The Wizard of Oz
I remember the first time that I watched The Wizard of Oz. It was Christmas and I was five years old. Lunch had been eaten and I was playing with my new toys, a Sindy Doll being my favourite, and our old telly was switched on for an afternoon’s entertainment. The strains of “Over the Rainbow” began, Sindy was abandoned and Judy Garland’s Dorothy had me captivated.
For her adventure taps into our most primal instincts : shall we stay within the safety and familiarity of home or brave the big wide world with all its potential and colour, but its dangers too. Who shall we trust? Will there be a good fairy looking after us or, instead, a green witch with cackling monkeys ready to pounce when we’re least expecting it.
My five-year-old self was in a state of heightened awareness and, at times, raw fear throughout the whole film. The relief at the Wicked Witch of the West crying “ I’m melting!!” will stay with me forever.
Dorothy, and her trusty dog Toto, as we all know, makes it back to Kansas. The Wizard isn’t a big, intimidating face with a belllowing voice but a rather timid old man. The perfect projection of our fears.
It was all a dream. But we can be sure that Dorothy won’t be that innocent child just wanting to go home again. From now on, perhaps, she will see the world as full of promise, if she just has the courage, the brains and a heart. Then she’ll be well equipped to follow her very own Yellow Brick Road.
The Wizard of Oz, 1939, starring Judy Garland, Director Victor Fleming is showing at the BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, South Bank, London, SE1 8XT until 3rd January. For details see: www.bfi.org.uk
