In this age of reboots, remakes, and reimaginings, it’s not uncommon to hear the modern film fan wax nostalgic for an era of cinema when all the ideas were fresh and new. While there is certainly merit to the nitpicks of these proud protectors of celluloid, often the righteous few forget that some of the silver screen’s most audacious, genre-defining moments were actually remakes or reimaginings of previous works.
John Carpenter’s The Thing comes to mind, adapted from Howard Hawks’ The Thing from Another World. Also, David Cronenberg’s definitive body-horror epic, The Fly, which originally hit the screens in an earlier, safer incarnation starring Vincent Price.
But perhaps the most beloved and popular remake of all time is one that many people may not even be aware is a remake. Now, I don’t mean to cause any disenchantment here, but the hard truth remains that the gem of 1939 and perennial classic The Wizard of Oz is not the story’s first filmic representation, and to the shock of gays everywhere, Judy Garland is not the first Dorothy. While it is an inarguable fact that The Wizard of Oz is a groundbreaking entry into the world of motion pictures, and its place in history is well-earned, it is certainly not the first comer to the land of Oz. Hell, it’s not even second or third.
Indeed, when L. Frank Baum wrote the seminal first novel in his Oz series, I’m sure he had little idea that it would spawn over forty follow-up novels, multiple stage plays, concept albums, and several dozen film incarnations. In fact, the first official adaptation of Oz was done in 1910, titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (and was even preceded by a multimedia presentation of Baum’s in 1908 titled The Fairylogue and Radio Plays), and clocked in at a whopping 15 minutes. With several silent film installments that followed, all curated or co-written by Baum himself, the Oz legacy on screen was steam-rolling toward its greatest incarnation.
Now, some 75 years after Judy, Margaret and the gang brought Oz into the Technicolor age, my ghoulfriend Peaches Christ is mounting a lavish stage spectacle, The Wizard of Odd, to pay tribute to the film and its legacy. Joined by Drag Race superstar Sharon Needles and a host of Midnight Mass regulars (did you all see that Peggy L’Eggs poster? I’m gagging at the Ed Wood pun), Peaches is plotting to take the audience to the Emerald City and back in a way only she can.
So, why the little history lesson on The Wizard of Oz’s remake status? As you all well know, one of my main gigs here at PC HQ is to serve as Peaches’ horror expert and film historian, so while she and the gang are getting ready for the show, I thought I’d get into the celebration by taking you down my own yellow brick road.
With so many versions of Oz represented through art over the years, the variations of this dream world are so vast, there is truly an Oz out there for everyone. As such, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the other “visions of Oz” that exist, and maybe lead you from your own, dreary black and white existence, into the world of mad color for which you’ve always been yearning.
You already know about Judy and her version of The Wizard of Oz, so leave that behind…and travel with me to new places and new destinations, both wonderful…and wicked.
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The Wiz (Dir. Sidney Lumet, 1978)
Adapted from the 1975 Broadway musical of the same name, The Wiz is a verified cultural phenomenon in its own right. A reimagining of The Wizard of Oz featuring an entirely African-American cast, the film tells the story of a Harlem schoolteacher (played by Diana Ross), who gets magically transported to Oz…which, in this version, resembles an idealized version of New York City. Featuring a who’s who of legendary talent (Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Mabel King, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor, to name a few),The Wiz is a Technicolor fever dream by way of Motown.
In addition to updating the music for a modern audience, the film also doesn’t shy away from the more garish aspects of Oz, allowing Dorothy’s adventures to take on a nightmarish quality that lends itself to the film’s general feeling of displacement. While initially a commercial flop upon its release, The Wiz has since found a strong, niche market on video and in revival screenings. A powerful restructuring of a classic, The Wiz is a fascinating slice of the zeitgeist, as it showcases Dorothy’s sense of being the “other” can be amplified and toyed with based on our own cultural perceptions and norms. More than just a fun comparison piece, however, The Wiz is a rocking good time with a soundtrack to match. Take a chance, and ease on down this road!
