The production of the classic film was an infamous disaster, but not everything youve heard about what happened on set is true. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz wikipedia. Wizard of oz has constant references to rainbows, including its theme song, somewhere over the rainbow. Few, however, recognize that, under its deceptive simplicity, the story of the wizard of oz. The archives of the theosophical society in pasadena, california recorded the start of their membership on september 4th, 1892. There are dozens of examinations of the wizard of oz both the movie and the original book on which its basedin the context of religion, all of which note baums faith. The socalled munchkin suicide scene in the 1939 mgm film the wizard of oz occurs at the very end of the tin woodsman sequence, as dorothy, the scarecrow, and the tin woodsman head down the. Journey through the magical world of oz with dorothy and friends in this 15 book collection by l. Everyone knows the classic, the wizard of oz which was first released as a movie in the year 1939. In previous savant entries, ive done my best to debunk the rumors of a hanged corpse in the background scenery of the wizard of oz. Lets peek behind the curtain at the wizard of oz to learn littleknown facts about the actors like judy garland. I thought it was common knowledge that the wizard of oz was an allegory for the economy and government back when the book was made.
Many classic literary works have actually been thinly veiled allegories of. Frank baums the wizard of oz, also has a deeper meaning. The wizard of oz was my very first literary influence, writes salman rushdie in his account of the great mgm childrens classic. A modern fairy tale with a distinctly american setting, a delightfully levelheaded heroine, and engaging fantasy characters, the story was enormously popular and became a classic of childrens literature. Turns out the book and movie may be an economic fairy tale about america in the late 1800s and gold. Heres jeff saut, from his latest market commentary as chief strategist of raymond james.
Im now perfectly ready to believe in mass hypnosis. Pink floyds album, the dark side of the moon, synchronises with. Yet the original oz book conceals an unsuspected depth. The occult roots of the wizard of oz vigilant citizen. Unpacking the myth of the wizard of ozs hanging munchkin.
Frank baum, who went on to write fourteen fulllength oz books. And this has nothing to do with seeing dead people or seeing sexual. Frank baum and first published in 1900 as an allegory or metaphor for the political, economic, and social events of america in the 1890s. The wizard of oz originally published as the wonderful wizard of oz l. R eleased 80 years ago, victor flemings the wizard of oz is best remembered and indeed beloved for its pioneering use of technicolor in baums book, dorothys shoes are silver, not ruby.
The rusted tin man, stuck in the same position for a. If you happen to find this original vhs tape or you already own it then you may already be familiar with a particular scene which had a lot of controversy. The wonderful wizard of oz, childrens book written by l. But many may be surprised to learn that the most popular childrens fantasy of alltime, l. In an article entitled the wizard of oz as a monetary allegory 1990, hugh rockoff examined the analogies between baums use of imagery and the monetary politics of the populist era. Dorothy gale 1900 dorothy gale is a fictional character created by l. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz include treatments of the modern fairy tale written by l. These beloved childrens classics will make the perfect gift timeless and loved by all.
The land of oz originally published as the marvelous land of oz l. Salman rushdie, a noted fan of the wizard of oz who wrote a pretty amazing bfi classics book on the film, believes that one of the things that makes oz so powerful is that it lays bare the. The wizard of oz books are so popular around the world that there is even an organization devoted to all things oz. Come take a tour, visit our exhibitions, and view the gorgeous main reading room. The wizard of oz mysteries is a unifying theme providing an enlightening backdrop, for the book is. More than a hundred years after the release of this book, kids everywhere are still enchanted by oz s world of wonder. This classic work of childrens fiction, which in the. In the book version of oz, dorothy treads the yellow brick road in silver shoes, not in ruby slippers. The only thing that goes against this conspiracy is that the wizard of oz couldve been a dream. At the age of ten he had written a story, over the rainbow, about a colourful fantasy world. Popular literature frequently skirts the boundaries between truth and fiction. In his reading of the wizard of oz, littlefield believed that dorothy was a standin for the average american, and that the magic silver shoes represented the late 1890s free silver movement. Oh my good flipping donkies, yes the wizard of oz has a conspiracy.
This post contains affiliate links when young dorothy and her dog toto are caught in a cyclone, their kansas. The wizard of oz is a 1939 american musical fantasy comedydrama film produced by metrogoldwynmayer, and the bestknown and most commercially successful adaptation. One of the actors playing a munchkin hanged himself during the making of the wizard of oz and in this shot, his body can be seen hanging from a tree. Delightfully unique, yet practical and empowering, this comprehensive book dispels disinformation about politics, occultism, and conspiracy theories typical to this genre. In the book and the play the shoes are silver, not ruby as they were famously depicted in the 1939 film.
In 1989 the movie was released for its 50th anniversary on vhs. Even while he was alive, baum was styled as the royal historian of oz to emphasize the concept that oz is an actual place. The wizard of oz was about the gold standard the reformed broker. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz include treatments of the modern fairy tale as an allegory or metaphor for the political, economic, and. With dozens of symbols and a naturally allegorical tale, the wizard of oz lends itself to a wide variety of interpretations and pet theoriessome of them more plausible than others. Although going back to coraline as a reference, most of the inhabitants of oz are parallel as characters back in kansas, except the good witch. The oz books form a book series that begins with the wonderful wizard of oz and relate the fictional history of the land of oz. Whos to blame for the munchkin suicide in the wizard of oz. Sharetweetemailwith its memorable story and its cast of colorful characters, the wizard of oz quickly became an american classic.
They can also act as inner demons guarding protected memories or alters. Frank baums oz books come from a file cabinet drawer labeled o z. Wizard of oz bibliography 1 the book the wonderful wizard of oz 1900 and its film adaptation the wizard of oz 1939 quickly became a foundational element in american popular culture with countless idiomatic allusions, cultural references, and pervasive merchandizing. The international wizard of oz club has been in existence for over 60 years, and holds annual conventions and publications.
This one is a bit beyond the poppy field, but stick with us for a minute. And wicked is, essentially, a whole conspiracy theory in itself. Does the wonderful wizard of oz have a hidden message. She is the orphan protagonist and adolescent heroine of baums first oz book, the wonderful wizard of oz, published in 1900 and which is considered one of the earliest. The wizard of oz the kennedy secret society speech did you know that many presidents, prime ministers u. It will certainly be no surprise to anyone to hear that famous classic books such as 1984, the jungle, or brave new world have a much more serious purpose than just pure entertainment. Populism and the world of oz national museum of american. Frank baum and his wife maud gage joined the theosophical society in chicago.
The illusion created was that characters such as dorothy and princess ozma rel. Dark side of the rainbow also known as dark side of oz or the wizard of floyd refers to the pairing of the 1973 pink floyd album the dark side of the moon with the visual portion of the 1939 film the wizard of oz. Long regarded as a myth, a number of enlightening videos have surfaced on the web in the. The real story of dorothy and the wizard of oz youtube. Every major figure dorothy meets in oz is a parallel. The series was continued by ruth plumly thompson and other authors.
Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. Complete with wellknown characters like dorothy, scarecrow, the cowardly lion and tin woodman, this collection follows their adventures through the four countries. One of the actors playing a munchkin hanged himself during. A conspiracy theory about the hanging man in the wizard of oz if you cant beat em, join em. All of the baum written books are in the public domain in the united states. The oz books form a book series that begins with the wonderful wizard of oz 1900 and. Both the book and the film the wizard of oz feature iconic scenes of dorothy, toto, and the cowardly lion the only flesh and blood members. All states, whether autocratic or republican, have exercised their rule by convincing the people that they were the great and powerful oz, that the people, whether they feared or loved their state, must be in awe of the state.
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