The Wizard of Oz, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1939, is a timeless film which follows young Dorothy's adventure from her home on a small farm in Kansas into the magical Land of Oz. This film is based on L. Frank Baum's fairytale entitled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (later changed to The Wizard of Oz), which was published in 1900. The film is a brilliant spectacle which not only continues to amaze audiences around the world, but also offers insight into the political and economic situations in the United States during the both the late 1900s and the 1930s. While some of the allegories found in Baum's original work were irrelevant by the time the film was released, many of the interpretations can be reapplied to the post-Depression era. And, moreover, there are new elements in the film, such as music, which add increased symbolism to the 1939 version of this fantastic story.

Harmetz, Aljean. The Making of The Wizard of Oz. New York: Knopf, 1977.

The third chapter of Aljean Harmetz' The Making of the Wizard of Oz, entitled "The Brains, The Heart, The Nerve, and The Music," discusses the way in which E. Y. Harburg (the lyricist) and Harold Arlen (the composer) worked together to develop the soundtrack for The Wizard of Oz. Harburg, who was hand picked by Arlen, had previously recorded "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?," which became the "battle hymn of the Depression" (Harmetz, 76). When confronted with the challenge of composing a ballad for The Wizard of Oz, Harburg maintained his desire to reflect reality through music and created "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" to showcase the possibility of exploring new places. Harburg attached deep emotion to this song and hoped audiences would realize his message. Technically, the rainbow offers Dorothy "a visual reason for going to a new land and a reason for changing to color" (Harmetz, 77). However, Harburg also intended the song to represent an opportunity to flee the black and white Kansas farm and enter a new city full of vibrant color. After the first screening of The Wizard of Oz, L.B. Mayer, the head of MGM, removed "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from the film. Harburg was angry not only because that meant losing a beautiful ballad, but also because it meant eliminating a dramatic political statement. After much deliberation, however, the song was put back into the film and has since become one of the most easily recognizable songs in history.

Harmetz' discussion of Harburg as a lyricist can be analyzed further in light of Harburg's past accomplishments and the political and economic landscape in the Untied States in 1939. Harburg's "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" is an overt representation of the economic crisis that overtook America in the 1930s. It is therefore probable that included in Harburg's intentions for "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was the goal of representing Dorothy's entrance into a new land, full of color, as America's emergence into a new era of economic prosperity. In this light, it is probable that Kansas represents the Depression-era and the Land of Oz correlates with Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. When FDR became president in 1933, he instituted the New Deal strategy in an attempt to restore America's reputation as a land of affluence. His efforts helped farmers across the Midwest reestablish themselves as successful workers and, ultimately, recreate their old lifestyles. The New Deal offered America the chance to reinvent itself and become vibrant country, full of Technicolor. Dorothy's desire to escape the dullness and squalor of Kansas and experience a new, exotic locale reflects Harburg's hope that America would once again be the land of opportunity where the streets are paved with gold.

 

Steinfels, Peter. "Following the Yellowbrick Road, and Finding a Spiritual Path." The New York Times, 28 November 2001. Published November 28, 2001. 28 November 2008 <http://proxy.library.upenn.edu:2101/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T5253876110&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T5253876113&cisb=22_T5253876112&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&selRCNodeID=24&nodeStateId=411en_US,1,23&docsInCategory=65&csi=6742&docNo=17>.

This article offers a religious interpretation of The Wizard of Oz and, further, posits that the film is a direct reflection of traditional American values. Steinfels recounts a speech given at the Convention of the American Academy of Religion during which Dr. Paul Nathanson suggested that Dorothy's journey mirrors a routine religious story about origin and destiny. In the film, Dorothy's adventure is split up into three sections-Kansas, Oz and Kansas-and ultimately she ends up right where she began. Nathanson claimed that Dorothy's homecoming is like the Israelites return to the Promise Land after years of exile. Nathanson also emphasized that while religiosity is not overt in the film, these values are also deeply ingrained in the American tradition. Steinfels explains Nathanson's second assertion which proposes that Dorothy's journey also represents a desire in the United States to return to a traditional, agrarian-based society. In 1939 America was still recovering from political and economic corruption and it is possible that Americans yearned for a more traditional lifestyle, like Dorothy's experience in Kansas.

This article's religious references are interesting because, as Nathanson says, numerous religious values are in fact embedded in traditional American culture. Furthermore, it is likely that many Americans turned to their respective faiths extensively during the Depression, and the years immediately following the disaster. If what Nathanson suggested about Dorothy's journey following a religious storyline is also correct, then it is likely that religious Americans found solace in Dorothy. Americans could identify with her quest and eventual return to Kansas, just as they wished to return to their pre-Depression lifestyles. Notwithstanding the utility of Nathanson's religious references, it seems unlikely that his idea about Americans in 1939 desiring a return to an agrarian society is correct. They may have sought traditional values, family structures and workplaces, but not an eradication of technology. Steinfels' retelling of Nathanson's speech offers insight into the ability of Americans to relate to Dorothy in light of dire economic circumstances. Interestingly, this high level of identification may have also led to the immense success of the film.