The Wizad of Oz

[Sator]

I don't mean to offend anyone, but could some of you Americans please tell me and all the other people, why is everyone in the USA so obsessed with that movie? I mean come on, I've seen a billion references all over the media and entertainment industry. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." - even i use this line, and English is not my native language..
And all those yellow brick road and wicked witch of the west and scarecrow-tin man-lion scenes in the movies and shows, even cartoons... It's a bit too much i think. It almost looks like a nation wide cult or something - and to think, all that attention devoted to a simple 70s movie. I bet one of every three Americans can quote The Wizard of Oz, but only one of every ten could quote Shakespeare. Is it just me, or is that really wrong?

[kathycf]

Wow, I did not notice this thread before. I see that it was not posted very long ago, so I will go ahead and respond. First of all, I would like to correct a few misunderstood things.

1.) Everybody in America, is not obsessed by this movie. Although I will grant you it has a cult following, there are some people who have never heard of this film. It is typically shown on TV at least once every couple of years, thusly I think it is a film many people have grown up with. Often there is a nostalgia based on things we grew up with.

I also doubt that one of of three people can quote this movie, outside of the popular culture references you yourself mention.
"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore".

There are also many people in the US who can quote Shakespeare, James Joyce or even L. Frank Baum, the author of the book on which this movie is based.

2.) This is not a "simple film from the 1970's". It is a rather complicated film from 1939. One of the things that stand out to me about this film is it's widespread use of the (new at the time) color film technology. Although technicolor was first used in approximately 1917, The Wizard of Oz was one of the first American films to widely use it.

3.) I confess, I have never cared for this movie myself. However, I still make a point to turn it on just for the sequence when Judy Garland sings "Over the Rainbow". Garland was an extremely talented and troubled individual and her voice is very powerful and moving. Other than that, I have no compelling reason to watch the movie, nostalgia or otherwise.

Well, I hope you are still interested in this topic, it has been a little over a month or so since it was posted. Incidently, if you are interested in learning more about author L.Frank Baum, you can go here to do so:

L. Frank Baum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[fable]

Nice reply, Kathycf, including all the corrections.

A few additional points: just as every nation has its favorite programs that make people elsewhere ask, "Why?", the Wizard of Oz has a lengthy history on the medium. It began running in the early 1950s, and has been seen annually ever since. Thus, to a lot of adults, it has the aura of childhood pleasure attached to it. Just as a a teen of today, who might enjoy a particular game, could potentially feel a thrill at finding their copy 20 years on.

It is a fairy tale of wishing to escape from problems, discovering one can't, and finding marvelous things out about the universe that help you face up to your responsibilities. This is considered a classic formula for some of the most popular fiction of all time, from Apuleius' The Golden Jackass (written 2000 years ago) to the Lord of the Rings.

I think USians do tend to be obsessive of escaping from reality. It's part of our culture, an ugly part, in my opinion. However, there are many people on this board who are not USians that ask details about how to get to romances in RPGs, or how to get the greatest character using the best class and weapons. All of this is also obsessive behavior, whether you live in the US or not, and whether it's associated with television, or not.

The film is well written, directed, composed, and acted. I get the impression that you've never seen it. If this is the case, perhaps you should check it out. Obviously, you will miss out on some of the cultural aspects, but then, so did modern USians, who no longer live on small, isolated farmhouses in the middle of Kansas (at least, not without cable tv and the Internet), and who no longer have traveling medicine men hawking cure-alls, as they once did throughout Europe and the US: the original tinkers. But still, you would get a sense of how well made it is.

As for the pop references: the reason they've crossed from this film into other cultures is the Baum's books have an international audience. Just as Harry Potter, a UK series, is very popular all over the place. Why doesn't this surprise you about Harry Potter, but it does about Wizard of Oz? Or do you think, Sator, that once anything is more than 10 years old, it should quietly vanish from the landscape of ideas?

[DesR85]

I remember watching the Wizard of Oz many years ago. Not up till the point of becoming obsessed with it, though. Enjoyed the movie, but that's as far as it goes.

