The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz “was my very first literary influence,” writes Salman Rushdie in his account of the great children's classic. For Rushdie, The Wizard of Oz is more than a children's film, and more than a fantasy. It's a story whose driving force is the inadequacy of adults, in which “the weakness of grown-ups forces children to take control of their own destinies.” Rushdie rejects the conventional view that its fantasy of escape from reality ends with a comforting return to home. On the contrary, it is a film that speaks to the exile. The Wizard of Oz shows that imagination can become reality, which there is no such place like home, or rather that the only home is the one we make for ourselves. Overall, Rushdie’s criticism of one of America's most treasured movies is spot on. Mixing arguments that include topics such as immigration as well as self-concept, Rushdie proves why this masterpiece is more than just a fantasy movie. This really is a good piece of writing on film, produced by a major literary figure, and is as rare and successful a film adaptation of a major literary work. I really enjoyed watching The Wizard of Oz again, with slightly fresher eyes and having a different outlook on the film.