Comparison of The Movie the Wizard of Oz and The Book the Wonderful Wizard of Oz Essay

The film, The Wizard of Oz omits some of the aspects captured in the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. For example, the film has five characters who are not present in the book such as Miss Gulch who plays the role of the wicked witch of the West, professor marvel as the wizard, and Zeke, Hickory, and Hunk as the lion, tin man and the scarecrow respectively (Hyaroo). These characters are used to make the characters lively and to achieve parallelism where the same roles are played by other characters than the one in the original plot. However, these new characters are not necessary, and the scriptwriters should have used the names formerly captured in the book.

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The movie has a dreamland nature which contrasts with a fairly land aspect, the original idea of the book (Jessie). It should be noted that the film is in a better position to make the plot more dramatical due to visual and sound effects. However, the added dramatic effect does not reflect the scenes in the book and gives the movie a new meaning. For example, the camera is focused on Dorothy's face when she is knocked into unconsciousness, and it is then blurred, an action which renders the following scenes a dream. However, the original plot as per the book is that Dorothy is in a fairyland. After the movie, the viewers can conclude that it was merely a dream while in the real case, the film producers should have clearly shown Dorothy being lost in imaginary thoughts to create a fairy tale like environment.

The witches' part is more pronounced in the movie than in the book. According to the book, the wicked witch of the West does not have the antagonistic nature and only shows up after Dorothy arrives at the West with her friends. On the other hand, the witch is purely antagonistic and shows up at the start of the movie. In the scenario, the viewers already know the villain and can associate her with every bad thing that occurs to Dorothy while she journeys to the west to touch the ruby slippers and to avenge her sister's death. In the book, Glinda, the witch of the South knows the power in the shoes but does not know Dorothy has them since she appears in the last part (Rosale). Such is not the case in the movie as Glinda knows the Dorothy received the shoes from the witch of the North and it is expected that she tells her that the wicked witch will be after them.

Conclusion

The character Dorothy is given different character traits in the movie than the ones in the book. For example, the book notes Dorothy as cheerful and pragmatic and always calm in almost all situations (Fussell). She complains a little bit and cries when there is a solid case. However, the movie paints her as a crybaby with less courage. In her angry scenes, she almost breaks down in tears which is not the case in the book where she displays a heroic character. Also, the movie captures character changes not mentioned in the book. For example, Dorothy undergoes growth from being emotional to a heroic character. Such changes contradict the original plot in the book where Dorothy exhibits her calmness and braveness right from the start to the end of the narrative.

Works Cited

Fussell, J. No ruby slippers? No Miss Gulch? How 'Wizard of Oz' Movie Differs from Book. The Kansas City Star, 4 August 2014. https://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/article846511.html. (7 March 2019).

Hyaroo. The Wizard of Oz Book/ Movie Comparison. 4 April 2011. https://hyaroo.livejournal.com/70937.html. (7 March 2019).

Jessie. 8 Differences Between the Wizard of Oz Movie and Book. Reel Rundown, May, 11 2016. https://reelrundown.com/movies/8-Differences-Between-the-Wizard-of-OZ-Movie-and-Book. (7 March 2019).

Rosale. The Wonderful Wizard Of OZ: What the Movie Got Wrong. Book Riot, 31 May 2017. https://bookriot.com/. (7 March 2019).