cited:
Bordwell, David. “Classical Hollywood Cinema: Narrational Principles and Procedures.” Adopted from Narration in the Fiction Film (1995), 18
Dirks, Tim. “Film History of the 1930s.” American Movie Classics Company LLC. 2009. 2 December 2009. http://www.filmsite.org/30sintro.html.
Heath, Stephen. “Narrative Space.” Questions of Cinema (Theories of Representation and Difference). Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c1981. 41.
Levy, Emanuel. “Wizard of Oz: American vs. Universal Messages.” 2008. 2 December 2009. http://www.emanuellevy.com/search/details.cfm?id=278
Rushdie, Salman. The Wizard of Oz. London: British Film Institure, c1992.
Turner, Graeme. Film As Social Pracitce IV. New York, NY: Routledge. 28.
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