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Return To Oz | Year: 1985 Classification: Feature Film Family Directed: - Walter Murch Actors/Actresses: - Fairuza Balk - Francis Ford Coppola - George Lucas - Piper Laurie - Steven Spielberg A beloved fantasy...in Oz* First of all I'd like to clear up something that has bugged me. L. Frank Baum (creator and author of Oz and its stories) never wrote about the Emerald City in ruins, a crumbled Yellow Brick Road, or Dorothy in shock therapy as most reviewers seem to state unknowingly. Those were additions made by Disney, Baum did have the detachable heads and a Nome King (which was depicted as a Santa Claus looking character and he wasn't made of rocks). This spectacular movie is extremely close to the spirit of the original Oz books (which are also amazing and fun filled, not dark and scary) with a younger Dorothy (Judy Garland was amazing in The Wizard of Oz though), the characters looking more like the original drawings from the books, and a typical Ozzy plot with the Nome King trying to take over Oz. Although this movie doesn't take you back to the halycon days of MGM with little Judy and the munchkins trapsing down the Yellow Brick Road, you get something a little darker and more subdued(but NOT scary). The film is very entertaining filled with vivid performances by Fairuza Balk as Dorothy, Jean Marsh as Mombi, Nicole Williamson as Dr. Worley and the Nome King, and Piper Laurie as Auntie Em. Hopefully more people will discover the movie and enjoy it for the fine film it is. David Shire's beautiful score in this movie is arguably one of the best scores of the 80's. Dorothy is back home in Kansas and its been 6 months since the tornado carried her and Toto to the Land of Oz. The new house is in the process of being built, Dorothy's Auntie Em and Uncle Henry are very happy to have their niece back. But lately Dorothy can't get to sleep and all she ever talks about is Oz and naturally her kin just think she hit her head and dreamed it up. So they take her to an electrical healing doctor(mind you, this is taking place in the year 1899 at the turn of the century) which promises to heal Dorothy of her dreams of Oz. I don't want to give too much away but she finds herself in Oz and sees that the Nome King has partially conquered Oz and the Emerald City with his accomplice, the evil Princess Mombi. Dorothy with her pet chicken, Billina, Tik-Tok the copper man and Royal Army of Oz, the simple and lovable Jack Pumpkinhead and the flying contraption with the head of a friendly Gump(an ozzy moose-like creature). Together they plan to restore Oz to its former peace and happiness and wait til you watch their adventures! An AWESOME movie recommended for audiences of ALL AGES! Dark, Haunting and Beautiful...Discover this Oz I can still remember seeing this for the first time when I was 5 years old. "Return To Oz" has to be one of the most haunting and beautiful films I have ever seen and remains one of my favorites to this day even as I watch it time after time. The new widescreen version offers even more depth into Walter Murch's new and exciting vision for Oz. Yes it's dark and at times creepy, but that's what makes it so wonderful. Fairuza Balk is memorable as a wide eyed, and haunted Dorothy, troubled by memories of Oz and seemingly trapped by her longing to return there. The sets, which have a lovely, 1900's look, are magnificent and add a whole dimension to the film. The images of a crumbled Yellow Brick Road, and an Emerald City in ruins still give me an uneasy feeling, and Mombi is still terrifying, as well as a trip to a Kansas insane asylum. The underrated score by David Shire is nothing short of magnificent and one of the best. Many fans have praised the movie, and deservedly so, for keeping in line with the more dark nature of the original Oz books. Don't get me wrong, I will always treasure the original as a fun filled, frothy Technicolor escape, but "Return To Oz" will always be head and shoulders my favorite. This is a haunting yet beautiful favorite that sorely needs to be rediscovered. Scary . . . careful with kids I haven't seen this DVD edition yet so I can't really comment on it, but I just wanted to put in one word about the movie. I saw it at age 5 or so when it was in the theaters, and it scared the stuffing out of me. There were a few parts that gave me nightmares and still make me shiver. It's probably not as bad as I've made it out to be, but do use caution letting younger kids watch this. Buy Return To Oz at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Return To Oz Search with the Priority Search Engine on Return To Oz This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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