The Wizard of OZ

Next on my list of must see classic movie musicals was the Wizard of OZ, an altogether bizarrely mesmerising film, and without doubt one of the most well known of the MGM movies. The 1939 film, based on the novel written nearly 40 years before, was the most expensive film produced by MGM at its release, as you can see in it's pioneering use of special effects and technicolor (although by today's standards they seem brilliantly cheesy and retro). However, the majority of the films success and subsequent cult following came a little later in the film's history after a rather lukewarm reception on its release.

Watching the film again it was exactly as I thought, and half remembered it would be, complete with the wondfully artificial set, Munchkin chorus and infectious bouts of skipping along the yellow brick road. Although, I do have to admit to never having watched the sepia beginning of the film as a child, finding it rather bland and unexciting, I tended to fastforward to the bit that had colour and singing and dancing.
It only occurs to me now, watching the film through adult eyes, that this was the exact effect the director was aiming for - to show how Dorothy must have felt, a fact that must have gone over my 8 year old self (and indeed very nearly my 20 year old self!). Perhaps their intention to contrast the two parts of the film was a little too successful...

Now, the wizard of OZ is steeped in myths and speculation over double meanings and hidden intentions, which I'm not even going to attempt to go into, given the vast bank of view points and 'evidence', some of which I am sure may have good foundations, others perhaps not. If it's one thing I've learnt from my course at uni so far, it's that the more you look for something, the more likely you are to find it, whether it actually exists or not.

So on the surface, as a family friendly film, all I have to say is that it has indeed stood the test of time and remains a family and worldwide favourite, proving again and again just why it deserves its place in film history. That said, despite being greatly enjoyable and a magnificent piece of film escapism, I still had a few little niggles, although easy to dismiss once you fully submerge yourself in the film.

For a start, exactly how old was Dorothy (Judy Garland) supposed to be? Her behaviour, clothing and general demeanour suggest a young girl, whilst Judy who was only only 16 has the air of a much older actress playing a child. Rumour also has it that she was also made to wear a corset to make her look younger still. The final confusion comes in her rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, sung with a maturity and voice difficult to attribute to the apparent child you see on screen.

The other thing that had me wondering was the Munchkins. Where they all actually dwarfs, children or a mix of both? Well, with a little research from our mate Wikipedia it appears that all the Munchkins were indeed real dwarfs known as The Singer Midgets, employed by the rather shady character Leo Singer. There's something about him and the way he made his money out of hiring out his 'Midgets' that just doesn't sit right with me, but I suppose it was a very different time back when the film was made.

So, overall an enjoyable and emblematic film, just as long as you don't think too much about it! I think perhaps I'd prefer Andrew Lloyd Webber's new stage version more, I hope I get to find out one day!
Maybe it's time for a new film adaptation...?

So, here we are. I leave you with Judy Garland singing the song that will forever leave her voice and the song imprinted on musical history.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

So I decided to carry on my little movie quest with an all time classic - Breakfast at Tiffany's - to add a little style to my otherwise less than glamorous week of uni and work.

Now, I'd attempted to watch this a few years ago and I have to say I got a little bored and didn't manage to watch it all the way through. I put it down to still being a little too young to appreciate it, because all girls love Breakfast at Tiffany's, right? It's got such a cult following that perhaps I was just a little young to fully appreciate its brilliance - that would be it.

However, I have to say that at the ripe old age of 20 I still don't really get what all the hype is about. Yes Audrey Hepburn is gorgeous as usual and it cannot be denied that the film is extremely stylish. The delicately humorous moments with the telephone in the suitcase and the poor cat who gets pushed from pillar to post help to make the character of Holly Golightly endearing, but I can't help but feel that the overall plot is a little flat. With moments of such subtle but great writing it seems to me there were so many lost opportunities to develop the story that little bit further and really make it a film masterpiece in my eyes.

Don't get me wrong, it's a perfectly watchable film, and I will no doubt see it again without protest, it just didn't quite hit the spot with me. Perhaps one day it will, perhaps it won't, but either way you've got to love Miss Hepburn's style!

So finally in tribute to the poor nameless slob - it's time to give him the recognition he deserves. Enjoy :)

A new years resolution... (mark 2)

It appears I have myself my first blog fail.
Note to self: always make a copy of your blog posts, so that if they magically disappear you can simply copy and paste them back and all's well that ends well!

Here we are:
Since September I've been doing an elective course at uni called 'Music, Stage and Screen', which got me thinking about how many of the classic films, especially movie musicals I haven't seen, or have only ever half heartedly watched during the holidays. It also reunited my love of musicals and the stage, which has sadly been on the back burner since I moved to uni.

So, to my first new years resolution:
To watch more classic movies, in particular movie musicals.

If you've got any suggestions feel free to leave a comment below and I'll let you know how I get on

Now the question is, where do I start? There are a couple on my list already, but which one to choose? Perhaps, judging by the weather out there today 'Singing in the Rain' would be appropriate...