WhenThe Wizard of Ozhits The Sphere in Las Vegas on Aug. 28, it will feature new digital environments andpractical and environmental effectsinside the theater to create an immersive experience. It’s sure to dazzle audiences and contribute to the enduring popularity of one of themost beloved musicals ever.
ButThe Wizard of Ozis a film of its time, and the limitations that directorVictor Flemingand his crew had to navigate to bring thisbeloved classic filmto the screen are part of its charm. By adding to the frame,the experience disregards Fleming’s visionand goes against many of the most strongly held beliefs about cinema.
We’re Off to See The Wizard – on Steroids
The latest attempt todraw Las Vegas audiences into their favorite movies,The Wizard of Ozwill play on The Sphere’s massive, 160,000-square-foot screen and use pyrotechnics, environmental effects, haptic seats, and drones toturn the classic into immersive entertainment. Viewers will feel the tornado’s gusts, encounter heat from the wizard’s throne, and smell the poppies.
Sensorial additions to movies are not new.William Castle’sin-theater gimmickswere so notorious that they inspired theJoe DantemovieMatinee.The Rocky Horror Picture ShowandThe Roomare famous fortaking the film off the screen and into the seats. Theatrical experiences like D-Box have shaken and sprayed audiences willing to pay the upcharge for years. In some aspects, The Sphere is just continuing a grand tradition.
‘The Wizard of Oz’ Experience Goes Beyond Theatrics
But it’s not just the environment off the screen;The Wizard of Ozitself has undergone a massive and expensive restoration. It’snot the first time the film has been upgraded, but it might be the most notorious, largely because of the way it uses the work of more than2,000 technicians and artificial intelligenceto expand what appears on the screen. Early looks have already showcased backgrounds in which CGI mountains loom beyond the Yellow Brick Road or illustrated how a conversation at Aunt Em’s house now takes place under a looming wooden roof as a digitally rendered Uncle Henry walks around the room.
It’s here that the experience stops being an immersive presentation of one of themost iconic movies of all timeand becomesan affront to the fundamentals of cinema itself. No less a film historian thanBen Mankiewicz, the face ofTurner Classic Moviesand the grandson ofHerman Mankiewicz, the screenwriter ofCitizen Kane– who alsoworked on the script forThe Wizard of Oz–defended the new presentation on X, saying:
“All [The Sphere team is] doing is extending performances to fit a large screen - completing work Fleming and [producerMervyn] LeRoywould have if it had been possible.”
But Fleming and LeRoy aren’t around. And by suggesting that it’s just fine for artificial intelligence and modern-day technicians to add to a completed classic work misunderstands what makes film a fascinating, sometimes flawed, art form.
What’s On the Screen is the Movie
One of the most fundamental concepts of cinema is that ofmise en scène, the arrangement of people and things within the frame. Filmmakers don’t just point a camera and hope for the best; the composition of shots, camera angles, and placement of the actors is meticulously thought out.What viewers see on the screen is intentionaland designed for maximum emotional and thematic impact.
When Fleming placedJudy Garlandat the center of the frameto sing“Over the Rainbow”early inThe Wizard of Oz, the shot captured her longing to break free of her environments and find a more exciting life. To expand the frame and make her smaller in that environment works against that intention. Likewise, centeringRay Bolgerin his initial appearance as Scarecrow allows audiences to appreciate the makeup work, savor Bolger’s performance, and enjoy his physical comedy. Going a step further to add computer-generated landscapes might be impressive, but it goes against the careful thought put into making the original film.
Mankiewicz’s claim that The Sphere’s version ofThe Wizard of Ozallows audiences to see the movie that Fleming and LeRoy would have made with modern tools ignores the important fact that filmmakers have always had to work with the tools available to them.
Filmmaking is an art of limitations, and working cleverly within these constraints has led to some of thegreatest movies ever made.Jawsis a masterpiece becauseSteven Spielberghad to find a solution to a broken shark. Much of the controversy surrounding the colorization of old films in the 1990s came from the way that slapping color on a black-and-white film disregarded the careful work of light and shadow.
The Wizard of Ozis no exception. In many ways, it was a technical breakthrough. The tornado still terrifies, and the moment in which Dorothy walks into a colorful Oz is so effective that many people stillincorrectly believe it was the first color movie. But it’s also a product of its time. The Emerald City is clearly a matte painting, Dorothy’s Yellow Brick Road companions are actors in makeup and costumes, and the forbidden forest and Emerald City are obviously soundstages. The artificiality is part of the movie’s charm and why generations continue to fall in love with the film.
A Quick Word About Restorations and Director’s Cuts
Granted, revisitingThe Wizard of Ozis not itself wrong.Movies are often restored and remastered. But those teams work to bring back what was lost over time or ensure that what’s on the screen continues to honor the director’s intentions. They don’t add to what’s already onscreen or imagine a new world beyond the borders of the frame; theybring the film to a new audiencein pristine quality without sacrificing the director’s work.
And yes, some directors have gone bone back to integrate the latest technology into their films –George Lucashas made a second careerof this withStar Wars. Thesedirector’s cuts are often controversial, of course. But they’re still cases of a director returning to fulfill their vision. That is not what is happening with The Sphere’sThe Wizard of Oz.
The Sphere’s ‘Wizard of Oz’ is Not ‘The Wizard of Oz’
Movies are not accidents.The Wizard of Ozdebuted in 1939 after one of the most disastrous shoots in history. It took a team of hundreds to get it right – and the results speak for themselves.The Wizard of Ozis one of the most beloved movies ever made.The Library of Congresshas called it the most watched film of all time.The popularity of Wickedhas helped ensure thatThe Wizard of Ozis as relevant as ever.
The Sphere’s version ofThe Wizard of Ozmight be an entertaining experience. There’s no doubt that audiences will thrill at watching the film on the giant screen and enjoy the spectacle. But thisThe Wizard of Ozis not Victor Fleming’sThe Wizard of Oz. And it’s certainly not cinema.
