© FAKESHEMP.NET
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • MEDIA
    • Videos >
      • Photos
  • GLG
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • WTF was that?
  • Good Movie Monday
  • About

THE DREAMER OF OZ

30/7/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
1990 / Director. Jack Bender.
Review by Glenn Cochrane.

I am a sucker for OZ and I return to L Frank Baum's classic stories more than any other books in my collection. There's something about the world he created that transcends me more than any other... more than Narnia. More than Fantasia. More than Middle Earth... OZ is beautiful. This made-for-tv movie from 1990 tells the story of Baum's life and how he came to write his timeless classic. He lived a hard life with his wife and children, always moving for work and constantly struggling to make ends meet. He was ever the dreamer and would tell his children and their friends stories about magical lands and strange characters. Inspired by whatever was around him, he would incorporate new elements on a whim and charm whoever cared to listen. With encouragement from his wife he put his pen to paper and the rest is history, although not without hardships and countless obstacles along the way. This is a wonderful film that begins at the premiere of MGM's 1939 film starring Judy Garland. A reporter finds Mrs Baum and invites her to share memories of her husband and his life. It is definitely a little hokey and very sappy but at it's core is a charming story about a man with a heart as big as a house and a boundless imagination. John Ritter plays Baum and he is perfect in the role. His voice and mannerisms fit the bill perfectly and he embodies the essence of a child. Annette O'Toole is also lovely as his adoring wife and some other nice additions to the cast include Rue McClanahan and John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig & The Angry Inch, Shortbus). The film does wash over his life and tells his story in very romantic terms but the events depicted are all taken from personal accounts and biographies. A strange gun-slinging showdown was recreated according to a long-held anecdote that Baum had written about. What draws me to this great little film is how the story is told. We are taken to OZ whenever Baum conjures new stories. We see Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion. We see the munchkins, the witches and the great and powerful Oz. The fantasy is wonderful and the recreations of Oz cleverly represent his original books and yet they also resemble the characters that were etched in cinematic history in the 1939 MGM film. This is lovely stuff and worth a look if you're a fan of Oz or perhaps you're just a big softie. It is a rare film to find as a stand-alone item (although not impossible) but it was recently included on the supplementary disc of the 70th Anniversary release of the MGM film. Check it out.  


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    OUR WRITERS
    GLENN COCHRANE
    ALYSSA DE LEO
    ALEX MAYNARD
    CHRIS THOMPSON
    SAMANTHA HOWSON​
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    September 2010
    April 2010

    RSS Feed

© 2018 FakeShemp.Net    All rights reserved.  FakeShemp.Net Illustrations by MJ Barros. 
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • MEDIA
    • Videos >
      • Photos
  • GLG
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • WTF was that?
  • Good Movie Monday
  • About