Great Movie Re-Watch

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Directors:

Victor Fleming

George Cukor

Mervyn LeRoy

Norman Taurog

Richard Thorpe

King Vidor

Writers:

Noel Langley

Florence Ryerson

Edgar Allan Woolf

Starring:

Judy Garland

Frank Morgan

Ray Bolger

Bert Lahr

Jack Haley

Billie Burke

Margaret Hamilton

Blurb:

Dorothy Gale is swept away from a farm in Kansas to a magical land of Oz in a tornado and embarks on a quest with her new friends to see the Wizard who can help her return home to Kansas and help her friends as well.

Thoughts:

If you don’t have a horrible story to tell about working on The Wizard of Oz, did you really work on it? Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch, got third-degree burns on her face and hands. Her stunt woman was horribly injured as well. Buddy Ebsen, the original Tin Woodman, was admitted in critical condition to a hospital when he had an allergic reaction to the aluminum dust they used for his costume. Jack Haley, the Tin Woodman in the movie, ended up getting an eye infection from the aluminum paste they switched to. Ray Bolger, the Scarecrow, received permanent lines to his face caused by the glue they used for his mask. To top it all off, they sprinkled asbestos all over the set to look like snow and Judy Garland, Dorothy, got to lie in a pile of it.

All of that and so much more happened with this movie. When you read back over it all, it feels like a miracle that it was even made. That could be my ignorance of the behind the scenes of making movies, though.

I was introduced to this movie by my grandmother when I was relatively young. I loved it. Unlike my sister and brother, the flying monkeys never bothered me. I was too caught up in the music and bright colors. I loved Dorothy. I honestly think this movie may have been what started my love of fantasy.

It is yet another movie that has been added to the US Library of Congress. This might make my movie taste basic, but I don’t care. This movie is a classic and should be watched by everyone.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Director:

William Cottrell

David Hand

Wilfred Jackson

Larry Morey

Perce Pearce

Ben Sharpsteen

Writer:

Ted Sears

Richard Creedon

Otto Englander

Dick Rickard

Earl Hurd

Merrill De Maris

Dorothy Ann Blank

Webb Smith

Starring:

Adriana Caselotti

Roy Atwell

Eddie Collins

Pinto Colvig

Billy Gilbert

Otis Harlan

Scotty Mattraw

Lucille La Verne

Blurb:

Exiled into the dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother, a princess is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make her part of their household.

Thoughts:

What makes Snow White a movie to own is that it is the first full length animated film. It’s history.

They didn’t think that a full-length children’s animated movie would make money, or so the story goes. Walt Disney pushed to have this completed, creating a horrible work environment for his artists, and went so far as to mortgage his house to pay for it. It then became a critical and commercial success and is one of the highest-earning animated features, adjusted for inflation.

I’m not a big fan of the story of Snow White. It hasn’t aged well. The Huntsmen comes off as rapey, and there is at least one racist moment. There’s also a ton of jokes about women that are insulting. The music is fine, but nowhere near where we are now in terms of musical numbers in animation. The artwork is pretty, but it’s more of a look at how far we’ve come way. All in all, it’s not a movie that I need to own.

However, without Snow White, we wouldn’t have The Wizard of Oz as we know it. This, incidentally, is the next movie I’m watching. It’s also one of my all-time favorites. So, that alone keeps it in my library.