I would have to say that this analogy is way off base. The only act of idolatry here is comparing the Wizard, or the Tin Woodman, or the Lion, or Toto, of ANY of these characters, to God, or to gods. They are nothing of the sort. Accordingly, Dorothy's self-reliance is in contrast to expecting other fallible humans to fix things for her, none of whom remotely resemble God. It has nothing to do with "I can do it all without God." In that limited sense, I suppose it is mildly agnostic, since no god makes an appearance, nor does God. But then, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings is likewise agnostic, since there is not the slightest trace of religion, or worship, at least among the good guys. If you get into the Silmarillion, there is a pathetically obvious parallel to the (non-Biblical) rebellion of a leading angel against a creator, creation of a world that had been only an idea, etc. etc. etc. But in the life of the characters who populate Middle Earth, there is nothing but vague wizardry and the power of their own swords. So, let's leave the Wizard of Oz alone. Its a fun story, its entertaining, and the moral lessons, if any, aren't too bad.

I believe that the Wizard of Oz is a good story, but it is only a story. The Gospel is the truth. We need to look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.

I believe the 70TH anniversary edition is for Blu-ray, rather than for DVD-- http://www.amazon.com/Annivers...

I love the Wizard of OZ, perhaps because I didn’t see it till I was 25. I have a little bit different take on it. I think, far from being a paean to humanism, it is a powerful depression era parable dealing with morality, ethics and politics. I believe it struck a nerve because for so many people, an economic tornado had come into their lives as well. People were deep into the great depression and the question was, who was going to save them? The lesson of the 1930s was that there is no free lunch, one needed self-reliance, hard work and pulling oneself up by ones own boot straps. However, I do not believe the film is lacking in divine grace. Every main character in this film seems to have an alter ego rooted in real life except Glinda the good witch. In fact she transcends both worlds. To advocate humanism would seem to be alien to the spirit of the times. Tradition, common sense and divine grace are Dorothy’s salvation. It is subtly anti-socialist, suspicious of government and sarcastic about higher education.

Much like Odysseus, Frodo or the Pilgrim, Dorothy is on a quest to get back to home. She will face many obstacles and accomplish many great deeds. The film was released the same year that world war 2 started. Europe and the far east was swirling with isms, ideologies and dictators including Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and Tojo. The unease with new ideologies and European ideas is palpable. The Wizard of Kansas has just returned from a tour of Europe.

As Dorothy lands in OZ she crushes the head of the wicked witch of the East and is given a pair of magical ruby red slippers. While the wicked witch of the West is limited (her magic won’t work in Munchkin land) Glinda’s power is universal. The munchkins seem to represent nature held captive by evil. They are not human and at first appear as flowers. Dorothy’s victory sets the Munchkin’s free from servitude (much like Romans 8). Glinda appears and reveals the path Dorothy must follow, a narrow gold road that she is not to depart from. Sounds familiar. The Munchkins (nature) reveal the path and Glinda (the divine) reveals the path. Glinda is constantly behind the scenes, invisibly protecting the small band. Dorothy is tempted to venture off the path by intoxicating poppies, but Glinda controls the weather and produces a cold bracing snow which returns them to reason.

When the Emerald city is finally in view, it is represented by a futuristic, fantastic edifice reminiscent of the Italian Futurist painters. The Futurists admired speed, technology, youth and violence, the car, the airplane and the industrial city, all that represented the technological triumph of humanity over nature. This is a hyper organized, utopian, secular New Jerusalem ruled by a dictator. And lest you miss the point, the guard at the gate, the wizard in disguise, has the appearance of a Russian cossack as well as the Witch’s Winkie soldiers. The head of the Wizard looks remarkably like Lenin. The flying monkeys seem a racist precursor to the war propaganda images of the far east. Once inside, the city it is a marvel of efficiency. The horse of a different color is introduced which could represent all the new experimental ideas coming from Europe. A common response of the times to a new idea was to say “that’s a horse of a different color”.

Dorothy takes direction from the Wizard of the city but soon discovers that neither the city nor the Wizard has the power to complete her quest. In her second great feat Dorothy destroys the evil witch by pouring water on her. Her third great feat is to unmask the Wizard, prompting him to flee, thus freeing and transforming the city. The Wizard ascends under his own power but is unable to take Dorothy and just at that moment, divine grace appears in the form of Glinda. She reveals to Dorothy that the Ruby Red slippers have the simple, magical power to transport her home. It’s the simple gospel, the old-time religion which we have always had.

There are some interesting undercurrents here. There appears to be a deep suspicion of politicians, higher education and radical ideas. The three friends are not false gods, they represent the simple, homespun virtues that actually helped us get through World War 2.

This is a movie about the triumph of simple virtues, faith, goodness, tradition and divine grace.

There is both a Blu-ray and a regular DVD version available: http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-7...

