Wizard of Oz-Fairy Tale the 1939 Film

Wizard of Oz-Fairy Tale

The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland is the fantastical tale of a young girl that gets swept into an alternate, magical dimension and must battle an evil witch in order to get back home. The Wizard of Oz features many fairy tale elements including an unspecified time and place, the battle between good and evil, magic, archetypes, extreme conditions, a transformation, and, of course, a happy ending.

While The Wizard of Oz is initially set in Kansas, an unexpected tornado transports Dorothy, the story's heroine, to Oz. The different settings are differentiated through the use of color; while life in Kansas is shot in black and white, Oz is shown in Technicolor. Furthermore, the location of Oz is unknown as is the time. Upon her arrival in Munchkinland in Oz, Dorothy is immediately cast as a heroine after the house in which she was transported to this magical land inadvertently kills one of the evil forces that terrorize Munchkinland, the Wicked Witch of the East.

Upon her arrival in Munchkinland, Dorothy is also introduced to Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, who welcomes her to the land and almost immediately assumes Dorothy is a witch because she was able to defeat the Wicked Witch of the East. It is also during this time that Dorothy is introduced to the Wicked Witch of the West, who has come to Munchkinland upon hearing her sister has been killed and is in pursuit of the magical ruby slippers she once possessed. Unbeknownst to the Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda has magically put the slippers on Dorothy's feet thus throwing her into the midst of an ongoing battle between good and evil. In order for Dorothy to be allowed to return home, she must defeat the Wicked Witch of the West, at the behest of the Wizard of Oz, who appears, at this point in the story, to be the only one with the power to help Dorothy return to Kansas.

Through the characterization of the Wicked Witch of the West as a villain; Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, as a force of good; and Dorothy as heroine, one can see how various archetypes are put into play in the film. At the most basic level, archetypes are used to demonstrate the battle between good and evil. Archetypes can also be further analyzed through Dorothy, who is not only given a magical object to help her on her journey -- the ruby slippers -- but she must also go on a journey and fulfill a quest. Furthermore, Dorothy is assisted by magical beings -- the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion -- who help her on her quest and are present when she defeats the Wicked Witch of the West and during her encounters with the Wizard of Oz. In order for Dorothy to fulfill her quest, she must undergo and supersede extreme conditions; attacks by apple trees in an enchanted forest, attacks by flying monkeys, and rescuing Dorothy from a seemingly impenetrable evil castle.

Transformation can be seen in a variety of characters. For instance, farmhands Hickory, Hunk, and Zeke are transformed into the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion, respectively. Also, Miss Almira Gulch is transformed into the Wicked Witch of the West and Professor Marvel is transformed into the Wizard of Oz. Transformation can also be seen in the Wizard of Oz's attitude; he goes from a demanding shadowy figure that cannot be pleased to an apologetic, sympathetic man who can relate to Dorothy and her desire to return to Kansas.