jerryuppington
Joined Dec 2002
Welcome to the new profile
Our updates are still in development. While the previous version of the profile is no longer accessible, we're actively working on improvements, and some of the missing features will be returning soon! Stay tuned for their return. In the meantime, the Ratings Analysis is still available on our iOS and Android apps, found on the profile page. To view your Rating Distribution(s) by Year and Genre, please refer to our new Help guide.
Badges2
To learn how to earn badges, go to the badges help page.
Reviews5
jerryuppington's rating
I recently saw this movie again after a hiatus of several years. I was able to view it with a more objective eye; the movie didn't disappoint.
Two facts stick out at me when pondering this film. First, it creates the hugest impact when the viewer sees it as a child. I still remember trembling at the Wicked Witch of the West at the tender age of seven. To a child, the Witch is terrifying--she'll scare the living Beejeesus out of him. The underlying subconscious motives of children are all addressed, in a most direct fashion, in this movie--the desire to get away, the loss of security, our feelings towards our Mothers (the Antie Em figure) and our fear of scary things. Nothing could possibly be more horrifying to a child than the crystal ball sequence, where our beloved Mother figure (Antie Em) turns into this horrible, cackling, Id-figure Witch.
People who see the movie first as an adult are less impressed; one acquaintance said,"The movie's no big deal--you're not missing much." They have missed the child's Wizard of Oz experience and can't understand the impact.
The other fact that strikes me is that this movie is truly Pan-Human--there's absolutely nothing in the film that would offend anyone, whether he be Muslim, Jewish, Christian, African, Russian, Chinese, or green or blue or purple. It truly is a film that transcends all human boundaries.
There are a few plot holes in the film made necessary by cutting the film due to over-length. I wish I could see an unabridged edition; Margaret Hamilton has said that her part was cut drastically because the children in preview audiences got too scared. I believe, in retrospect, the deletion of the Jitterbug number was a mistake; its deletion causes a glaring plot hole, obvious to those who watch the movie closely.
A little piece of errata--I remember very clearly a scene in the Witch's Castle that is either lost, or been deleted. It's when Dorothy is gazing at the hourglass. Seeing that the sand is getting ready to run out, she desperately tries to turn it over--but fails; the hourglass won't budge. Does anybody else remember this scene?
All in all, this is a wonderful movie. If you and your children haven't seen it, run--not walk-- to the nearest store and buy it.
Two facts stick out at me when pondering this film. First, it creates the hugest impact when the viewer sees it as a child. I still remember trembling at the Wicked Witch of the West at the tender age of seven. To a child, the Witch is terrifying--she'll scare the living Beejeesus out of him. The underlying subconscious motives of children are all addressed, in a most direct fashion, in this movie--the desire to get away, the loss of security, our feelings towards our Mothers (the Antie Em figure) and our fear of scary things. Nothing could possibly be more horrifying to a child than the crystal ball sequence, where our beloved Mother figure (Antie Em) turns into this horrible, cackling, Id-figure Witch.
People who see the movie first as an adult are less impressed; one acquaintance said,"The movie's no big deal--you're not missing much." They have missed the child's Wizard of Oz experience and can't understand the impact.
The other fact that strikes me is that this movie is truly Pan-Human--there's absolutely nothing in the film that would offend anyone, whether he be Muslim, Jewish, Christian, African, Russian, Chinese, or green or blue or purple. It truly is a film that transcends all human boundaries.
There are a few plot holes in the film made necessary by cutting the film due to over-length. I wish I could see an unabridged edition; Margaret Hamilton has said that her part was cut drastically because the children in preview audiences got too scared. I believe, in retrospect, the deletion of the Jitterbug number was a mistake; its deletion causes a glaring plot hole, obvious to those who watch the movie closely.
A little piece of errata--I remember very clearly a scene in the Witch's Castle that is either lost, or been deleted. It's when Dorothy is gazing at the hourglass. Seeing that the sand is getting ready to run out, she desperately tries to turn it over--but fails; the hourglass won't budge. Does anybody else remember this scene?
All in all, this is a wonderful movie. If you and your children haven't seen it, run--not walk-- to the nearest store and buy it.
I watched this movie one drizzly night when I had nothing to do. I wasn't sure, even while I was watching this film, whether or not I liked it.
Modern-day Rambo fans will find this movie flat-out boring; cerebral types will love it, even if they don't REALIZE they love it at the time they watch it.
Everything Gary Taylor says about this film is true--every word. I won't attempt to re-invent the wheel here. He said it all better than I could have.
The weird thing about watching this movie is that you don't seem to know what you're watching, at the time you're watching it. It's a kaleidoscope of a movie. After watching it, I thought,"What a weird movie. What was THAT all about?" The next day, after everything had sunk in, I thought,"What a masterpiece!" I think most people would reach the same conclusion.
I nominate this film as the ultimate film fugue.
I knocked this movie from 10 stars to 9, only because the sound is problematic for those of us without home theater systems. The conversations are so complex that a whole lot, apparently, is lost on an inferior system.
Modern-day Rambo fans will find this movie flat-out boring; cerebral types will love it, even if they don't REALIZE they love it at the time they watch it.
Everything Gary Taylor says about this film is true--every word. I won't attempt to re-invent the wheel here. He said it all better than I could have.
The weird thing about watching this movie is that you don't seem to know what you're watching, at the time you're watching it. It's a kaleidoscope of a movie. After watching it, I thought,"What a weird movie. What was THAT all about?" The next day, after everything had sunk in, I thought,"What a masterpiece!" I think most people would reach the same conclusion.
I nominate this film as the ultimate film fugue.
I knocked this movie from 10 stars to 9, only because the sound is problematic for those of us without home theater systems. The conversations are so complex that a whole lot, apparently, is lost on an inferior system.