The Megahit Movies

by Richard Stefanik

  [The opening sequence of The Wizard of Oz, all the black and white scenes that occur in Kansas can be considered a prelude to the main story where all the major characters and objectives are presented. Once “over the rainbow,” the characters and objectives are once again introduced, and the story proceeds. For example, Elmira Gulch, called a “witch” by Dorothy, was introduced as the antagonist. Here, we have the second introduction of the antagonist, Dorothy’s nemesis, in a more explicit form. Both want to destroy Toto. Also introduced is the object (the ruby slippers) which binds them.]

  Glenda tells Dorothy that she has made a bad enemy of the Wicked Witch of the West, and that the sooner she gets out of Oz, the better she’ll be. Dorothy responds that she’d give anything to get out of Oz and asks for the way back to Kansas. She is told that only the Wizard of Oz would know how to do this, and he lives in the Emerald City. To get to the Emerald City, she must follow the Yellow Brick Road. She is also told by Glenda never to let those ruby slippers off her feet or she’ll be at the mercy of the Wicked Witch of the West.

  [The protagonist now has a new primary objective: to get back home to Kansas. In order to accomplish this, she has to accomplish a subgoal: get to the Emerald City and seek the help of the Wizard of Oz, for he’s the only one who can help get her back home.]

  In order to get to the Land of Oz, Glenda tells Dorothy to follow the Yellow Brick Road. Glenda then departs in her bubble as the Munchkins sing a chorus of “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.” Dorothy leaves them all behind as she dances down the road.

  [ The Wizard of Oz is primarily a “morality story” which presents a set of virtues that will help a person deal with problems that confront them in life. Within this context, it is appropriate to interpret the Yellow Brick Road as representing “the golden path through life” or “the golden mean”: treat others as you would have them treat you.]

  DOROTHY MEETS THE SCARECROW Dorothy comes to a crossroads and must decide in which direction to continue. A Scarecrow hangs from a post in the field. He speaks out, suggesting first that she go in one direction, then the opposite, then finally in both directions. He explains that he can’t make up his mind because he hasn’t got a brain.

  [Humor is again created here by a surprising deviation from standard patterns of behavior. The stereotypical role of a scarecrow is that of an artificial being, one that cannot talk, dance, or sing. A scarecrow that can do all three is incongruous to our standard pattern. Added to this is his stupidity, advising Dorothy to go in both directions, compounds the humor in the situation.]

  Dorothy helps him down from the post. He is completely made of straw. He has flimsy movements, no skeletal structure, always flopping around and falling down onto the ground, like a bumbling idiot. He didn’t scare Dorothy and can’t scare the crows. He’s a failure in life as a scarecrow because he hasn’t got a brain. He then sings a song telling what he would accomplish if he only had a brain.

  [A character who sincerely admits that he is a failure usually gets the audience’s empathy. This is because most members of the audience probably believe themselves to be failures or at least not as successful as they once dreamed of becoming. Therefore, they secretly identify with the Scarecrow. The Scarecrow’s primary objective is to get a brain.]

  The Scarecrow wonders if the Wizard could get him a brain. Dorothy tells him that the Witch is after her, and that it might be dangerous.

  [This also reminds the audience that Dorothy is in jeopardy.]

  He responds that he’s not afraid of anything, except perhaps, fire. [A standard technique used to generate empathy for a character is to show what he fears most in life. This humanizes him, and makes it easier for the audience to have sympathy for the character. Then before he is able to achieve his primary objective, show him overcoming this fear as the last obstacle in his path. The audience will be rooting for him to win as they empathize with his situation. This is especially true if the thing that he fears could cause his death, such as fire for the Scarecrow.]

  Scarecrow agrees to make the journey with Dorothy, and together they dance down the Yellow Brick Road.

  [The moral being, that in order to fulfill your objectives, you may have to help another achieve theirs.]

  FOREST OF APPLE TREES As Dorothy and the Scarecrow enter a forest of Apple Trees, the Witch watches them from behind a tree. When Dorothy picks an apple from one of the trees, the tree moves. It’s alive. The tree grabs the apple, slaps Dorothy’s hand, then reprimands her for taking the apple. Dorothy responds by saying that she’s hungry.

