1939

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July 7, 2009

The Wizard of Oz

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1939, adventure, entertainment, family, fantasy, movies, musical, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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wizard of oz

As one of the most renowned classics of American film, The Wizard of Oz is a treat. The 1939 movie ushered in a new era of cinema, turning L. Frank Baum’s beloved children’s book into one of Hollywood’s greatest creations. It was developed thanks in large part to the success of Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and helped usher in the modern film fantasy genre that we all know today. As the quintessential film about a journey to a strange land with strange creatures and characters, Oz is a masterpiece.

Amazingly enough, The Wizard of Oz was not considered a commercial success upon its initial release. The years have been kind to the movie, though, and it has become one of the most popular films of all time thanks in large part to countless television airings. Some believe Oz to be among the most-watched films in history.

Judy Garland, 16-years-old at the time of production, stars as schoolgirl Dorothy Gale. She lives in Kansas with her little dog Toto and is growing tired of her surroundings. She constantly wants to move on to greener pastures and to “somewhere over the rainbow.” Dorothy lives with Auntie Em (Clara Blandick), Uncle Henry (Charles Grapewin), and three farm hands. The story picks up with poor Toto in serious trouble with Miss Gulch (Margaret Hamilton) and Dorothy electing to run away with the dog. She is tricked by Professor Marvel (Frank Morgan) into returning home and arrives back at the farm just in time for a tornado.

The twister serves to help knock Dorothy unconscious. When she comes to, she finds herself in a strangely colourful place. The Good Witch of the North (Billie Burke) approaches and we soon discover that Dorothy is most certainly not in Kansas anymore. She’s in a place called Munchkinland and her house, tossed around in the twister, has landed on and killed the Wicked Witch of the East. This makes the munchkins of Munchkinland very happy and they begin to sing.

Before they know it, however, the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) shows up and wants to avenge the death of her sister. She singles Dorothy out as the culprit and wants to claim the magical ruby slippers that have suddenly appeared on Dorothy’s feet. No dice, of course, and Glinda sends the Witch away. Dorothy is dreadfully confused and merely wants to go home, so Glinda suggests following the Yellow Brick Road to see the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy heads off, meeting the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), the Tin Man (Jack Haley), and the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) on her way to Oz and, hopefully, home.

Perhaps one of the notable aspects of The Wizard of Oz would be the music. The songs are among the most famous in the world and for good reason. Garland’s rendition of “Over the Rainbow” is a classic, as are the songs sung by the munchkins. The classic tunes from Scarecrow (“If I Only Had a Brain”) and the Cowardly Lion (“If I Were King of the Forest”) offer immeasurable smiles.

And that’s really what makes The Wizard of Oz such a timeless classic. It is a movie about smiling, about accomplishing something, about learning the truth about the man behind the curtain. It is about discovering the power within to accomplish anything and about how courage, brains, and heart were always present with these characters. Even Dorothy, as lost as she felt in Oz at times, was always home.

The movie made Garland into one of MGM’s most bankable stars and granted her an Oscar, too. She is tremendous here, shining like a star in a sea of Technicolor and magic the likes of which most moviegoers had not yet seen. That she has the ability to carry herself as a normal Kansas girl filled with wonder is astounding to witness. Garland’s voice works well with the songs, too.

The Wizard of Oz is the type of film that could fill volumes in terms of technical discussion, character development, themes, and so forth. It’s hard to say anything new or fresh about it, so it’s generally better to stick with the truth. On those days when life seems to be dealing nothing but uneasy, stormy clouds, it’s always a good idea to click your heels together and say “there’s no place like Oz.” And there’s no film like it, either.

9.9/10

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July 26, 2008

Gone with the Wind

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1939, drama, entertainment, historical, movies, romance, trailers, war | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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Gone with the Wind is one of the greatest films of all time. It picked up ten Academy Awards in 1940, setting a record that would stand for twenty years until Ben Hur would surpass it in 1960. In AFI’s 2007 version of its Top 100 American Films of All Time list, Gone with the Wind ranked at number six. It was responsible for the melodramatic framework that most soap operas would wind up using, too, and is perhaps most interesting because of the notion that the characters are all perfectly flawed human beings.

Based on Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel of the same name, Gone with the Wind is an epic film set in the American South around the time of the Civil War. We are introduced to a large cotton plantation in rural Georgia in the year 1861. Called Tara, this plantation is home to the Irish immigrant Gerald O’Hara (Thomas Mitchell), his wife Ellen (Barbara O’Neill), and their three daughters. Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) is the eldest of the three daughters and she is seemingly sought after by just about every young man in the area. The man she wants is Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), but Ashley is getting engaged to Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland) and that’s that.

None of that matters to Scarlett, however, and she continues to pursue Ashley regardless of the costs to Melanie or anyone else. Melanie is kind and compassionate to a fault and never suspects anything but the best of Scarlett. This unrelenting kindness doesn’t deter Scarlett in the least when it comes to her quest of stealing Ashley away. Along comes Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), a rogue gentleman who notices Scarlett and immediately realizes her plans for Ashley. Smitten with finding a woman so vile in her character, Rhett begins to pursue Scarlett.

