Reviewer's Rating 5 out of 5
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
UContains mild fantasy horror

Click your heels three times and let your mind wander back to childhood Christmases when Judy Garland took you on an unforgettable trip down a yellow brick road. Almost 70 years after its initial release, The Wizard Of Oz is still as captivatingly spine-tingling as the first (or 15th!) time you saw it. And yet, the BFI have managed to amp up this Technicolor masterpiece another notch with digital jiggery-pokery that would make even 'the man behind the curtain' boggle.

Thanks to this sumptuous restoration, that sharp intake of breath as Dorothy opens the door of her sepia-toned farmhouse and steps into a land 'Over The Rainbow', is even sharper. But despite the gaudy allure of Oz, it's this country girl's simple, ardent wish to get back home that makes the story compelling and timeless. Her memorable, musical encounters with a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) and a Tin Man (Jack Haley) don't just get the toes tapping but bring her a step closer to the Wizard who can grant her true heart's desire.

"THE VISUAL EFFECTS ARE STILL BREATHTAKING"

It's not all sweetness and light though. Like the greatest children's fairytales, the journey bristles with menace. Garland's gorgeously wide-eyed innocence is countered by Margaret Hamilton as the cackling Witch of the West, and there are few scenes to rival the sheer flesh-creeping terror of an army of flying monkeys swooping down from leaden skies. Even compared with state-of-the-art CGI, the visual effects are breathtaking - the staginess only enhances the sense of cosy otherworldliness. In recent years it's been hailed a camp classic, but that's selling it short; the true magic of The Wizard Of Oz is that it's for everyone.

End Credits

Director: Victor Fleming

Writer: Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf

Stars: Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Frank Morgan

Genre: Family, Fantasy, Musical, Classic

Length: 117 minutes

Original: 1939

Cinema: 15 December 2006

Country: USA

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