It’s difficult to believe this evergreen family film was a commercial failure on its release, only acceding to its now iconic status after perennial revivals on television. MGM’s lavish production, which switches from sepia for the Kansas farmland sequences to glorious Technicolor for Oz, magically brought to life the original novel by L. Frank Baum.
From Dorothy’s (Judy Garland) wistful ballad ‘Over the Rainbow’ – where she dreams of life away from her dreary home – to the adventures along Oz’s Yellow Brick Road, in which Dorothy is joined by the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, every aspect of the film holds a special place in the public consciousness.
