[DoodleBob]

Pink Floyd agrees.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Some movies…lots of Disney classics…I appreciate more with time…

It’s a Wonderful Life ditto.

For some reason Wizard of Oz doesn’t fill me with the same sense of wonder it did as a child. I can feel the corporate studio-ness of it all. And Judy Garland’s emotional baggage.

[crusty old prospector]

I’m still afraid of the flying monkeys.

[Preachin']

As I’ve aged, I think Glenda was terrible for making her take that dangerous journey instead of telly her about clicking her heels together after she got the shoes.

It’s like she was playing a game and using Dorothy as her game piece.

She seems to have been a member of the political swamp.

[ansel12]

This seals it, I am promising myself that I will finally watch the movie sometime this winter.

[dfwgator]

[Az Joe]

The "Wizard of Oz" is widely interpreted as a political allegory, particularly of the Populist movement in the late 19th century United States. Many elements of the story, like the characters, settings, and plot points, are seen as symbolic representations of real-world people, places, and ideas from that era.

Here's a breakdown of the common interpretations:

Dorothy: Represents the average American, particularly from the Midwest.

The Yellow Brick Road: Symbolizes the gold standard, the basis of the US monetary system at the time, according to some interpretations.

The Emerald City: Represents Washington D.C. or the power of money.

The Wizard: Often interpreted as a symbol of powerful political figures, particularly those associated with the gold standard, according to some analyses.

The Wicked Witch of the East: Represents the Eastern financial interests that controlled the gold standard. The Wicked Witch of the West: Represents the forces of nature that farmers struggled against.

The silver slippers (or ruby slippers in the movie): Represent bimetallism (the use of both gold and silver as currency), a key issue for the Populist movement. The Scarecrow: Represents the American farmer.

The Tin Woodman: Represents the industrial worker.

The Cowardly Lion: Represents William Jennings Bryan, a prominent politician who advocated for bimetallism.

The overall message, according to this interpretation, is that the common people (Dorothy and her companions) have the power to overcome adversity and create a better world, even without the help of those who seem to hold all the power.

[BenLurkin]

[Fiji Hill]

I first saw the movie on a black-and-white Majestic TV in December, 1959, and I didn't see it in the theater until early in this century. I have always enjoyed it, but even in 1959 I found the ending to be disappointing--the whole adventure was merely a dream--how lame--a cop-out, to use a term that had yet to be coined.

The 1925 version of The Wizard of Oz is available for free on Youtube. It features Oliver Hardy before he teamed up with Stan Laurel, and I like it better than the '39 version.

[Fiji Hill]

This song was cut from The Wizard of Oz, but I wish they had kept it.

The Jitterbug--Vincent Lopez & His Orchestra; vocal by Betty Hutton (1939)

[Fiji Hill]

This version of the movie's signature tune includes the rarely-heard verse. It seems to address those who were depressed by the Great Depression.

Over the Rainbow--Vera Lynn (1940)

[11th_VA]

There’s a great YouTube Documentary on the making of the film. Several character changes, the Wicked Witch got 3rd degree burns from the broom smoke, first Tin Man had allergic reactions to silver make-up, etc. worth a watch.

[Nateman]

It use to play every year . It did so until Ted Turner bought the rights to it.

[Chickensoup]

I bought and watched an upgraded copy recently. Still magical.

[caver]

THta was a poor attempt to link Wicked with the Wizard of Oz.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I remember when RETURN TO OZ was released by the Disney company in 1985. Joel Siegel, film critic for Good Morning America actually had tears flowing down his cheeks as he cried on how they had ruined “the most beautiful movie ever made, THE WIZARD OF OZ!”

[arthurus]

“Reimagined-” Does that mean rhat Dorothy is now a trans-girl? The Munchkins now are fairies? That work”reimagined” conjurs up all sorts of distasteful images.