I think that with the Wizard Of Oz as with anything else you can read what you want into it. For me personally it brings a sense of wonder. I personally collect ruby slippers (I am 45 and yes I have a pair my size). They remind me that I now walk in different shoes. I have one that walked in my shoes and walks with me. As I follow Him down the path that He has set before me "the yellow brick road" I may encounter pitfalls and set backs, but in all of them He is with and He has given me others to travel with. Our experiences and desires are different but we are in this together.

Maybe my ideas are simplistic. But I think sometimes we have so much fear of the evil that might lurking in something that we forget the wonder and the magic. The gospel is the truth but the Lord has given us imaginations and a world full of beauty and I personally believe that He can use stories of this type to confirm His love for us.

I can't say I've ever seen any sort of religious significance to this at all. This is my favorite movie; I probably could mute it and quote it with high accuracy. I think that looking this deeply into it removes something for me.

Rick-

Interesting analysis! I love this film for it's entertainment value, but I've always been with Josh in seeing the Wizard as the God figure, portrayed as falsely all-powerful and all-knowing.

Maybe he's better seen as institutional powers, be it clerics in religion or officials in politics. That would fit well with a Depression-era mistrust in government, business, and institutions.

However, I'd suggest the that film remains Humanistic in a particualrly American way.

God/Glinda remains transcendent, wishing them well and maybe even tweaking circumstances in their favor now and again. That's pretty much how Deist America sees God. Nice, distant, occasionally helpful, generally uninvolved.

This would be opposed to a more biblical God who is intimately involved to the point of sacrificing himself on behalf of those unable to save themselves.

In the end, as you put it, "tradition, common sense and divine grace are Dorothy’s salvation." Mostly, she's on her own with a little help from her friends and a wink from God. That's a very boot-strap American worldview that I would argue is weighted more toward human resiliance than God's grace.

And as Glinda reveals to Dorothy at the end, 'you've had the power to save your self all this time.' I'd suggest that's the very definition of humanism, with or without a little divine light.

So, an immensely enjoyable film, with a particualy American worldview that, like America's view of God generally, doesn't quite match a thoroughly biblical view.

This is a deeply American film, almost reactionary and isolationist, representing a point of view particular to those who were going through a deep economic depression. The key to the movie is the lesson that Dorothy learns at the end. “If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with!“ I am almost more interested in this from a sociological point of view than theological.

It reflects the suspicion Americans had of the whirlwind of new ideas, especially those emanating from overseas. In the short space of 15 to 20 years we suddenly were confronted with modern art, existentialism, psychiatry, the physics of relativity, the theology of higher criticism, the utopian ideals of fascism, communism and the invention of frightening weapons of mass destruction.

The storytellers attempt to deflate pomposity and hypocrisy. I do not believe the Wizard represents a God figure, because he is revealed at the beginning of the film as a charlatan. He calls himself a “professor” (Professor Marvel) who has been acclaimed by the “Crowned heads of Europe”. The Wizard is also seen as a charlatan in Dorothy’s dream sequence. He seems to represent a melange of self-important authority figures such as politicians, theologians, generals, and educators. In the language of the day, he was a “Wind bag”.

The humor is quite sarcastic at times, similar in spirit to Mark Twain. The Tinman is confered a heart through being awarded a testimonial to his philanthropy and a gift heart/watch on a chain.

The cowardly lion’s courage comes from having a display of medals “Back where I come from, we have men who are called heroes. Once a year, they take their fortitude out of mothballs and parade it down the main street of the city. And they have no more courage than you have. But! They have one thing that you haven't got! A medal!”

A piece of paper, the diploma confers brains to the scarecrow “Back where I come from we have universities, seats of great learning-- where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts -- and with no more brains than you have.... But! They have one thing you haven't got! A diploma!”

This is not quite the deism of Isaac Newton or even James Madison. Deists tend to reject the notion of divine interventions in human affairs, such as by miracles and revelations. God is viewed as the architect of the universe, but does not interfere in its workings. There are too many miracles and revelations happening here. Nor is it quite the completely self reliant humanism of John Dewey. It is more a primitive, pragmatic, fuzzy American civil religion. It is the belief that God helps those that help themselves, that the Big man in the sky” will help the little guy prevail, the The big “coach in the sky” is rooting for the little guy. Of course this is not Biblical Christianity, but it reflects some of the iconography and ideas of a Christian influenced society. It is the triumph of simple virtues; modesty, faith, common sense, goodness, tradition with a dollop of divine grace. In short, fun.

I saw my grandfather go through these historical paradigms as he first was a self-reliant, vaguely spiritual product of the great depression. Then in his late 60s, he had a genuine salvation experience and God became his savior and the great focus of his life.

I'm not sure if I would call Dorothy's escape from the Wicked Witch of the East (WWE) an act of human ingenuity. She accidentally throws the water on the witch... seems a mite providential. The WWE melts not because of terrific human effort or wisdom, but because in the desperate act of trying to save Scarecrow she stumbles upon the one weakness of the witch. In the final analysis, Dorothy really doesn't do anything to save herself (her efforts left her surrounded by the enemy who was prepared to destroy her), but needs an assist by either a) a very fortunate cosmic accident; or b) the Hand of Providence. You be the judge.