The Wizard of Oz (Victor Flemming, 1939): USA
Reviewed by Alexandria Gooden. Viewed on DVD.
The legendary film The Wizard of Oz , is known for its huge, elaborate, flashy sets and bright costumes. With the film being created during the time of the Great Depression, it is so much more than a very expensive and flashy musical. This film was loaded with subliminal messages for the suffering people of the Great Depression.
In the film, Dorothy gets swept away from her home. A tornado takes her from a place of comfort and security to a place where she is uncomfortable and unsure. The same thing happened to the American people when the great depression hit. One moment the Roaring Twenties were going strong, and the next minute the Great Depression swept the nation and put the country in turmoil. The great and powerful Wizard of Oz is symbolic for the American government. Everyone knows of it, we all respect it, and yet no one knows the government personally. Just like Oz was expected to fix all of Dorothy’s problems, so too was the government expected to make everything better.
The Wizard of Oz is a classic film that captured the history of the American People, subliminally helping the people get through a rough time by putting them in a place where they could relate to the story and see a happy ending. This is a very important and classic film in American history.
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