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Return to Oz (Dir. Walter Murch, 1985)
If The Wiz notably embraced the garish aspects of Oz, then 1985’s Return to Oz turned the freakish celebration up to 11. Starring Fairuza Balk (The Craft) as Dorothy, Return, as implied by the title, extends the story past the events of Wizard and tells us what happened when the brave little girl from Kansas came back. Fleeing shock therapy with her pet chicken, the land Dorothy returns to is definitely not your grandma’s Oz. With a dilapidated haunted look, the Oz of Return is now a fantasy in ruins. Ghosts of the past lurk around every corner, and the yellow brick road has faded. In place of dancing and singing, Oz is taken over by terrifying creatures known as “Wheelers,” who stalk the country side in service of the evil Queen Mombi…who has a gallery of severed heads.
No, I’m not kidding.
Did I mention this was intended as a children’s film and was produced by Disney? For children of the 80s, Return to Oz was one of those movies that was delightful enough to make for a compelling watch, but frightful enough that it kept many of us up well into the wee hours. Occupying a similar space as fantasy epics of the era such as Labyrinth and Legend, Return to Oz really thrives when it gets a chance to cut loose and embrace its darkness. From Mombi’s (played deliciously by Piper Laurie) hall of heads to The Nome King’s obsession with shoes (hey queen!), the movie is off the rails, and completely amazing. Definitely one of my favorites on this list, I recommend Return for those who are looking for a little edge to their Oz.
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The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz (Dir. Kirk Thatcher, 2005)
Before their recent renaissance with Amy Adams and Jason Segal, Jim Henson’s greatest creation sure had their share of wacky film projects and adaptations. Not necessarily one of their finer outings, I almost forgot Kermit and company had made a detour to Oz until Peaches reminded me of this film’s existence. However, the nice thing about The Muppets is that, even when they’re not at their finest, they’re still The Muppets. With R&B star Ashanti stepping into Dorothy’s ruby slippers, The Muppets take on the various roles of the characters of Oz, leading to a romp of delightful proportions. Perhaps most notable, however, is Miss Piggy…playing not one, but all three witches. I don’t want to say that the swine superstar is typecast here, but she certainly fills the role(s) nicely. Furthermore, this flick has a wacky cameo by none other than Quentin Tarantino, which really has to be seen to be believed.
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Wicked (Novel by Gregory MaGuire, 2003 stage musical by Stephen Schwartz)
Okay, so we’re bending the rules a little here…but what is Oz if not a place where rules can be bent? While not a film adaptation, one simply cannot discuss prominent incarnations of Oz these days without talking about Wicked. Long before John Travolta was butchering Idina Menzel’s name in an attempt to make a pun about this show, Wicked had captured the imaginations of Broadway audiences with its revisionist history of the Witch of the West. Furthermore, before it was even a musical, the story was a popular (and much more harsh) novel by acclaimed author Gregory MaGuire.
Few incarnations of Baum’s story have gone on to a cultural prestige that matches the 1939 film, but if one comes close, it’s Wicked. By making the supposition that maybe events were skewed to favor Dorothy’s P.O.V., MaGuire shifts the lens to the witch, named here as Elphaba, and the events that transpired to make her universally deemed “wicked.” A tale of staying true to one’s convictions, even in the face of outside moral ambiguity, Wicked shows us that the witch is less a character to revile, and more one to rally behind. Elphaba is a figure of revolution against patriarchy and a voice for the voice-less (in the case, Oz’s talking animals, who are having their rights stripped away). It’s a powerful portrayal, and one that has forced audiences to take a second look at the things we think we know. The musical has gone forward to become a pop culture reference point (from Glee to Ariana Grande covers), and MaGuire’s novel has spawned several sequels that continue to challenge audiences to believe that there is a reality beneath the glamor of the Emerald City. Not all Oz adaptations are golden, but Wicked proves that some of the best ones are green.
