Movies - Wizard of Oz

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	Movies - Wizard of Oz

Wizard of Oz (1925), directed by Larry Semon, who also appears in a comic role (and featuring a young Oliver Hardy), was the first major film adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. (The film does not have the article "The" in the title; however, many sources erroneously add this.)

The film departs radically from the novel upon which it is allegedly based, introducing new characters and exploits. Along with a completely different plot, the film is all set in a world that is only barely recognizable as the Land of Oz from the books. The film focuses mainly upon Semon's character, who is analogous to Ray Bolger's Scarecrow character in the 1939 version.

The major departure from the book and film is that the Scarecrow and Tin Man (played by Hardy) are not actually characters, but are in fact disguises donned by two farm hands who find themselves swept into Oz by a tornado. Dorothy is here played by Dorothy Dwan -- Semon's wife. Her version of the character is a young, seductive woman who has just turned 18 and who finds herself in the middle of a love triangle between Semon and Hardy. In a drastic departure from the original book, the "Tin Man" is a villain in this version, as Hardy's jealousy over Dorothy leads him to become the henchman for the evil Prime Minister Kruel.

Many theatres that had originally booked this film never received it because its production caused Chadwick Pictures to go bankrupt, and distribution ceased long before it was intended to. As a result, the film comes to a sudden cliffhanger ending.

The film is in the public domain, and many DVD releases are available. A majority of the unofficial DVD releases contain a version of the film narrated by porn star Jacqueline Lovell, who also provided narration for several other DVD releases of public domain Oz films.

A color-tinted print of the movie with an orchestral score is included in the 2005 3-disc Collector's Edition DVD of the more famous 1939 version (though not the more common 2-disc edition), along with earlier silent movies based on the Oz stories.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Wizard of Oz (1925 film) ]

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Movies - Wizard of Oz

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