The Wizard of Oz

From its groundbreaking Technicolor camerawork and eye-popping set design, costuming, and choreography to its catchy music and enduring lyrics, The Wizard of Oz remains one of the crowning achievements of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The premise adapted from L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel: A Kansas girl travels with a scarecrow, a tinman, a lion (and her dog, Toto, too) through a magical land of Munchkins, witches, and the wonderful wizard. Perhaps less is known of its troubled production, which ran through a carousel of directors (Richard Thorpe, George Cukor, Victor Fleming, who held the reins for most of the film, and finally King Vidor), and the mistreatment of its young star, a then 16-year-old Judy Garland, by Fleming and MGM studio executives. A joyful celebration of imagination as well as an unsettling tale of childhood insecurities, the film remains every bit as resonant as it was upon its premiere.