Wizard of Oz

I haven’t watched The Wizard of Oz in a very long time. The last time I was probably around 12 and I never really thought in depth about the meaning or interpretation of the film. I simply enjoyed watching it. After taking in Rushdies interpretation and talking about the film in class I realize that it has a much deeper meaning than I thought previously. The first thing I noticed was how old fashioned the movie was since it was made such a long time ago. It’s understandable for the time, but if The Wizard of Oz was made today it would come under heavy scrutiny regarding some of the scenes. For example when Glinda talks about good and evil witches she points out the difference of the good witches being beautiful and the evil witches being very ugly. Besides that one point, Rushdie points out other important things to look at.  Rushdie shows the feminist theme throughout the entire film surrounding Dorothy who is clearly the heroine in the movie and seems to be the leader. Her house lands in a mysterious world and she stays determined and strong to make sure she gets back home to Kansas. The male characters she comes into contact with throughout the movie she supports enormously and guides them throughout their journey. Without Dorothy these three male characters would be the same as when she first found them, weak and helpless. In the time this was debuted, Hollywood didn’t have the best conditions for female actors and to have a lead role played by a women I think was huge for America at this time. I know there are many different interpretations of this film but I believe this was very important especially in the 1930s to show how a woman can show such strength and determination to get out of a situation like she was in. Society in the 1930s perceived women as inferior and unable to do a man’s job. Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz proved that this was not true and she was a true heroine.