Tyler Walsh - The Wizard of Oz

“The Wizard of Oz” is by all means a classic. Everyone knows about the movie and gets the references; that’s probably why it was deemed “culturally significant” by the Library of Congress in 1989. The movie we all know and love today was almost something else entirely.

Tyler Walsh

The movie almost had all of its magical elements removed because fantasy movies were not doing well at the time and the audience was considered “too sophisticated” for a fantasy movie. There were also multiple different versions of the story that were being considered. Some versions would have been darker with tragic backstories for the sweet and innocent characters we know and love, and some would have been uncomfortable to watch, with hints of Dorothy and the Scarecrow having a budding romance instead of a close friendship. The film was, in the end, a movie designed for kids and families though so these ideas were scrapped, but as a result the famous song “Over the Rainbow” was almost removed as well.

Ultimately the movie as we know it today was created, but it didn’t do nearly as well as someone today would think it did., the movie actually lost $1 million at the box office and didn’t make a profit until the movie’s first re-release 10 years later. “The Wizard of Oz” was still considered to be more successful than anyone had expected it to be.

“The Wizard of Oz” is very much a good vs. evil movie, but it also shows how dreams can only be used as a temporary escape, and that while they can help sort your thoughts they cannot fix your problems. Dorothy finds refuge in the land of Oz for a time while trying to fix her problems being caused by the Wicked Witch of the West and her real life counterpart of Dorothy’s neighbor. In Dorothy’s dream world everything is more cheery, bright, and hopeful than the real world where everything is gray and grim. Although Oz is a nice place to stay, Dorothy realizes that she must return home, she must return home to face and solve her problems and to own up to the mistakes she has made.

This movie, along with many other movies of the era, was a very happy and family friendly one. Perhaps this is due to the circumstances of the time. The Depression was taking place and stories with happy endings can be very powerful when they are needed. So seeing the movie would be good to bolster one’s hope for their own future, and it could have even been flattering if anyone was aware that the producers thought the audience was “too sophisticated” for the movie.