Throughout these romantic entanglements, there is a war going on. Scarlett continues in her quest to be with Ashley and is willing to do anything to save her own reputation, going so far as to marry Melanie’s shy younger brother Charles before he goes off to war. After Charles dies, Scarlett continues her pursuit of Ashley without missing a beat. The only ones who seem to notice her relentless and shady pursuit is Rhett and Scarlett’s servant Mammy (Hattie McDaniel). The war takes its toll on Tara and the inhabitants there, driving Scarlett to find for the place herself and find a way to finance it. This takes her to the arms of a wealthy businessman, but she still holds on to hope for Ashley. That hope for Ashley follows her throughout the course of the film, haunting her until the very end.

One of the most remarkable things about Gone with the Wind is that it is, in effect, an anti-romantic movie. It is often dismissed as a romantic wartime epic drama, but there is actually nothing romantic about this film. The character of Scarlett, so wonderfully played by Leigh, is absolutely terrifying in her willingness to do anything to get what she wants. It is probable that Scarlett does not even want Ashley all that much, rather that she prefers the pursuit, and that a life with Ashley would not even satisfy her. She is a shrewd individual and is able to capture that element ideally when she has to become a businesswoman. Her inability to care about workers’ conditions, for instance, belies a darker attitude below the surface.

Offsetting Scarlett is, of course, Rhett. Rhett is a scoundrel as well, although even he is a step up from the depravity with which Scarlett lives her life. Rhett spends time with shady characters and frequents a brothel, but he still has a heart and is still able to look for decency. Scarlett, conversely, overlooks human decency wherever she finds a glimpse of it. She is so abhorrently afraid of Melanie that she has to put the poor woman out of her mind constantly. Rhett, on the other hand, is drawn to characters like Mammy and Melanie because of their genuine goodness. He envies them and wishes he would find someone like them, but settles for Scarlett until his famed moment of realization.

The film’s legacy is immense, clearly. There are so many facets to the impression Gone with the Wind left behind that books have been filled on the topic. There’s Hattie McDaniel’s Oscar, for instance. There’s the segregation at the Atlanta premiere that led to Gable’s near-boycott of the event. There’s Max Steiner’s incredible score and that famous line that everybody knows. Gone with the Wind is a part of film history that should be seen, at least once, by everyone with the ability to see it. I hope and pray for another theatrical release – there have been several already, with the most recent one in 1998 – so that I can take in the magic and wonder that is this wonderfully human story.

Gone with the Wind set the bar incredibly high for other melodramas. It is one of the most perfect films of all time and is one of my favourite movies ever. Something special happened with Victor Fleming directed this masterpiece, that’s for sure. For the legacy, for the complexity, for the beauty, for the grandeur, and for the messages, Gone with the Wind is simply the best.

10/10

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March 26, 2007

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1939, comedy, drama, entertainment, romance, trailers | Tags: , , |
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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

1939’s classic film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, is one of the most lauded classics of all time. It was nominated for several Oscars and won the Oscar for Best Writing of an Original Screenplay. It was nominated for just about every other major Academy Award in 1940, including Best Picture and Best Actor. In a year that featured ten best picture nominees (including The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights, Stagecoach, Of Mice and Men, Love Affair and the eventual best picture winner Gone with the Wind), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was in some excellent company.

Frank Capra’s masterpiece is rather simple in terms of the general plot. A naive man is sent to Washington from his small town to serve in the Senate. He is appointed to be a seat-filling Senator, courtesy of the other Senator from his state, and is essentially set up not to bother anyone because it is assumed that he will be too naive to accomplish anything. Jefferson Smith has other ideas and actually does accomplish something, taking on big business and corruption in one of the most sweeping and exhausting segments of film ever.

James Stewart plays Jefferson Smith, the idealistic Senator from the small town. He brings such innocence and youthful exuberance to the role that it becomes easy to cheer for him. Stewart’s performance here is almost maddening, as he pushes all of the right buttons to make Smith into a superhero and provides enough energy to keep audiences of all ages cheering for him. Smith takes on everything corrupt about Washington and Stewart brings that power and triumph about in an exhausting overture that is one of the most memorable sequences in film history.

Stewart doesn’t do it alone, however, and the supporting cast is as full and rich as anything assembled. The characters are powerful, from the big business tycoon in control of everything to the assistant who had lost her way before the doe-eyed Smith came to Washington. The film collects these characters and manipulates them in such a way that allows for change but never commands it. The big business corruption doesn’t go away or vanish because of Smith’s actions; it stays up until the end and forces Smith into a heap on the floor of the Senate. People change, but these elements that maintain a soulless aura over our world do not.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is all about that individual change. A little stretched in some scenes, while giving some other scenes too little time, the film still works through important and eerily relevant subject matter with class and professionalism that brings the performances and direction of Frank Capra to such a high level that it is hard to compete with for its era.

The film does end a little too abruptly, though, and the conclusion feels oddly rushed with a moment in the hallway that makes little sense. Another scene between Saunders and her reporter friend seemed to go on for too long with no actual payoff. Other than that, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is an important film. It was so important, in fact, that it made 1930s-1940s Washington tremendously uneasy. It was also banned in much of Europe. It truly is a dangerous and honest film that looks at corruption and pulls no punches, asking a lot from its performances and the entire crew.

8.5/10

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