The Wizard of Oz (1939)

I was thinking about other reasons why viewers sympathize with Judy Garland’s character, Dorothy. Her problems draw us in from the beginning to take Dorothy’s point of view [nobody listens to her, Toto, etc.]. Once she is in the land of Oz, she is constantly trying to find her way back home. Almost every viewer can relate to this quest, the quest for home. Almost everybody finds themselves, at one point or another, searching for their way back home. Sometimes, it can take years or just a week. It’s a cliché, but home is where the heart is. It’s where you want to be when you feel troubled and when you are consumed with joy. Surrounding yourself with the people who love you is the best medicine, the best rehabilitation. That is why viewers immediately want Dorothy to succeed.


The film also has a sense of escapism for Dorothy and viewers. Dorothy escapes Kansas and goes to a place “over the rainbow,” a fantasy land. Viewers leave the dark theatre or their place in front of a television to a land with munchkins, talking lions, and adventure around every corner. One large reason the film makes such an impact is the switch from black and white in Kansas to color in the land of Oz. It tremendously helps make Oz a fantasy world, full of vivacious color. Many films were still shot in black and white in 1939, so The Wizard of Oz enables viewers to fully lose themselves in the fantasy of the film.


The use of foreshadowing plays a large part in the movie. In Kansas, Hunk [who later becomes the scarecrow] tells Dorothy that it seems like you don’t have any brains, you would think your head was made of straw. The same thing happens with Zeke, detailing he needs some courage, foreshadowing his role as the cowardly lion. The only person Dorothy despises becomes the Wicked Witch of the West in her dream. The professor helps her realize how much Auntie Em cares about her, and she returns home before the storm. He is the wizard of Oz in her dream, who ultimately aids her in finding the way home again. The professor and the wizard are both portrayed with wisdom.