The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz is a film directed by Victor Fleming about a girl named Dorothy played by the very well known Judy Garland who is from Kansas and it is hit by a tornado in her hometown and is taken along with her dog, Toto to a magical place called Oz. All Dorothy wanted to do was go home but, she needed to see the Wizard of Oz in order to do that. Along the way Dorothy makes some friends. First Dorothy meets the Scarecrow who just wants a brain. Then she meets the Tin man who longs for a heart. Last but not least she meets the Cowardly Lion who so badly wants courage. It wasn’t an easy journey they were attacked by trees and flying monkeys but they eventually made it to Oz only to realize this powerful Wizard was a joke and was just a regular human. You don’t even have to have seen this film to know things like the iconic lines like “follow the yellow brick road” or “I’m melting!” and the most popular one “there’s no place like home.” As a kid I knew the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow without seeing the film and then years later I found out it was from the Wizard of Oz. I think everyone has had some kind of exposure to this film even if they don’t even know it. I know something that was really incredible to see in film was a movie go from black and white to color. I think another reason why this film is so appealing to many is because it doesn’t matter what age you are you can still enjoy the film. There are many adults who grew up watching this film and still enjoy it to this day. And there are kids who have seen for the first time ever and love it. I also think there are themes in the film that can apply to any age group. Like having a goal and wanting to fulfill that. All the characters had goals in mind and things that they wanted to achieve. Everyone has goals no matter how old you are. I can imagine that there were many kids who watched this film and felt very encouraged to follow their dreams no matter what dream it was. The film also showcased the reality of hardships in wanting to pursue your dreams. In real life it mostly likely won’t come in the form of Trees throwing apples at you or attacks from flying monkeys but, it comes in a lot of other ways. Pursuing any goal isn’t going to be this easy ride it would be nice if it was but, that just isn’t reality. There’s also disappointment and sometimes a lot of it just like the film. When Dorothy and her friends finally made it to Oz to see the wizard they realize he wasn’t a powerful wizard he was just a regular with no powers. Even though Dorothy and friends didn’t get what they wanted they way the expected that they were going to get it which was supposed through the wizard their difficult journey helped them get what they wanted. The Lion learned courage and was given a medal. The Tin man learned to love and got a watch in the shape of a heart. And the Scarecrow realized he had a brain all along and was rewarded with a Diploma. As for Dorothy she had the power to go home the whole time she just didn’t know it was in her shoes. In reality the goals that people have in life aren’t going to be handed to them on a silver platter without any effort. People need to work hard and sometimes face hardships to achieve those goals. I think The Wizard of Oz packed that message beautifully in a film for all ages to enjoy.