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"There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home."
"The Wizard of Oz" is perhaps one of the best classic films. The film follows the journey of Dorothy, a young Kansas-grown girl and her dog Toto as they wander through the land of Oz after being whisked away by a magical twister. Although released more than three-quarters of a century ago, the film has become a staple of childhood memories for millions and continues to entertain audiences of all ages as a timeless classic today.
By definition, a classic is defined as "a work of enduring excellence".
The Wizard of Oz has become one of the greatest classics to exist. Not only has it become a universal favorite, even after numerous screenings, it has become a work that has transcended times, and a renowned film that has won numerous awards. The film itself has remade in multiple different versions such as a musical and remake, with features in many more shows.
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“ She followed all my directions. It was really easy to contact her and respond very fast as well. ”
The Wizard of Oz also directly relates to the political and economic state of the US in the 1900's. Being a loved film that directly correlates to it viewers is as great as any classic could get.
Although this film is almost well over 80 years old, it has become a favorite to heart around the world. According to the Rotten Tomatoes Critic Consensus, "an absolute masterpiece whose groundbreaking visuals and deft storytelling are still every bit as resonant, The Wizard of Oz is a must-see film for young and old".
Earning a 98% on the Tomatometer, with an 90% audience score, the film has been ranked Number 1 on Top 100 Movies of All Time. According to the American Film Institute, The Wizard of Oz "ranks as Number 6 in the 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time. It is speculated that The Wizard of Oz has become a world-favorite is because if embodies some of our most prominent values of life in the real world versus our imaginations
In addition to becoming a universal favorite, The Wizard of Oz has also been deemed a classical film because it has been nominated for and won a fair amount of prestige awards. According to InfoTrac Newsstand, The Wizard of Oz has been nominated for "Best Picture", "Best Cinematography, Color", "Best Art Direction", and "Best Effects, Special Effects" by Academy Awards, USA, and won "Best Musical, Original Song" for the song, "Over The Rainbow", and "Best Music, Original Score" by Academy Awards, USA also. It has also won the Saturn Award by Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA for "Best Classic Film DVD Release for "The Wizard of Oz: Three-Disc 65th Anniversary Collector's Edition". The Wizard of Oz has also won the Satellite Awards for "Best Youth Film" and "Outstanding Classic".
Upon winning numerous awards, The Wizard of Oz has also been recreated and remade several times and received a plethora of different adaptations. To name a few, The Chicago Tribune names "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a fifteen minute film directed by Otis Turner, The Wonderful Land of Oz, a 1969 low-budget children's film adaptation directed by Barry Mahon, The Wiz, a 1978 film directed by Sidney Lumet, based on the Broadway musical of the same name, and recently, Oz the Great and Powerful, a 2013 film by Walt Disney Pictures, directed by Sam Raimi". These films were all inspired by the 1939 film directed by Victor Fleming, The Wizard of Oz.
The journey of Dorothy throughout the film and the characters she meets was not only a metaphor of trying to find a place to truly call home, it was also a direct correlation of the Populist Movement in the late 1800's and early 1900's during the time Baum decided to write the book. According to a report by Alexa Morgan Bricker, "In 1900, when the book was first published, the political and economic state of the U.S. wasn't that bright. Money and jobs were scarce, and like we've seen at other points in history when times are tough, people turn to politicians to resolve the problems but are often disappointed when they realize the politicians have their own interests in mind, not those of the people." As Baum lived through these hard times, he used the characters in his book to represent a particular group of people and used their deepest desires to represent something the characters were missing. For example, "the scarecrow represents the farmer that is fighting for the introduction of silver into the economy to boost the dollar, and the Wizard represents the politicians themselves along with their deceit and trickery." Although the film and make the situation whimsical and soft, the time period it represents was serious and hard.
Fleming's approach in The Wizard of Oz has brought a lot of joy to people due to its story line full of fantasy, imagination and life lessons. It is a film that will always be remembered by its bright, colorful fantasy world, Oz, and the adventure of Dorothy and Toto. It has become a film that has grown to be loved and remembered by millions, even after 80 years. It is a film that you could not love any less, as if it were being watched the first time. Through this love for the film, it has received numerous awards in praise of Dorothy's whimsical journey through a strange land and the uniqueness and joy of all the characters, paving the roads ahead for the countless adaptations and features of many other shows.
Again, by definition, a classic is defined as "a work of enduring excellence. From researching the numerous amounts of awards, the relevance to live in the late 1800's and early 1900's, and the amount of screen adaptation inspired by the 1939 film, it is clear that Fleming's The Wizard of Oz is, and always will be, a timeless classic that is remembered, treasured and loved by countless generations, past, present, and future.
The Wizard of Oz: A Timeless Classic. (2019, Dec 14). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-wizard-of-oz-a-timeless-classic-example-essay
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