How The Wizard Of Oz Changed American Popular Culture

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L.Frank Baum has been an excessively popular fairy tale among the kids and adults. It has provided us with great plays and musical comedies. As most of us do not tend to relate a fairy tale with the political movements happening around us, Henry Littlefield was the first to write an outstanding article “The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism” in which he made a bold inference that the Wizard of Oz was a book that portrayed the United States of America as it entered the twentieth century. He argued that the story was perhaps a metaphor for the Populist movement. After doing much research on both the Wizard of Oz and Littlefield’s article I can say that the children’s fairy tale by Baum was indeed a parable on Populism.

The placement of a prop or altering the way the light shines on a scene, however insignificant they may seem, are ways that the director can select and control meaning in a film. Such is in The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939), specifically during the scene where Dorothy (Judy Galand) has been locked in the Wicked Witch of the West's (Margaret Hamilton) castle room by herself; many aspects of mise-en-scene are noticeable. Many of the elements of the scene she is in contribute to her state and other aspects of the movie. The setting and props of the film all seem to centralize to where she is and how she got there. The light focus' just on Dorothy but also amplifies the intensity of the situation she is in. The behavior of

The Wizard of Oz is an early film but editing is used quite a bit. First off, the absence of color in the beginning and the ending of the film. This sets an overall feeling of Dorothy being home. Next the film turns to color once Dorothy dreams of being in a different world, the color, yet again, set an overall mood for Dorothy in this new world “Over the rainbow.” The first steps of Dorothy being in the world of The Wizard of Oz gives off an example of inside and outside editing. The shot begins with a close up of Dorothy’s face and the camera slowly moves out to show everything else around Dorothy, which was the start of the yellow brick road and Munchkin land. After the viewer see all of that, the camera moves back in to Dorothys face when she says that they are not in Kansas anymore. One editing transition used a lot in The Wizard of Oz is the fade-in and dissolve. Another is cross-cut, two events occurring at the same

The strong economy also created the right environment for many important changes in the day-to-day social life of Americans. The nineteen twenties are remembered now as an exciting time that historians call the "Roaring Twenties” , but maybe it was only “roaring” because things were so corrupt.

Scene: This scene in the film comes just after the house has been picked up in the twister. Dorothy's house has been lifted up into the sky and suddenly dropped back down to earth in the middle of the Land of Oz. In the scene itself, Dorothy leaves her home to see that she is "Not in Kansas anymore," and finds the new and amazing world of the munchkin city in front of her. She also meets Gwendela the good witch as her journey in Oz begins.

During the late 1800’s, a pervasive sense of melancholy permeated throughout the forgotten, dreary Midwestern United States. While the industrial revolution boosted the economy on the coasts, Midwestern farmers were victims of deflationary debt increases, exorbitant shipping and railroad rates, a high protective tariff, and a government that for the most part ignored them.1 Desperate circumstances moved the everyday American farmers to join together and voice their grievances. Instead of seeking federal aid or economic relief, they attempted to use the power of the ballot to achieve their goals.1 The united group of farmers used the Populist Party as a springboard to launch their complaints and eventually got their candidate, William Jennings Bryan, nominated for the presidential election of 1896 by the Democratic Party. L. Frank Baum, a newspaper writer who lived in a small prairie town in South Dakota, experienced the populist wave firsthand, attending Bryan’s famous “Cross of Gold” speech in Chicago, and subtly incorporated many aspects of Bryan’s campaign into his children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.2 Despite his own claim that “this novel was written solely for the entertainment of the children of today”, several historians have discovered that the book clearly reflects the culture of the time period in which it was written.3 By symbolically representing the struggles of the everyday working man, Bryan’s political enemies, and the campaign for free silver, Baum

In the late 1800's, American society began to burst with cultural activity. After the Civil War and the Reconstruction, Americans were eager to return to their normal lifestyles. The period that followed, however, was quite different from what the country was used to. During the war, many pushed hard for a rise in industry, leading to an explosive industrial revolution far beyond what people had expected. America's business and economy had boomed, and, as the new century approached, many had a new outlook on life. They were eager to escape the dull regiments of both the past Victorian era and the new urban lifestyle. This was easy for the upper and middle classes, both of which were growing due to the rapid increase in industry. It

Stories have deeper meaning than what they appear. Life events such as the government, economy, or something happening to an individual can inspire them to express themselves through writing. In the original story of “The Wizard of Oz”, it tells a tale far more than people realize. The story portrays the government during the time period and hidden symbolism within the story and characters.

Frank Baums, The Wizard of Oz is arguably one of the most popular films made. Even though it was released in 1939, nearly three-quarters of a century ago, the film continues to entertain audiences and speak to them in a personal way. The question that comes to the mind when analyzing this film is: What is it about this film that gives it such timelessness? When reflecting on the film’s timeless qualities, it seems clear the plot is one of the things that enable it to maintain its relevance. Primarily, the plot of The Wizard of Oz is timeless because it is such an excellent example of the heroic journey, both in literally and cinematically. This journey of self-awareness is a metaphor for growth, which is something we all search to discover

What most individuals can 't seem to decipher is that The Wizard of Oz referenced several late 1800’s political issues and ideas. Whether these references are true or not is difficult to say.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a fictional adventure/fantasy that was written by L. Frank Baum in 1965. L. Frank Baum was born near Chittenango, New York in 1856. Frank grew up with a heart condition so he couldn’t play physically like other children so he developed a creative side, so he decided to write stories.

Could you ever imagine if The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum didn’t have a yellow brick road or an Emerald City? The colors chosen are significant and give the story a deeper meaning. Three colors that stand out in the beginning, middle and the end of the novel are gray, yellow and green. In the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Baum’s use of color is symbolic by associating distinct colors with specific settings and characters.

In today’s society, the variety of experiences one endures throughout his lifetime develops the full potential of his character. In L. Frank Baum’s, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the quest of the minor characters, the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion, contribute to their individual discoveries of inner strength. The self-acclaimed unintelligent Scarecrow demonstrates his smarts and resourcefulness multiple times during the voyage to the Land of Oz but does not acknowledge his full capability until the end of the trip. Similarly, the Tin Woodman, despite the lack of a physical heart, does not realize his compassionate acts throughout the journey prove that he is truly a kind, sensitive man. Whereas the Cowardly Lion is the bravest and courageous out of all the characters throughout the entire expedition. The tests and trials the minor characters endure on their quest cause each of their individual characters to grow to their full potential, finding the strength from within they lack.

While there are many themes that L. Frank Baum writes about in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that focuses on a young, maturing girl named Dorothy Gale; that is living in a grey world and then suddenly her life is full of color after a cyclone. Throughout the story, Dorothy Gale is reminded that the land of Oz is beautiful and much more interesting that Kansas ever will and it takes her awhile to realize it along her adventurous plan. The two themes that stand out throughout the story is the childhood to maturity that Dorothy progresses in and a twisted way that makes you see the virtue in the story, also known as the disability of it all. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is not all just a children's fairytale. Although the land of Oz is depicted as

In 1939, Victor Fleming made a film version of L. Frank Baum’s novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” However, both the novel and the film focuses or touches on the same moral, it features the protagonist Dorothy who resides in Kansas the farm, along with her aunt Em and uncle Henry as well as her dog Toto. Both Baum’s novel and Fleming’s 1939 film adaptation the setting is in Kansas which is described as a small farm which Dorothy lives in which in Baum’s novel is picturized as gloomy, grey and dull. Throughout Fleming’s adaptation of Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” there are a number of differences which presents itself in a direct manner on screen as well as similarities. The variety of changes in the film’s adaptation tends to take