Ding dong, the witch is dead! What old witch? The Wicked Witch!
Last night was the presentation of the Wizard of Oz in honor of it's 70th anniversary in select theaters across the country. We were pressed for time due to my work location and drive time in correlation with show time so consequently we arrived somewhat late to find the theater packed with just a few seats down in the front row open. My neck is still a little sore from having my head craned upwards at the screen for approximately two hours but it was so worth it just to experience what it was like to be a movie-goer in 1939 and see Judy Garland on the silver screen. (All modern sound and picture enhancements aside!) While I didn't dress up like Dorothy, I did wear my hair forties-inspired and was delighted to catch a glimpse of a little girl when we were leaving wearing her hair in braids with an exact copy of Dorothy's dress and little ruby slippers to match! Too cute! I think I know what I want to be for Halloween this year and would love to try my own hand at making some shoes, since a copy of the original blueprint can be viewed showing the design for the bows right down to the very last bugle bead. (Courtesy of http://pearlssentimentaljourney.blogspot.com.)
Even though I practically know line for line the dialogue of the movie, I still sat on the edge of my seat as the Wicked Witch and her Winkie guards chased Dorothy and her friends around the top of the castle and still shed a few tears when Dorothy was saying her farewells before clicking her heels to go home. And I wasn't the only one. There was even a huge round of applause when the Wicked Witch melted away and another after the famous closing line was uttered "Oh Aunt Em, there's no place like home!"
Seeing Oz on the big screen really let me re-experience the chemistry between the major players in the movie, something that I feel can be lost through a tv screen. It's so hard to imagine anyone else playing Dorothy, but I was shocked to learn that Shirley Temple was originally selected to play the part. In the end her singing voice did not compare to the "little girl with the big voice." I couldn't imagine anyone else singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," could you? And even that song almost never made it to the final production! I was in utter awe in the details to be seen and how big and brilliant and colorful everything looked, ranging from the amazing special effects to the gorgeous costume designs. The Emerald City and those famous shoes have never looked any brighter or glamorous.
Before the movie started, Angela Lansbury narrated, detailing some fun trivia and history regarding how the movie came into production, but nothing quite as in depth as I remember what is on the 50th Anniversary VHS edition my mom bought us when we were kids. (Wow, that seems like ages ago now when I look at it's release date via a Google search!) I'm still amazed how they pulled off the tornado...it was a huge burlap tube that was suspended and moved across the stage via cables with dirt spread around for it to kick up. While it was never covered during our viewing, I had to Google again to find out about the "Surrender Dorothy" sky writing...
A camera looking up the bottom of a makeshift fish tank with a needle trailing out black ink into a murky mixture of water and oil.
To think that Hollywood has it so easy these days with computer technology.
As you can see, this opportunity just filled me with glee. I hummed "Over the Rainbow" all night. Here's to another 70 years as an extraordinary classic.
Even though I practically know line for line the dialogue of the movie, I still sat on the edge of my seat as the Wicked Witch and her Winkie guards chased Dorothy and her friends around the top of the castle and still shed a few tears when Dorothy was saying her farewells before clicking her heels to go home. And I wasn't the only one. There was even a huge round of applause when the Wicked Witch melted away and another after the famous closing line was uttered "Oh Aunt Em, there's no place like home!"
Seeing Oz on the big screen really let me re-experience the chemistry between the major players in the movie, something that I feel can be lost through a tv screen. It's so hard to imagine anyone else playing Dorothy, but I was shocked to learn that Shirley Temple was originally selected to play the part. In the end her singing voice did not compare to the "little girl with the big voice." I couldn't imagine anyone else singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," could you? And even that song almost never made it to the final production! I was in utter awe in the details to be seen and how big and brilliant and colorful everything looked, ranging from the amazing special effects to the gorgeous costume designs. The Emerald City and those famous shoes have never looked any brighter or glamorous.
Before the movie started, Angela Lansbury narrated, detailing some fun trivia and history regarding how the movie came into production, but nothing quite as in depth as I remember what is on the 50th Anniversary VHS edition my mom bought us when we were kids. (Wow, that seems like ages ago now when I look at it's release date via a Google search!) I'm still amazed how they pulled off the tornado...it was a huge burlap tube that was suspended and moved across the stage via cables with dirt spread around for it to kick up. While it was never covered during our viewing, I had to Google again to find out about the "Surrender Dorothy" sky writing...
A camera looking up the bottom of a makeshift fish tank with a needle trailing out black ink into a murky mixture of water and oil.
To think that Hollywood has it so easy these days with computer technology.
As you can see, this opportunity just filled me with glee. I hummed "Over the Rainbow" all night. Here's to another 70 years as an extraordinary classic.