The Magic Cloak

Fairies weave a magic cloak capable of granting its wearer one wish but cannot decide who should receive it. Finally the Man in the Moon suggests they give it to the unhappiest person they can find. This person as it turns out is Fluff (played by Mildred Harris), on her way to the land of Noland with her brother Bud (as played by Violet MacMillan), their Aunt Rivette and their pet mule Nickodemus to make a new life having just recently lost her {and Bud's} father. After receiving the cloak from the fairies, Fluff wishes for happiness and Bud as luck should have walks right into inheriting a kingdom, making Fluff a princess. Things are well until their pet mule Nickodemus gets captured by robbers and the 683 year old beguiling Queen Zixi of Ix decides to come looking for the cloak, wishing to make herself appear as young and beautiful in her own mirror as others already see her.

The main problem with this movie is it seems to lack focus. While entitled "The Magic Cloak of Oz", the title should probably instead read "The Startling Adventures of Nickodemus the Mule" since Nickodemus (wonderfully brought to life by Fred Woodward) and his animal friends garner most of the attention during this one's running time. Now Nickodemus is often delightfully amusing to watch and really his scenes tend to provide this one's funniest moments. Another problem for some may be there's not enough familiar Oz style characters in this one, aside from the animals and the demanding, soup-eating Rolly Rogues. All in all though, this one's flaws ultimately prove somewhat forgivable since it's such an imaginative journey into a childlike fantasy world.

So, another attempt by L. Frank Baum brings us more donkey costumes and other animal assortments, acted out by people who look more like they are at Mardi Gras then Oz, trying to pass off another dizzying plot line involving a magic cloak that the townspeople want to give to the most unhappy person in the land. The only real indication that this film is part of the Oz series is the title card in the beginning. Nothing else really ties it in with the other movies or books. It is really a film about another Baum "Oz" character, Queen Zixi of Ix.

It also sounds like there are different versions of this film out there, however, the version I saw on YouTube was 41 minutes long, which is just about all of it. Try to avoid the 23 minute versions that sprung out from old 16mm prints and VHS versions. Also, many copies come with no music, so use a silent movie soundtrack off of YouTube, while you watch this. The music does help.

One of the main characters is Nicodemus, the mule (or a guy in a bad mule suit - Fred Woodward), who really kills the grade for costumes, because it looks so bad. Also, director J. Farrell MacDonald, managed to shoot some really weird scenes with the mule in it, such as having Nicodemus rubbing his behind on a tree. There were some good costumes too, such as the rolling Roly-Rogues. They look pretty cool. There are also some improving effects that look good for 1914, such as layered, multiple images of the characters used for the cloak meeting at the start of the film. What makes this one hard to watch is once again, the spastic storytelling and performances that make this presentation look like Mardi Gras, not Oz and with no real story in sight. No discipline.

4.7 (E MyGrade) = 5 IMDB.

Whoa....I guess I need to get around to reading those Oz books by Frank L Baum! I haven't yet, but boy are they different from the stuff you saw in the 1939 film!! This film finds a mythical kingdom without a king. Since the dead king had no heirs, the law says that the 47th person to pass through a certain gate will be their new ruler! And, unfortunately, it's Bud--a kid who would rather spend the country's treasury on toys than do anything to help his new subjects. In the meantime, there's a story about a donkey and other animals that are really people dressed up in odd costumes and there is a plot involving a magic cloak. All of this is pretty weird but also pretty entertaining because it is so incredibly strange and oddly entertaining. Overall, it's a really weird but engaging film that made me smile several times due to it's kitschy style and charm. It's NOT a film, however, to show to those unfamiliar with silent films--it might just be too strange and might scare them away from an awesome genre. Fun and weird.

This adaptation of L. Frank Baum's "The Magic Cloak of Oz" is an enjoyable fantasy feature that is also quite resourceful for its era. The settings and costumes are often lavish, and most of the special visual effects work well. The story is complex and lively, making for good entertainment.

A number of sources indicate that Baum himself directed this feature, replacing J. Farrell MacDonald after the first of the three Oz features in this 1914 series. Whether or not Baum actually did the direction, he certainly had a clear image of what he wanted the Oz world to look like, and you can clearly see his influence in the way that the characters and the Oz locations are brought to life.

The story, like all of the Oz stories, is a fun one that takes numerous exaggerated, imaginative characters and weaves them into the same narrative. As the main plot device, the magic cloak is the focus of the characters, and the story wisely makes restrained use of its actual powers so as to keep the focus on the characters themselves.

The cast includes several performers who also appeared in one or both of the other features in the series. Mildred Harris and Violet MacMillan, as Fluff and Bud, make sympathetic main characters. As Nikodemus, Fred Woodward gets the chance to show his skill with animal costumes, and several other good costume animals also appear. Juanita Hansen as Queen Zixi, the silly-looking Rolly Rogues, and the rest of the characters all get some moments of their own.

The movie features plenty of imaginative details, and the settings work well in bringing you into Baum's fantasy world. Although this is not quite a full-length feature, it's quite a bit longer than the average film was in 1914, and much of the production is creative and innovative for its time. It's an enjoyable movie that still holds up rather well for those who enjoy silent movies.

A quarter century before Dorothy and her compatriots danced and sang their way down the yellow brick road, L. Frank Baum founded a production company and made some movie versions of his novels. One was "The Magic Cloak", which won't be immediately recognizable as part of the series. It centers on a cloak that grants the wearer a wish, but the story jumps around a lot. The best part is when the Rolly Rogues invade the town: these big fat guys look just like what anyone would toss into a movie for comic relief.

It's an OK movie, but the other two in this series were better. Even better still is the 1925 adaptation of Baum's most famous novel, featuring Oliver Hardy as the Tin Man.

A historical note for this one is that Fluff is played by Mildred Harris, who was married to Charlie Chaplin for a few years. Milla Jovovich played her in Richard Attenborough's "Chaplin".