Mark Geisler
Instructor: Catherine Cousar
ENG225: Introduction to Film
One of the most beloved fantasy movies of all times that holds a special place within many people’s hearts is the famous “Wizard of Oz”. This movie is a musical that was created and directed by Victor Fleming in 1939 with the help of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Malcolm Brown, William A. Horning and Jack Martin Smith as the production designers (that were never credited) and Cedric Gibbons as the art director. (IMDb, n.d) This movie is about a young, girl from Kansas named Dorothy Gale played by Judy Garland who dreams of another life. Dorothy lives on her auntie Emily (Clara Blandick) and uncle Henry’s (Charley Grapewin) farm, and has friends named “Hunk (Ray Bolger), Zeke (Bert Lahr) and Hickory (Jack Haley). All of the mentioned friends play a vital roles as The Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), The Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) and The Tin Man (Jack Haley)” in the film. (IMDb, n.d). At one point, Dorothy decides to run away and find a new life with her dog Toto. During a storm and trying to get back home, Dorothy finds herself in a strange place, The Land of Oz.
The scene I have chosen to analyze is “The Cowardly Lion” staring Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Lion. The importance of each character in the scene is the Lion tries to seem brave, while the Tin Man and the Scare Crow are scared of him. Toto runs away from him and Dorothy saves Toto. She teaches the Lion a lesson on picking on people. That is when they learn the lion is really just a coward.
The producers used a little bit darker lighting, which mad the background appear to be darker when the Lion was picking on the Tin Man and Scarecrow. The light casts shadows off of the characters, especially Toto. I feel that it helps the viewer relate to the menace the Lion is trying to portray. According to Geneseo Edu (n.d), “costumes give information on the tone, style, time and place of a play. Dresses with an
References: Bordwell, D, (2008) Film Art: An Introduction. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. Enotes.com, (2008) Wonderful Wizard of Oz: Characters. Retrieved from: http://www.enotes.com/wonderful-wizard/characters Geneseo Edu (n.d), Costume Design Part 1 Retrieved from: http://www.geneseo.edu/~blood/CostumeDesign1.html Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C.P. (2011). Film: From Watching to Seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. https://content.ashford.edu. IMDb (n.d) Full cast and crew for The Wizard of Oz 1939. Retrieved from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/fullcredits Jeffrey Kurland, (2010) Inception: Jeffrey Kurland Costume Q&A. Retrieved from: http://clothesonfilm.com/inception-jeffrey-kurland-costume-qa/14317/