http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/disney/ozthegreatandpowerful/
Finally we are getting the back story for the Wizard of Oz. James Franco appears to be playing a small-time illusionist who aspires to greatness–he wants to be more than a “good man.” Remember the great line from the book: “I’m really a very good man; but I’m a very bad Wizard”? But the “very good man” turns out to be a serious magician, as we learn in Chapter 16 of the book (“The Magic Art of the Great Humbug”), when the Wizard uses the sorcery of words to give the Scarecrow brains, the Woodman a heart, and the Lion courage.
I’m wondering how much the success of Gregory Maguire’s prequel, Wicked (the first in his Oz series), had to do with the development of the script–a lot, I’m betting! That the Wizard has very little on-screen time in the MGM film leaves much room for imagination. The mimicking of MGM’s black/white frame for a film in color looks great in the trailer and augurs well for the entire film.
This is a great trailer. The mysteriousness of the wizard in the original movie definitely makes the imagination run wild. He seems so akin to Dorothy, a traveler, too.
I couldn’t tell from the trailer if the new movie will take the same psychoanalytic tactic as the original movie. I finally read the actual book, and noticed that Dorothy is not dreaming–the interpretation of Oz as a dream, with referents in her own life, was quite an addition. Is it better? I don’t know… it was certainly timely. And I do love the black and white of Kansas (or waking life), and the fact the Franco also appears in black and white makes me think that this movie, too, will be as much an exploration of the mind of the wizard as it is an exploration of Baum’s Oz.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
I’d love to read a post from you about the differences between the original book and the MGM movie. Does the emphasis on Dorothy’s unconscious diminish “the magic art” of the book?
Best,
Jewell