The second film I recommend this year is another masterpiece from 1939, “The Wizard of Oz”. So much has been written about this film, that it would be difficult to mention all the details. I will say that, along with “Gone With the Wind” and “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (that I will recommend next week), it was one of the first color motion pictures in the sound era of Hollywood. This colossal production is the screen version of the children’s novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” (1900), written by L. Frank Baum, and it was a huge success – Queen Elizabeth II, as a child, attended a Christmas party together with other children personalities who watched, in 1939, “The Wizard of Oz”. One could never possibly forget the adorable Judy Garland in the role of Dorothy, nor her cute little dog, Toto; nor the other famous stars of the picture, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Dorothy and Toto meet the three of them on their travel in another time and in another place, after a tornado hits the house of her aunt and uncle living in Kansas and sweeps the protagonist and her dog away (in fact, only in the end do we find out that the colourful, magical world was only Dorothy’s dream). The film was directed by Victor Fleming (who would make the same year also GWTW), and it won two Oscars, for Best Music, Original Song (the iconic and unforgettable “Over the Rainbow”) and Best Music, Original Score, in addition to other four nominations, for Best Cinematography, Color, Best Picture, Best Art Direction and Best Effects, Special Effects. This splendid fairy tale, which continues to impress audiences of all ages, is well-known for such lines like “There is no place like home”. This year, the film is being released in a unique 75th anniversary edition, and I am sure it will be pure joy for every fan and movie collector to purchase it! “The Wizard of Oz” deserves our attention because it is part of the glorious years of Hollywood, a legendary place where all the dreams come true…
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