Film assignment

Discuss the Narrative structure of The Wizard of Oz, 1939, and of Oz the Great and Powerful, 2013. 

• 750 words
• Hand to TLAS
• Due in Friday the 29th of November 

  The Wizard of Oz, 1939, is a circular narrative as it goes round in a circular format, as to go from the beginning, middle and end to come back to where it started at the beginning. As the film begins, we are introduced to Dorothy, the main character and her state of equilibrium. The state of equilibrium we are introduced to is Dorothy at her home with her everyday life on the farm and having an occasional mishapping with Miss Gulch, this state is filmed by Fleming in an almost Sepia edit as to express the normal state of which the characters of being shown her. However, this clear sectioning of the films almost foreshadows how the state of equilibrium will be broken in order to cause a disruption. The disruption in the film is the tornado, in which carries Dorothy and Toto in the Technicolour world of Oz in Munchkin Land, which is introduced with a full colour picture. The colour picture is used by Fleming as to express how beautiful, yet different this location is to the location of where Dorothy comes from.
  The same ideas of shown in Oz the Great and Powerful, 2013, as a not so magical wizard is caught up in a tornado when battling his everyday at the circus. As the Wizard takes off in a hot air balloon thinking everything is going to be okay, he is soon to realise not as to see the tornado in the sky near him. However, Oz battles threw and lands on the land of Oz where the picture turns to colour and expands to wide screen, which is very effective for the viewer. As in comparison to The Wizard of Oz, gives the idea of a bigger and better life for the character as almost a rite of passage to better themselves.
  Furthermore, Todorov suggested that stories begin with an equilibrium where any potentially opposing forces are in balance. This is then cleared up with a recognition. Of which, the theory does apply to the Wizard of Oz as the recognition is of Dorothy and Toto, as they realise they are no longer in their state of equilibrium. As this recognition happens, we are first introduced to a symbolic and significant object in the film, introduced by Glinda the good fairy. This symbolic object is in fact the ruby slippers which are given to Dorothy in order to keep her safe, yet cause her trouble as are wanted by the Wicked Witch of the West. Here, it is clear to give the characters their typical character 'type' of which they fall into from recognition of other children literature, fairy tales and TV. As, the hero can seen to be Dorothy as she goes along to help herself yet also helps the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion along with her travel. And the donor/dispatcher can be seen as Glinda, as she gives Dorothy the ruby slippers in order to keep her safe in her travels, of which she sends her on. Yet, the villain is obviously going to be the Wicked Witch of the West as she wants the slippers from Dorothy. 

  Although, these typical characters type could be seen to differ in each Oz movie as to go by the theory of Vladimir Propp. Vladimir Propp's theory was that all characters of tales could be resolved into broad character functions, as the typical characters may differ in each movie. As in the Return of Oz, The Wizard of Oz comes across as an anti-hero as he confesses to not being a real Wizard and is ready to leave the land of Oz. However, by the end of the movie he becomes the hero as to save the land of Oz, and flee the witches from the land, in order for him to gain power and because the Wizard of Oz. Also, the princess in the Return of Oz would be Glinda as she is the one who the wizard falls in love with. However, in the Wizard of Oz the princess would be seen as Dorothy as she is the main girl on the good side of the story. 
  Yet, how some things differ in each movie, The Wizard of Oz and The Return of Oz, some things do in fact stay the same. As the ending of both movies, end with The Wizard of Oz giving what he can but not what is expected in order to give the princess a happy ending. This is known through the theory of Todorov, as the attempt to repair the disruption, as both movies get rid of the witches and they are all happy again. Although, there is a slight differance as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz whats to go back home, to return to her state of equilibrium, which she does threw the power of her ruby slippers. This returning to her state of equilibrium is the narrative arc, as the movie occurs in a circular narrative where it starts in the same place as it ends. Yet, in the Return of Oz, there is no narrative arc of Oz returning to the circus. However, he returns to a state of equilibrium, as he gets 'all he ever wanted' a family, happiness and magic. 

882 words.