Summer Cinema's Best #1

Good morning everyone.  One month ago, I started the countdown of what I believe are the best all-time summer movies.  The problem is I was forced to limit that list to thirty movies.  I actually have another twenty, which would have made fifty.  I might actually post those in a short blog later this morning.  But one reason for offering up this list was to give you options opposite the glut of prequels, sequels, and remakes that've been permeating theaters in recent years.  The number one pick on the list is a work that's seen its own share of spinoffs and remakes.  But the re-makes that have been made from this classic will never compare to the original.  The movie to which I'm referring is the family favorite, The Wizard of Oz. 

So much has been said and written about The Wizard of Oz since its debut way back on August 25, 1939.  It's one of the longest running movies on tv every holiday season.  And it's one of the most discussed movies both among moviegoers, and students of the theater and film arts.  The discussions range from topics such as choreography, music, and cinematography, to the infamous conspiracy theory about the alleged death of one of the munchkins, among others.  Yes, it's largely different from the book from which it was adapted.  But that aside, it's still one of the most outstanding movies that's ever been created. 

It's been over seventy years since The Wizard of Oz originally debuted.  That it still generates so much discussion on so many topics proves how much of a landmark movie it is.  One of the main discussion topics that it still creates to this day is the alleged death of one of the munchkins.  So to start off, that myth needs to be debunked, for those who still believe it.  The myth in question is that one of the munchkins committed suicide in one scene.  That never happened.  Here's the reality of that old myth:  There was a large bird walking around in the scene that introduces the Tin Man.  It looked like a pelican, or some such. Later in that scene, as he, Dorothy, and the Scarecrow are readying to get back to their journey again, that same bird (or a second one), is seen in the far background moving around. What looks like a munchkin comitting suicide is actually just the bird in question flying around far off in the background. So what is possibly one of the greatest mysteries in film history has now been solved, much to the distate of probably thousands of audiences.  But there's the answer.  

Speaking of the bird being far off in the scenery, the scenery is another reason for the success of The Wizard of Oz.  The scenery/set art, and costumes create a lot of discussion among theater students at college campuses nationwide.  The people behind the scenes obviously paid a lot of attention to the detail of both.  For a movie of that time to so smoothly mix actual physical scenery with painted backdrops took a lot of skill.  Not to mention, making them so colorful to match what heads of the movie wanted. The costumes had to have taken as much time as the sets (if not more) to create because of the amount of detail for each character's outfit. 

The sets and costumes were only one part of what made The Wizard of Oz as great as it is.  The music and choreography add their own enjoyment to the movie.  It is a musical, after all.  So, these two are just as important as, if not more than, the costumes and sets.  Probably the most time intensive scene for choreography was the initial scene when Dorothy first landed in Munchkinland.  Considering the size of the cast in that scene, one can only imagine how much time and effort went into choreographing the dancing, and making sure everyone sang together.  The movie is loaded with lots of other scenes that had to have required immense planning.  But this was easily the biggest one of them all.

The music, choreography and sets used in The Wizard of Oz are some of the most impressive of any musical to date.  But they aren't the only factors that have made this movie as timeless as it is.  It's created discussions on each of the aforementioned topics.  But there are other topics that have been born from the story.  The most well known discussion topic is that of industrialism versus agriculturalism.  In the discussion, the Scarecrow supposedly represents agriculturalism.  And the Tin man is supposed to represent industrialism.  Some people argue that the Tin Man not having a heart is the basis for that.  The Scarecrow's kind personality, but lack of a brain is argued to represent how farmers were seen by the industrial leaders at the time.  And the Wizard himself is argued by some to represent the political figureheads that the ordinary people would talk about, but rarely ever get close enough to, in order to talk to them.  Whether or not any of these arguments hold water, the fact that they still happen so many decades later shows just how much staying power The Wizard of Oz has.

It's been over seventy years since The Wizard of Oz debuted.  Since that time, few films have managed the success that it's managed.  It serves as a beacon for theater students thanks to its music and choreography.  The discussion topics generated from its story are more than enough for any film studies course, or for discussion among any group of film afficianados.  And most of all, it's one of the greatest family friendly films of all time.  It may not be the greatest movie of all time.  Though it definitely is among that list.  But it goes without saying that it is the single greatest summer movie of all time. 

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Philip Sayblack can be contacted at psayblack@wnct.com