[kathycf]

One thing I thought of is the film The Wiz. When Sator made a reference to a "simple 70s movie" it occured to me that maybe he (sorry if I confused gender here) had seen The Wiz and was confusing it with it's predecessor The Wizard of Oz.

The Wiz was a musical adaptation of Baum's book and it was made in 1978. It was nominated for several Oscars including best original song and starred Diana Ross as Dorothy (the Judy Garland character in the 1939 film). Ross is a talented singer, but I always thought her voice a bit "thin"...certainly not as good as Garland's but that is purely subjective on my part. Anyway...here is a link about the movie.
The Wiz (1978)

It was the 70s, so the music is kind of disco-ey...I guess that is why I don't care for it all that much either.

Wow, do I have alot of useless movie trivia in my head or what!?

[fable]

-The Wiz was all glitterings smiles, cliches, superficiality and insincerity. It was trash. But it also never entered into the national lexicon, much less the international one. The comments about not being in Kansas anymore, about following the Yellow Brick Road, etc, are only found in the MGM 1939 film, not in The Wiz.

By the way, The Wizard of Oz was a failure in the theaters when it came out. It was a matter of timing. With the horrors of WWII upon them, my parents' generation couldn't care less for a fantasy. It didn't gain a devoted following until it showed up on television in the early 50s. My sister-in-law is nuts about the film.

[kathycf]

Originally Posted by fable

-The Wiz was all glitterings smiles, cliches, superficiality and insincerity. It was trash. But it also never entered into the national lexicon, much less the international one. The comments about not being in Kansas anymore, about following the Yellow Brick Road, etc, are only found in the MGM 1939 film, not in The Wiz.

Yes, I understand that. That is why I thought he may have heard the popular culture references pertaining to the original "Oz", yet may also have confused the two films. If you aren't all that familiar with US movies I suppose it could happen. Just trying to cover all the bases..again I think it Sator's reference to the film being made in the 70s; and The Wiz was made in the 70s, that got me thinking about it.

Aw, nuts, now I have that stupid "Ease on down the road song" from the wiz stuck in my head. (I saw it on TV once a long time ago.). I was never that into The Wizard of Oz, but The Wiz was just dumb.

[Sator]

OK my bad i just made an assumption on when the movie was filmed.. That's why i said the 70's.. I didn't do a search on wikipedia on it on purpose, i wanted to hear out your opinions and just present my point-of-view as I've had it for several years. In fact, i have seen The Wizard of Oz, and i don't hate it. I would even play it to my kids some day i suppose. What i didn't get is why did it become such a widespread phenomenon in the US culture.. It's everywhere, from that annoying Chef Boyardee commercial, to cartoons to even recent motion pictures. I don't think the movie is bad, just that it's undeserving of all that attention. Same goes for Paris Hilton, but that's a different story Well thanks for the replies anyway and i apologize if I've offended anyone

[kathycf]

I didn't find anything you said offensive.

I think again, you have to consider the fact that the film has been shown on TV for decades. A lot of people grew up with the film, and as I mentioned I tend to think there is a certain fondness for things we grew up with.

I still say however, that I think you are over-estimating the film's power...it may have it's fans but it is not some nation wide cult thing. There are popular culture references to it, yes but again as it has been shown on TV for so many years I think that was bound to happen.

[fable]

Originally Posted by kathycf

I still say however, that I think you are over-estimating the film's power...it may have it's fans but it is not some nation wide cult thing. There are popular culture references to it, yes but again as it has been shown on TV for so many years I think that was bound to happen.

I agree with Kathycf on this. The Wizard of Oz is more of a favorite that people enjoy watching over the years, like that New Years Eve favorite in Germany, Dinner for One. It's not a cult film series like Star Wars that makes teenage boys' brains ooze out of their heads, and obsess upon nothing except pseudo-philosophical drivel. One or two quotes from it have filtered into common usage, but that happens with just about every popular tv show, too. Since Oz has been on every year, and remains a kiddie favorite in the original book form, the lines have just never completely died away.