The Wizard of Oz (1939)
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After a tornado transports a young girl and her dog to a magical land, they must journey to the Emerald City to find a way home.
The story
Dorothy Gale lives on a Kansas farm with her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. After her dog, Toto, is threatened by a neighbor, Dorothy and Toto flee, only to be caught in a powerful tornado. The storm carries their farmhouse to the magical Land of Oz. There, Dorothy finds herself in Munchkinland, where she is told that the only way to return home is to seek the help of the Wizard in the Emerald City. Accompanied by the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, she sets out along the yellow brick road to find the Wizard and find a way back to Kansas.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Dorothy Gale is swept away from her Kansas farm by a tornado and lands in the Land of Oz. She meets Glinda the Good Witch, who gives her ruby slippers and tells her the Wizard in the Emerald City can help her get home. Along the yellow brick road, Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, who join her quest. They reach the Emerald City, where the Wizard—appearing as a giant head—demands the Wicked Witch of the West's broom as a condition for helping them. After a perilous journey where they face the Wicked Witch and eventually cause her to melt, they return to the Wizard. They discover he is merely a man behind a curtain. He reveals he is from Kansas and tries to take Dorothy home in a hot air balloon, but she is left behind when Toto jumps out. Glinda reappears and reveals Dorothy always had the power to use the ruby slippers to go home. Dorothy clicks her heels and wakes up in her own bed in Kansas, realizing the events were a dream, though her loved ones playfully humor her.
- First release year
- 1939
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Victor Fleming
- Writers
- Noel Langley · screenplay; Florence Ryerson · screenplay; Edgar Allan Woolf · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Judy Garland · Dorothy Gale; Frank Morgan · Professor Marvel/Wizard of Oz/Gatekeeper/Carriage Driver/Wizard's Guard; Ray Bolger · Hunk/Scarecrow; Bert Lahr · Zeke/Cowardly Lion; Jack Haley · Hickory/Tin Man; Billie Burke · Glinda the Good Witch of the North; Margaret Hamilton · Almira Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West; Charley Grapewin · Uncle Henry
- Genres
- musical; fantasy
- Themes
- home; friendship; courage
- Tone and mood
- fantasy; whimsical
- Setting
- A farm in Kansas and the magical Land of Oz.
- Premise and plot tags
- fantasy; musical; adventure
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- Content notes
- child
- Reception
- The film was a critical success and is considered one of the most seen films in cinematic history, frequently appearing on lists of the greatest films in history.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Original Song · win; Academy Award · Best Picture · nomination; Academy Juvenile Award · Judy Garland · win
- Production trivia
- It is the most seen film in cinematic history.; It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.; It is one of the few films on UNESCO's Memory of the World international register.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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