Growing up, The Wizard of Oz was one of those films that was repeatedly on TV and we would often watch it. There was very limited numbers of TV channels and no dedicated childrens channels so any opportunity to watch something that was not geared towards adults was eagerly taken. It was iconic and much loved.
The original book was written by L. Frank Baum and released in 1900 with the name The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It was adapted into a Broadway musical in 1902 and the iconic film was made in 1939, although three silent films were made before this. The copyright has lapsed and the story has been taken and used to inspire many other stories, including Wicked by Gregory Maguire. In Wicked, the story of Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West, is given resulting in a very different viewpoint of the original story. The beautiful song 'Defying Gravity' comes from the very successful musical. Both the original Wizard of Oz and Wicked have spawned cultural references.
Many people have looked for deeper meanings within the story, political, religious, and it's true, authors often used fantasies to provide a cover for criticism. The story stands on it's own in my view and it's appeal to children has nothing to do with any allegory. It's success is due to the masterful story telling and incredible imagery.
So many iconic phrases have come from the story, such as 'there is no place like home' and follow the yellow brick road'. The yellow brick road has become an important cultural feature. In the books, the yellow brick road leads to the Emerald City and Dorothy's way home. As long as she sticks to this path, she will get where she is going. It has become a representation of the light at the end of the tunnel but it's use is not necessarily optimistic, it can be pessimistic or sarcastic.
I think Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road sums up much of the feeling of the yellow brick road. It's a journey from innocence and safety. The path takes us away from our childhood life seeking for something, more. The things we seek do not always seem worth it, it's hard to judge a journey until it's finished and when does the road leading us to seek ever truly end? It's easy to become disillusioned. The wizard after all was not infallible and Dorothy became a pawn in the plans of others. In the very end though, she did make it home and her friends did get the things they sought. I think your belief in what the yellow brick road represents depends on what your outlook on life is. I guess I am an optimist but that said, I don't believe things are always easy, there are troubles and pitfalls waiting for us all. Does anyone sail through life without any trouble?
The iconic images and characters from the film have inspired so much, from lego minifigures and a film to barbie dolls. Banksy produced a piece of art called Stop and Search showing a policeman in riot gear wearing blue gloves searching Dorothy's basket. Harrods produced replica ruby shoes and numerous pairs made for the film have been sold with the most expensive going for $666,000 in the year 2000. Other memorabilia from the film has sold for astonishing amounts with Dorothy's dress selling for over a million dollars and the lion's costume for over $800,000. There have been many editions of the books since it was initially published and most of these featured different artwork.
The Wicked Witch of the West was played by Margaret Hamilton and she was so good at being scary that many of her scenes were cut because they were too scary. Many years later she visited Sesame Street and reprised the role in 1976 but the episode received a lot of complaints for being too scary and was never aired again. I find it interesting that she became the central character of Wicked, which showed her as wronged and misunderstood.
The film that cemented the story into the lives of millions of children was not without controversy. Stories of abuse and debauchery abound and many of the effects were achieved in very dangerous ways. The lion's costume was made from original lion hair and he sweated so much it had to be industrially dried each night as the set was frequently over 100 degrees. The aluminium in the tin man's costume made him so sick it hospitalised the original actor who was replaced when he was too sick to immediately continue. The snow used in the film was asbestos. The wicked witch caught fire and took six weeks to recover and could not wear the hand makeup following this due to nerve damage. The wicked witch's double later did another fire scene and also caught fire spending eleven days in hospital.
Some of my favourite images actually come from the Land of Oz theme park which was abandoned in 1975 following a fire. It lay derelict for some time but portions were restored and it occasionally opens. My favourite photos are the ones showing the yellow brick road. There is something about it wending it's way through the trees, particularly when it looks a little unkempt.
Just stay on the yellow brick road and you will get where you are going. Adventure will be yours, through dark and light. Take one step and then another. Hope will keep your feet moving.
That's definitely the theme of this bracelet for me, hope, finding your path. Covid gave me the push I needed to leave the rat race and pursue creativity as a career. It was the first of my designs that went beyond simple geometry.
Want to look at the images which inspired me on pinterest?
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