Sunday, June 16, 2013

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

I think most people remember the first movie that really "spoke" to them. For me, it was The Wizard of Oz.  There are multiple reasons why I love this movie. It was one of my grandpa's favorite movies, and we watched a VHS recording of it together, over and over. Also, Judy Garland was born in my hometown. Let's be real - that's pretty cool. We had our own yellow brick road, and my sister and I even have our names inscribed on one of the bricks! 

Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh my!
 But the main reason why I love that movie is because it's magical. Even at a young age, I could understand how groundbreaking it was. I will never forget watching Dorothy cross over from the black and white of Kansas into the bright, vibrant colors of Oz. And when Glinda came down from the sky in a giant pink bubble? Mind.Blown. I remember thinking, "Wow, could something like this happen to me? Could I go over the rainbow? Can I make friends with a talking scarecrow?" It sent my imagination into overdrive (um, hi horse of a different color!!!) and made me dare to dream. I remember following the yellow brick road in town, hoping I might be sent to Oz too, if only for the afternoon.
  1. The Wicked Witch of the West: I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!
As I got older, this movie took on a whole new meaning. The phrase "There's no place like home" is fascinating to me. It suggests the need to find your roots and cherish who you are and where you come from. But the film also explores the need to escape, to strike out on your own, to find adventure. The gray, gloomy Kansas landscape pales in comparison to the beauty and wonder of Oz. Yet, all Dorothy wants from the moment she sets foot it Oz is to find her way "home". I love the way this part of the film can be interpreted in many different ways. For me, it means finding that sense of "home" wherever I am. I think we all want a place to feel safe; a place that claims us; a place to be with the people we love.
Wizard of Oz: You clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caligenous junk!
What makes this movie so timeless is the way Dorothy's journey can represent our own journey through life. We all find ourselves believing "the grass is greener" at points in our lives. We can all get distracted by shiny, pretty new things. There are roadblocks that pop up when we least expect them. We are constantly exposed to the evil in the world, but have to choose to find the good. We find true friends in unexpected places. We long to find purpose and meaning. We sometimes find ourselves on paths that were not part of our "plan". If we're lucky, we will all find that empowerment that Dorothy found - that acknowledgement that we all have the ability to find whatever it is we are looking for, if we just look inside ourselves.

  2. Wizard of Oz: A heart is shown not by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.

Yellow Brick Road - Grand Rapids, MN 
The Wizard of Oz continues to be one of my favorite movies. When it comes on, I feel like I'm being greeted by an old friend. It, as I believe the movie intends, fills me when a sense of hope. A hope that though the journey might be long and arduous on our own yellow brick roads, we will always find our way home.

 Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousJune 20, 2013 at 1:22 PM

    My first memory of this movie is the "wicked witch of the West." I was only about 5 years old and I remember hiding behind my mother because that witch scared the beegeebers out of me. I had many a nightmare with her cackling voice being heard in the dream. I absolutely love Judy Garland's rendition of "Over the Rainbow" and always compare other artists' renditions to hers.

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