Just about anyone alive has seen the classic 1939 Wizard of Oz with Judy Garland. (If you haven't pretty much this entire blog will be a spoiler.) It's a well loved family classic. Of course, as such, the rumours of non family friendly things going on in the film must be spread.
These of course are things like "in the background of one of the scenes with Dorothy, The Tinman, and The Scarecrow, you can see one of the munchkins hanging himself." I have seen the scene in question and it is very clearly an oversized bird doing bird things. No suicides, hangings, or even the mauling of cast members. On the surface (and even the backgrounds) it is truly a family friendly film. Until you start to think about it.
There are some very screwed up things about that film. Let's start at the beginning. Well at least the beginning of the Technicolor. When Dorothy first arrives in Oz she discovers she's inadvertantly dropped a house on someone. She starts to think about how horrible that is, but before you know it a sparkling witch in a bubble shows up and tells her it's no big. Then a bunch of Munchkins show up and dance and sing about how happy they are this house fell on this lady. While in this movie it's not so terrifying, when my high school did the play with little children singing this song it was honestly very disturbing.
We never actually hear what this lady did that was so evil, but have it on what we assume is good authority (a glowing lady in a bubble) that she was in fact wicked. As soon as Dorothy is reassured that it was okay for her to drop her house on someone, that someone's sister shows up. As one would imagine, she's quite pissed. (Honestly, have someone drop a house on your sister and see how chipper you are.) This green lady threatens Dorothy because she DROPPED A HOUSE ON HER SISTER and we're still convinced the witch is the bad guy. (Probably because she threatened the dog. Threaten a person it's all good. Bring the dog into it, bitch, you better run.) To add insult to injury bubble lady insists on giving Dorothy the shoes of the person she dropped the house on. Not her next of kin. she does this right in front of the next of kin as well.
Dorothy then gets sent off down a path with directions as vague as, "Follow the yellow brick road. It will lead you straight to the Emerald City." Glinda of course doesn't mention the fact that there's a fork in the road. (Honestly, Glinda's a bit sadistic.) At this fork in the road Dorothy meets a brainless scarecrow who she sets free. They then after a musical number involving math and geography skip off down the path (assuming that they chose the right direction).
A little ways down the path Dorothy gets hungry. (Aparently, she ate up the giant lollipops that the Lollipop Guild gave her.) She plucks an apple of a tree. The tree then gets pissed and asks her how she'd like it if someone plucked something off of her. Once again Dorothy starts to apologize when the Scarecrow steps in and says, "I'll get you your apples, Dorothy." The Scarecrow then taunts the trees until they throw their apples at him. The tree had every right to be pissed in my opinion. Like it said wouldn't you be. No one in the movie gives Dorothy a chance to feel sorry about her misdeeds. Everyone just cheers her on.
They then oil a well rusted Tinman who in a matter of moments is able to dance and skip off along the road with them. They go off into the forest where they reform a bully of a lion into a nice fellow. He joins their crew in order to get courage (the one thing bullies lack).
They make it to Emerald City where they get all cleaned and dressed up. Then our friend the Wicked Witch of the West shows up and does some terrifying sky writing. Everyone in Emerald City freaks out and Dorothy and her pals are allowed to see the Wizard. The Wizard, who appears to be a giant floating head, tells them he'll give them what they want if they bring back the Wicked Witch's broomstick.
Now wait just a moment. The "Wicked" Witch has only threatened Dorothy up to this point. While that's not a nice thing to do, it's a perfectly reasonable thing to do to the person who intentionally or unintentionally killed your sister. Especcially if that person hasn't even appologized. The Wizard is telling a young girl to go and still an assumedly powerful witch's broomstick. (Glinda's not the only one who's sadistic.)
The Tinman, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Dorothy all head off to the Wicked Witch's Forest. This is the only time the Wicked Witch attacks anyone. Anyone who lives in Colorado knows about the make my day law. (I don't feel like explaining it so if you don't know what I'm talking about look it up.) She has a group of people heading for her house with the intention of stealing basically the equivalent of her car. (Granted, a broomstick's a lot cooler.) I'd sick my legion of flying monkey's on them too.
The Wicked Witch kidnaps Dorothy. She wants her sister's shoes. That's really the only thing the Witch asks for. It's when Dorothy (at the advice of Glinda) refuses to give them to her that things get nasty. Once again the Witch threatens her life. She uses a giant a hour glass and says she'll be dead when it runs out. There is in fact no proof that this is actually the case. (I'm thinking with a decent prosecution, Dorothy and her companions might just end up in jail.)
Tinman, Scarecrow, and Lion show up and rescue her. The Witch gets angry and launches a couple fire balls at then. She hits the Scarecrow and Dorothy dumps a bucket of water on the Scarecrow and the Witch who promptly melts. Dorothy once again starts to appologize for her actions when the Winkies all start celebrating that the Witch is dead. (Presumably they did a reprise of Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead, but Dorothy and friends left before they had to listen to it.)
Dorothy and Company return to the Wizard and show him the Witch's broom. He laughs (in all his big headed glory), "pulled the old bucket of water trick did you?" (It should be noted that all quotes are highly paraphrased.) If he knew water would make her melt, you'd think he could of told them that before sending them to their possible doom.
Toto our fury little friend then pulls a curtain and reveals that the Wizard is a fake. (Or at least the giant head is.) While, they're angry at first, the Wizard talks his way out of it. He gives them random objects (which presumably are rejects from his latest garage sale) and heartfelt feel good speaches. All is forgiven. He even says he'll take Dorothy home in his happy little hot air balloon.
The people of Emerald City (who don't seem all that surprised to discover that their Wizard is a short tubby little man) are all set to send the Wizard off. Dorothy says goodbye to friends. It's all warmhearts and the fuzzy yet sad feeling of goodbye, until the balloon acidentally gets launched without Dorothy. Dorothy starts to cry and so does the audience (admit the first time you saw it you cried. Granted you were probably five). Then Glinda floats in on her magic bubble all chipper and happy asking, "why are you so sad?"
She then explainns to Dorothy that she's wearing magical shoes that can take her home at any moment. She acts as though this is common knowledge then gives some bs speach about how Dorothy had to really want to go home before she could use them. I'm pretty sure Dorothy really wanted to go home when she found out a she dropped a house on someone. And I'm almost possitive she really really wanted to go home after the first death threat. Glinda could have told Dorothy about these magical little shoes. Dorothy could've gone home when she really wanted to when Dorothy decided she really wanted to.
Then it's all of course described as a dream that was brought on by a hunk of wood that could easily get a degree in psychology.
In the play that my high school put on a couple years back, there are two mildly disturbing things. One was just watching little children sing happily about someone's death. Another was at the very end instead of just having the Witches in Dorothy's dream killed off she awakens and is told that the mean lady at the beginning of the play had a telephone pole dropped on her and she's now dead. This wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't said with such nonchalance. They may not of liked her, but I doubt anyone would talk about how they're glad she's dead.
I still love the story, but it's got issues. (Actually, I might like it more because it does.)
No comments:
Post a Comment