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Oz the Great and Powerful (Dir. Sam Raimi, 2013)
One of the most recent filmic adaptations of Baum’s legacy, Oz the Great and Powerful was one of Disney’s big releases last year, and is of particular interest to horror fans due to its being helmed by Evil Dead’s own Sam Raimi. This particular adaptation seems to be attempting to borrow a page from Wicked’s success by presenting things from the Wizard’s point of view, played with a charlatan’s flair by James Franco. Most of the fun of this piece tends to be derived from the Wizard’s inadvertent entry into the war of the witches, played respectively by Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, and Rachel Weisz (though, which witch is which should be left ambiguous, as that’s part of the fun). While Raimi’s vision of Oz seems more about grand set pieces and 3D technology than it does about the dreamer’s spirit of previous installments, Oz the Great and Powerful does manage to continue the legacy of Oz as a place where reality is suspended and fantasy comes true. Furthermore, the keen genre fan’s eye might just happen to take note that Raimi structured the story on his own Army of Darkness, bringing Bruce Campbell and Dorothy a little closer than anyone likely ever thought could happen. It is a grand case of bait and switch that could only have been executed by the man who brought the chainsaw hand into fashion.
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The Dark Side of Oz (Dir. Victor Fleming, 1939/Pink Floyd, 1973)
Okay, so I know what you’re thinking: “He said he wasn’t going to reference the 1939 film on this list,” or possibly, “Gah, what a stoner.” Well, let me tell you…this technically isn’t the 39 film, at least how you know it…and I’m definitely not a stoner (I can eat a whole pizza all on my own without drugs, thankyouverymuch). What I am, however, is fan of surrealism (click through past columns for rants about David Lynch as proof) and an unapologetic Pink Floyd enthusiast. Now, in case you’re not in the know, and/or haven’t interacted with pop culture at all since 1973, let me explain to you what I’m going on about.
Shortly after the release of Pink Floyd’s landmark Dark Side of the Moon album, some scholarly folk hero discovered that, if you start the aforementioned album at exactly the right moment (after the third roar of the MGM lion), the music cues and lyrics match up with the events of The Wizard of Oz perfectly. And it’s completely true. While members of Pink Floyd claim that it’s just coincidence, the moments of synergy between the two works of art are just too numerous to mention. Whether it be the woman wailing during “Great Gig in the Sky” as Dorothy gets swept into the tornado, the change drop in “Money” occurring the second the door opens to a world of color, or the lyric “the lunatic is on the grass” matching the Scarecrow’s fall from his post into the grass…it changes the shape of the film and viewing experience forever. By adding a completely different dimension to something you’re already likely familiar with, the mash-up, dubbed The Dark Side of Oz, is likely the most mind-bending and dark version of Oz on this list, if only because it reveals how important what we see can be altered by what we hear. It is Oz like you’ve never imagined, and Pink Floyd like you’ve never seen.
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Oz (Dir. Chris Löfvén, 1976)
Alternatively titled 20th Century Oz, this 1976 slice of savage cinema is unique in the respect that it’s one of the few Oz films that’s acutally from Oz. Well, Australia. Made during the height of the “Ozploitation” era of drive-in cinema that also gave us such down under classics as Mad Max and Dead End Drive-In, Oz is a rock ‘n’roll reimagining of the 1939 film, where the magical land of Oz becomes, appropriately, Australia itself. Aimed for an older audience, Oz tells the story of Dorothy, here a groupie for a rock band, and her concussed descent into a world of rock insanity. Notable for the fact that the film prominently features LGBT characters (here, Glinda is reimagined as “Glin,” a gay male fashion designer), Oz wears its heart on its sleeve and delivers something wholly unique. Likely to appease fans of grittier drive-in fare, this movie also caters to those who are looking for something fresh in their Oz variations. By riffing a theme, this Australian gem gives us something startling and new, all the way from the top down under.
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With these few entries, consider your journey into Oz, parts unknown, off to an official start. As I mentioned in the article’s on-set…there are hundreds of incarnations of the Oz stories across a variety of mediums, and this piece barely scratches the surface. Maybe you’re a fan of that Zooey Deschanel Tin-Man series. Perhaps you have burning desire to talk about that episode of Supernatural where Sam and Dean meet Dorothy. Or maybe there’s an Oz tale I didn’t even get around to mentioning here. If you have a favorite, make sure you let us know in the comments, or give me a shout over on Twitter (@MichaelVarrati). I’ll be happy to talk ruby slippers and flying monkeys until that next twister comes to take us all home.
In the meantime, as Peaches heads off on her own Oz adventure, let us all wish her the best of luck…
…and from our Lollipop Guild to yours…
…we’ll see you over the rainbow.