  [This scene could have been humorous. It has many of the same elements found in the scene when the Scarecrow is introduced: the surprising incongruity of a normally inanimate object that speaks. But in this instance the tree is dangerous. It slaps Dorothy. This destroys the possibility of laughter.]

  The Scarecrow pulls Dorothy away, telling her that she doesn’t want those apples because they have little green worms in them. He then whispers that he’ll show her a way to get apples. Scarecrow makes a face at the tree. The Tree becomes angry and throws some of his apples at the Scarecrow. Dorothy and the Scarecrow retrieve the apples.

  [The lesson to be learned from this scene is that when confronted with obstacles to an objective, the objective can sometimes be achieved by using intelligence and not just brute force. The irony is that the Scarecrow exhibits the intelligence and “brains” that he doesn’t believe he possesses. He is not lacking brains, only the belief that he has them. In the prelude back in Kansas, the characters really don’t have the attributes that they desire, but in Oz they reveal these attributes under conflict. What they all seem to lack is the realization that they already possess the qualities they desire.]

  THE TIN MAN Dorothy reaches down to pick up an apple and finds a Tin Man. He’s immobile, as he stands frozen like a statue, a statuesque poise reminiscent of Hickory’s stance in the farmyard. The Tin Man mumbles for the oilcan. Dorothy picks up the oilcan and squirts oil into his mouth. The Tin Man then explains that one day while chopping wood in the forest, it began to rain and he got rusted. Dorothy continues to oil his joints, stating that now he’s perfect. But the Tin Man sorrowfully tells her to bang on his chest if she thinks he’s perfect. She does, and it produces a hollow sound. He explains that when he was made, they forgot to give him a heart. He sings about his dream, listing all the things that having a heart means to him. He could be human if he had a heart; tender, gentle, and sentimental, not a man of tin metal. Friend of sparrows and cupid, the boy who shoots the arrows, able to love, register emotion, jealousy, devotion, would stay young and chipper. Dorothy suggests that the Tin Man comes with them to see the Wizard and perhaps the Wizard will give him a heart.

  [This is his primary objective: to have a heart. Yet his initial sorrow and grief at lacking a heart indicates his lack of realization that he already may have that which he seeks.]

  WITCH IN THE FOREST

  Suddenly, they hear the cackling of the Witch. Standing on a rooftop, she warns the Scarecrow and Tin Man to stay away from Dorothy and to stop helping her. She then creates a ball of fire and throws it at the Scarecrow. The Tin Man takes off his metal cap and uses it to quickly put out the fire. The Witch then disappears in a burst of orange smoke.

  [This shows the audience that the characters are in jeopardy and are in danger of being destroyed. This increases the tension and heightens the sense of excitement in the audience.]

  The Scarecrow overcomes his fear of fire and makes a commitment to help Dorothy get to the Emerald City, even if he doesn’t get his objective (a brain). The Tin Man makes a similar commitment. Dorothy is overwhelmed by their loyalty and tells them that they are the best friends she’s ever had.

  [Within this scene, the virtue of friendship is introduced. Friendship means putting the interest or needs of the friend before your own, even if it places your own objectives in jeopardy. This type of behavior increases the audience’s empathy for the Scarecrow and Tin Man in that
they are willing to put themselves in mortal danger to help Dorothy. The audience likes those characters that display friendship and support for the protagonist for whom they have already developed empathy.]

  THE COWARDLY LION Dorothy, Scarecrow, and Tin Man fearfully enter a dark forest singing the “Lions and Tigers and Bears” song , when suddenly, a Lion jumps out from the trees. He challenges the Scarecrow and Tin Man to a fight, but when they both refuse, he runs after Toto. Dorothy picks up Toto and slaps the Lion on the nose. The Lion begins to cry and admits that he’s really just a big coward. His dream is to have courage. They invite the Lion to come with them to see the Wizard, and he accepts.

  [It’s Dorothy who overcomes her fear and confronts the threat when Toto, the character she loves most, is threatened. The others cower in fear of the Lion. Yet through confrontation, one can transform an enemy into a friend, especially, if along the way, you can help him achieve his own objectives.]

