Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?

I sit here writing this blog basking in my post-Wizard of Oz glow. Last night was the first screening of TIFF Bell Lightbox's program TIFF in the Park. The summer-long program consists of free outdoor screenings at David Pecault Square beside Roy Thompson Hall. This summer, the chosen theme is musicals, which is of course, my absolute favourite theme! Last night, filmies and families alike gathered around to watch the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz. You know, Toronto gets a bad rap sometimes - we are often called a dirty, rude, and dangerous city. But the fact of the matter is, I love that we can screen The Wizard of Oz outside in the very heart of downtown, steps away from King Street. It doesn't get much more wholesome and delightful than that.

For me, The Wizard of Oz is one of those movies I always forget how much I love watching. I am a huge Judy Garland fan (not surprising, I know) and I love seeing her baby-faced and innocent in her break out role as Dorothy. She is almost sickeningly sweet, but that is the appeal. Garland pulls it off because she is so bright eyed and believable. She really does just want to get home to Kansas and we are pulling for her every step of the way.

My obsession with Judy Garland aside, it is a film that has aged very well. I was amazed at how beautiful the Technicolor looked on the big screen. It was delectable. Munchkinland and Oz come to life through saturated greens, yellows, blues, and reds. Seventy years later, The Wizard of Oz is still a visual masterpiece. The Wicked Witch's puffs of smoke, the horse that changes colours in Oz, the Yellow Brick Road, and even as small a detail as the red sand in the Wicked Witch's hourglass, all jump off the screen and add to the fantasy and whimsy of the film.

Nearing 11:30 last night, the film finally came to a close. The ending is my favourite part. Dorothy is tearful as she bids farewell to her new friends, the Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man. With his recently gained heart, the Tin Man exclaims "Now I know I've got a heart, 'cause it's breaking." For the record, that line caused the entire audience to utter a collective "awww!" - so who says Torontonians are cold? All in all, it was a fabulous evening spent with fabulous people and I can't wait for next week's screening of the French musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Catherine Deneueve at her best!). See everyone there!