Farms: Books vs. Movies Review REDUX: The Wizard of Oz

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1. To be honest, Dorothy is not a damsel in distress or a hero. I also read a little bit of Henry Littlefield's paper and not a lot of the things he said were the reason Baum put those things in. He put the scarecrow in because he was afraid of scarecrow's as a child. But I don't think the alagory is stupid. I think Baum wanted us to find it. That is just my theory. I don't think that is smart but whatever. Also, like he said, I think it is REALLY STUPID TO SAY THAT SHE WOULD NOT BELIEVE HER. I thought when I read the book that the good witch of the North and glinda the good witch of the south should be different people.
2. Not ready to darker themes, yet crow necks get ringed
3. Have you noticed the witches of east and west were sisters in the film but not in the book but leagued together with her in the book
4. 15:50 we actually watched this movie in History class in 10th grade because of the allegory!
5. You should make your own adaptation of this story and combine the good aspects of the book and movie, I'm sure it'd be great!
6. The bland character gave me an idea, although I'm sure it's been done before: a book where you get put into the story, and instead of referring to the main character as him/her, they're referred to as "you."
7. Am I the only one who HATES Somewhere over the Rainbow? "Birds fly over the rainbow, why oh why can't I?" Because you don't have wings and hollow bones you idiot!!!
8. You may call me a liar when I say this,but I never got scared when I watched this movie when I was little(same with willy wonka/Charlie and the chocolate factory movies). Yet again now that I think about it when I watched movies as a younger child I never really paid attention to the actual plot,I was just happy to have my face watching a screen. Even though today I can recite lines and quotes from them I never paid attention to the lessons that some were trying to tell.
9. It's been a long time since I've read the book, so I can't say for certain if I enjoyed the book more than the movie. I will say that Ozian lore is far more interesting in the books than the film/"Wicked" the stage show.
   I totally agree with you about childhood fears. Three of my favorite things–Elphaba/the Wicked Witch, Audrey II from "Little Shop of Horrors," and the Haunted Mansion ride–were all things that I would hide or cry over as a kid because they scared the shit out of me. Now, Little Shop is my favorite musical, Elphaba's one of my favorite chracters, and the Haunted Mansion is my favorite ride in Disneyland.
10. I know that this post is lengthy, but please take the time to read it, you need to hear me out.
    I respect that you aren't afraid to speak your opinion. That being said, I think that you're being a little too harsh on this book. Take it from me, someone who read the book before he even knew that there WAS a movie, and who thought the movie would be animated when he first heard of it.
    I like how you say that you still like the SERIES of Oz books even though you still don't like the first book. But I have to say that I think this book is one of the best in the series. I will go through the major points you made and explain why. I will add the points up in my own score.
    
    Point 1: Dorothy
    You say that Dorothy is uninteresting in the book. I disagree. I think that Dorothy is one of the greatest characters in fiction. One of your points is that Dorothy is mad that the Wicked Witch stole her shoes only because the shoes are pretty. As a kid, I never really thought of it that way, and I still don't. Of course, it's possible that's why she was mad, but I always interpreted it a different way.
    Dorothy knows that witches know a lot of magic. Thus, it's possible that she (correctly) guesses that the witch knows how to use the power of the silver shoes. When Dorothy's shoe is stolen, she now has a bigger fear of the witch. She knows that with the power of the silver shoes, the witch could take over the Land of Oz. Thus, when Dorothy throws the bucket of water over her, it's an attempt to keep the witch from gaining power. And even though it seems impossible to stop the witch with this method, it actually works. Yes, Dorothy didn't know that the water would melt the witch, but she didn't know in the movie either. Yes, she was trying to save the Scarecrow in the movie, but in the book, she was trying to save all of Oz. Look at them side by side, and the book has the better version of the events.
    That's what was so great about book Dorothy. She was a brave protagonist who would face nearly any danger in the hope of helping others. Even though Baum didn't intend to write more Oz books, when he did, he expanded upon the great character he had written about. He was showing one of the first examples of the girl being the hero. She is the leader who helps the companions find what they always had.
    Compare that to the movie Dorothy, who is a damsel in distress that has to be rescued by her friends. Yes, the movies attempts to add more character development. I say "attempts" because it doesn't really add any at all. Dorothy didn't run away to have adventure, she ran away so that she could save Toto from being killed by Miss Gulch. At the end, she says she'll never run away again. But here's the thing; the Miss Gulch subplot was never solved. She'll come back and Dorothy will run away again. She hasn't actually learned a thing!
    Now you could assume that Miss Gulch died in the tornado, but the movie never says that! The original script never even says that! You can't just use what possibly happened to solve a problem, you have to actually outright say it.
    And I'll agree that Judy Garland has a charm in this movie. But she isn't Dorothy to me. She's too old for the part. Dorothy is supposed to be about ten. This just stood out to me so much in the movie. 
    I'm very certain that most people will find the better Dorothy in the book.
    Points:
    Book: 1, Movie: 0
    (To Be Continued)
11. I personally felt generally apathetic to both.
12. i actually liked the book better.
13. i think that a big factor in the reason that you never thought dorothy was in danger is due to the fact that you saw the movie already. if you read the book first, you wouldn't know if she was going to stay in oz or go home. she seemed conflicted about going home in the first place.
14. OK, there are two guys, the book guy and the movie guy. I know they are the same guy. but even normal people have conflicting opinions occasionally. You would think that sometimes a category would get both Xs or both get check marks. are always the distinctions between good and better or bad and worst so clear?
15. Your comparison of the Tin Man to Data or Spock actually inspired my am-dram performance of the character as someone who's very stoic and stone-faced (or tin-faced as it were) with the occasional betrayal of his real humanity every once in a while. It just seemed like if you can't portray him as mean-spirited, emotionless is the best way to go.
    
    So, thanks for that, buddy. Great review as always, I agree with most of your points ESPECIALLY about letting kids movies be scary.
16. I don't like to say this but you're wrong Matt. C.S. Lewis never intended The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe to be allegorical, he was writing them at a time when he got back to religion and any Christian parallels were unintentional. As Tolkien put it I think you're mistaking applicability with allegory.
17. to be honest I think the original review is one of the best video you ever made
18. The Tin Man wanting a heart isn't because he wants to be nicer, but because he wants some humanity. His origin was that his axe was cursed by the Wicked Witch of the East. Every time he chopped wood, the axe would cut a body part off and he would replace it with tin. He kept on trying to cut wood to the point where everything was tin.
19. I grew up watching The Wizard of Oz and its still one of my favorite films! The one thing that I don't get with this movie is that Dorothy ran away because Miss Gulch was gonna take Toto and kill him so she ran away to protect him, but by the end of the film I always wonder if she forgot why she ran away in the first place. But despite the movie's problems I still love this movie.
20. This review is so much better than the 1st one.