The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Timing: 1:42 (102 min)

7.585/10
6065

7.653/10
34084

8.1/10
465000

All about film

Video 47

Photo 201

Actors and characters

Release date

1939-08-15

Country

United States

Production

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Genre

Adventure, Fantasy, Family

Budget

$2 777 000

Revenue

$33 754 967

Website

https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/wizard-oz

Director

Victor Fleming

Actors

Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan, Margaret Hamilton, Billie Burke, Charley Grapewin, Pat Walshe, Clara Blandick
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Mervyn LeRoy, Arthur Freed, Victor Fleming

Operator

Harold Rosson

Composer

Herbert Stothart

Artist

William A. Horning

Audition

Leonard Murphy

Editing

Blanche Sewell
All team (80)

• The song “Over the Rainbow,” performed by Judy Garland, was named the best song of the 20th century by 200 respondents of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
• The British newspaper The Independent ranked this film first in its "Top 10 Cursed Hollywood Films" list.
• Fans of the band Pink Floyd noticed numerous coincidences between the lyrics and music of the album "The Dark Side of the Moon" and the events of the film when played simultaneously.
• The film was first released on VHS in 1980.
• The costumes for the film were designed by renowned American designers Adrian and Cedric Gibbons.
• MGM's costume department searched for worn but elegant coats to dress the wizard. Incredibly, a coat previously owned by the author of "The Wizard of Oz," Frank Baum, was found in a second-hand clothing store.
• The entire film was shot on sound stages.
• Filming lasted 136 days, and before that, 300 days were spent creating the sets.
• The film was shot in color, which was quite rare at the time. Each scene was filmed with a special camera on three reels simultaneously, which were then combined into one – that's how color appeared. This camera was incredibly heavy and could not operate for more than half an hour without a break.
• The film has been included in the UNESCO 'Memory of the World' program – a program designed to protect documentary heritage, which was established in 1992.
• Buddy Ebsen, who was cast as the Tin Woodman, was hospitalized with severe poisoning: the actor inhaled aluminum powder that covered his costume. Ultimately, the role went to Jack Haley.
• Asbestos was used to simulate snow on the set.
• The British newspaper The Independent ranked this film first in its "Top 10 Cursed Hollywood Films."
• Fans of the band Pink Floyd have noticed many coincidences between the lyrics and music of the album "The Dark Side of the Moon" and the events of the film when played simultaneously.
• The film has been included in UNESCO's "Memory of the World" program – a program designed to protect documentary heritage, which was founded in 1992.