  [At this stage each of the five major characters has revealed their individual primary objectives. For Dorothy, it’s to get home, the Scarecrow wants brains, the Tin Man a heart, the Lion courage, and the antagonist, the Witch, wants the ruby slippers that are in Dorothy’s possession. The subgoal, getting to the Emerald City and meeting with the Wizard who will provide them with their individual objectives, has also been established.]

  WITCH WITH CRYSTAL BALL As the foursome dance through the woods, they appear within the crystal ball of the Witch. She has been watching their every movement. Since they wouldn’t take her warning, she plans to stop them by poisoning the poppy fields. She states that once she has the ruby slippers, her power will be the greatest in Oz.

  [This scene establishes the real objective of the Witch, which is to have absolute power in the Land of Oz. The ruby slippers are a tool to that end. This is an instance of a character pursuing a concrete object (the ruby slippers) that really represents an abstract value (absolute power). It is standard that the antagonist’s objective is an object that will give them absolute power and control over the community.]

  THE POPPY FIELDS Dorothy and her three companions reach the end of the forest. In the distance, they can see the Emerald City. But in order to reach the city, they must past through a field of poppies. They start to run across the field, but before they get halfway, they start to succumb to the poison. First Toto, then Dorothy, and then the Lion collapse from the drugged poppies. Only the Tin Man and the Scarecrow remain standing since the drugs do not affect metallic or straw creatures. The Tin Man begins to cry which shows that he does have a heart. They begin to yell for help, calling out against all hope. Their cries are answered by Glenda, the good witch of the North. She makes it snow over the poppy field, and this dampens the effects of the drug. Toto, Dorothy, and the Lion awake. They all then continue on with their journey to Oz.

  [The objective in this scene is to get to the Emerald City. The prime obstacles are the distance and the poison in the poppy fields. It is important to realize that in this scene, the characters do not overcome the obstacles by the powers within them, but instead by an appeal to a supernatural power. They call to Glenda for help, and she saves them. This is common in many of these fantasy films. The will and ability of the characters are not always sufficient to overcome all obstacles, and they need help from beings beyond the human dimension.]

  [A similar situation occurs with Luke Skywalker relying on the spirit of Obie-Wan Kenobi and the “force” to overcome the Empire in Star Wars, Indiana Jones being saved by the spirits in the Ark of the Covenant that also destroy the Nazis in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Elliott with E.T. eventually being saved through the non-human powers of E.T. himself and by his extraterrestrial friends. At the end of the The Wizard of Oz, it is Glenda that reveals to Dorothy how to use the slippers to return to Kansas.]

  The witch is angry because someone is always helping Dorothy. She grabs her broomstick and flies off the balcony towards the city of Oz. Dorothy and friends leave the poppy field, accompanied by a joyous song that celebrates their salvation.

  GATE TO THE EMERALD CITY They knock on the door to Oz. A guard appears. He has a mustache and wears a blue-green uniform. Blue and green are the magical colors of the Emerald City and are used as a visual motif. They are nature colors: possibly blue for the sky and green for the fertile earth. When Dorothy and the others request to see the Wizard, they are turned away. The Guard refuses to let them in, stating that no one gets to see the Wizard. Dorothy shows the guard the ruby slippers, and he lets them in the Emerald City.

  [In this scene the objective is to enter the Emerald City, but the obstacle is a guarded locked door. They finally are allowed to enter after displaying their own magical possessions.]

  INSIDE THE GATES OF THE EMERALD CITY Dorothy and friends ride on a carriage that is pulled by the “horse of a different color.” This is a case of a cliché becoming visually manifested. Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion then get primed and prepared to be presented to the Wizard. A musical number reveals how the inhabitants “laugh the day away in the merry old land of Oz.”

  At that very moment, the sound of the Witch cackling explodes the air. The crowd looks upward to see the Wicked Witch of the West on her broomstick writing the words, “SURRENDER DOROTHY,” across the sky. The crowd panics as they run to the Wizard’s house in search for an answer. They are met by the guard who tells them that the Wizard has everything under control, and that they all should go back to their homes.

