"The Wizard of Oz" Viewer's Response

The Wizard of Oz Viewer's Response

Viewer’s Response: The Wizard of Oz

Please respond with a google doc submitted in google classroom, neatly and in complete sentences. Answers should be thoughtful, detailed and supported by specific references to the film. It will be graded on a scale of 1 to 4, 4 being the highest. The rubric will be attached to the assignment.

1. Classic movies are movies we want to see again and again. Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz is the 5th of 31 versions. Why would so many people, including L. Frank Baum himself, want to make a movie of this story? The Wizard of Oz has become part of our culture, of our lives, of our growing up. Why do so many people list it as one of their favorites, when there have been thousands of movies, and 26 more Wizards of Oz, made since 1939? Have you favorite elements stayed the same, or have they changed as you have matured? *

2. Why is Dorothy such an attractive and popular hero? How would you describe the pre-tornado Dorothy? How has she gotten her 'little dog' into trouble? Who does she expect to get Toto out of trouble? How does she feel about rules and the law? How does she feel about adults? What experiences have led her to feel this way? Are these experiences typical for a teenager? *

3. What are the symbolic roles of Dorothy's three companions? Might they be symbols of Dorothy's own personality? When, and how, do you see Dorothy become loved? ...become wise? ...become courageous? How do Dorothy's experiences with love, wisdom and courage help to make The Wizard of Oz a popular movie for viewers of all ages?

4. How does Dorothy's being female make The Wizard of Oz a different story? Are there any parts of the story that seem implausible? Does Dorothy ever do anything that is uncharacteristic of our expectations of a stereotypical woman? How do you think this story would have changed if the main character were a Kansas boy? Could the story have happened this way at all? Is The Wizard of Oz a Feminist or Chauvinist story?

5. Watch the first part of the movie (up to the Munchkins' first song), listening carefully to the use of sound and music. What does Dorothy's singing of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" tell us about her personality and her predicament? How does the music that accompanies Elvira Gulch's bicycle rides influence our feelings about her character? How would you describe the music? How does the lack of music during the storm increase its dangerous feeling? What is the effect of the quiet when Dorothy first enters Munchkinland?

6. Musicals typically alternate between dramatic scenes and musical numbers. Sometimes the drama seems stronger then the music; sometimes it is the other way around. How well integrated are the story, spectacle and music in this film?

7. Why and how is color such an important element to the telling of this story?

8. What film techniques do you notice that were used in The Wizard of Oz that you have not seen in films show in class so far?

9. If we consider music to be a character in The Wizard of Oz, what do we learn from that character? How does it influence the storytelling? What journey does the music take?

* Questions written by: Neil Andersen