  [Now the whole community is placed in jeopardy because of the protagonist. This is a classic “setup” structure where terror strikes in the midst of a joyous occasion, just when the protagonist believes that the battle is won, and all is well with the world. This creates hatred in the audience for the villains since their feelings of joy have been turned to terror.]

  Dorothy and companions approach the guard and tell him that they want to see the wizard. After being told to go away, they explain that this is the witch’s Dorothy. The guard leaves to inform the Wizard.

  GUARD BLOCKS ENTRANCE TO WIZARD’S PALACE The Lion, anticipating that he will receive courage, sings his “Long Live the King” song. The guard returns and tells them that the Wizard says they should all go away. They all become depressed. Dorothy, in sorrow, despairs to the others that now she’ll never get to see her sick Aunt Em. The guard overhears this, takes pity on them because he too also once had an Aunt Em, and lets them into the city.

  [In this case, it is the guard who is the obstacle that blocks access to their objective, which is to see the Wizard. Dorothy’s honesty and sincerity in expressing her motivations affects the guard and removes the obstacle. The obstacle is overcome by her sharing of a common human desire, to be with a loved one who is ill. This touches the humanity of her opposition, and the obstacle dissolves.]

  INSIDE THE WIZARD’S PALACE Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion walk down a long intimidating hallway inside the Wizard’s palace. The Lion loses his courage and wants to wait outside, but the others persuade him to continue. They all hold hands and cautiously proceed. Suddenly, the Wizard’s voice booms out: “Come forward!” In a large room orange flames shoot up from the floor, as the blue-green enormous disembodied head of the Wizard appears elevated above Dorothy and her companions.

  [Once again all the characters feel in jeopardy, for in this scene their objectives are at risk: will the Wizard fulfill their needs? The colors of the flames alter whenever the head of the Wizard appears. This creates emotional associations within the audience. At this stage, the Wizard is meant to be a mysterious creature. The orange flames are naturally associated with the orange flames around the Wicked Witch of the West, which symbolizes high energy and power. The pink and rose color flames are natural associations with the color of Glenda’s bubble. So at this stage, subconsciously, the audience is still not sure whether the Wizard is evil or good. This is the effect the filmmaker desires at this stage of the story. In the last scenes, the Wizard’s flames become baby blue, which
is Dorothy’s color, the color of innocence.]

  The Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz questions them, then explains that he knows why each of them has come to him, as the pink-rose colors of Glenda now filter in with the orange flames. The Tin Man wants a heart, the Scarecrow a brain, and the Lion wants courage. He intimidates them all, but the Lion faints when it becomes his turn. The Lion thereby physically demonstrates his lack of courage. Dorothy becomes outraged with moral indignation. This is the second time she behaves this way, the first being in the forest when confronting the Lion.

  [Dorothy has a strong code of ethics which expresses itself as outrage and moral indignation when she believes that some injustice is being committed.]

  She reprimands the Wizard for frightening the Lion who came to him for help. The Wizard orders her to be silent, then states that he has every intention of granting their requests. Upon hearing these words the Lion awakes. But first they must prove themselves worthy by bringing him the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West.

  The Scarecrow (once again thinking ahead) states that they’d have to kill her to get it, and the Lion fears that she may kill them first. But, in response, the Wizard shouts that they should go! The terrified Lion runs down the hallway and jumps through a window.

  [The last lines of the scene concentrate on the jeopardy and great danger involved in getting the Witch’s broomstick. It may indeed be a life and death situation.]

  [The structure of The Wizard of Oz is divided into a prelude and three acts. The prelude consists of the opening scenes shot in black and white, with Dorothy in Kansas. This introduces all the basic characters along with their individual objectives and the dramatic objective of the protagonist: to find a place where there are no problems. The first act contains Dorothy’s arrival in Oz, meeting her antagonist, the Wicked Witch of the West, establishing her new objective, which is to get back home, and her primary subgoal, which is to get to the Emerald City and have the Wizard of Oz help her home. Also in this act, she meets the three companions who have their own objectives of obtaining the qualities of intelligence, compassion, and courage that will be needed for Dorothy to eventually get home (“home” being a sense of safety and security)].