'Colors In The Film The Wizard Of Oz'
In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, directed by Victor Fleming, Dorothy Gale is in a monochromatic world with her dog Toto, which is represented by the sepia tone of the film from the scenes in Kansas. This, to her, is a monotonous life that she wishes to break away from. When her wishes come true, she is whisked way to the vibrant and colorful world of Oz. She eventually is captured by the Wicked Witch of the West and is back in a dull, monochromatic castle with minimal vibrant fantasy colors. The colors Fleming presents to us in this film are to juxtapose one another showing that a dull Hell, the Witch’s castle, and a colorful fantasy, the world of Oz, cannot compare to her monochromatic life where Dorothy’s loved ones are because “there
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The visual representation of the castle is of slate color; it is dark with a dull sheen on it. The castle has nothing but dullness to it. Colors are only present in few objects, which are the Witch’s skin tone, her henchmen’s skin tone, and mystical objects throughout the castle such as her broomstick, the hourglass with ruby sand and the viewing crystal which has varying colors of reds, greens, and even slate variations. The fact that this stronghold has no color variations is representative of a monochromatic, trapped life, similar to what Dorothy had back in Kansas. To influence this idea more, while Dorothy is trapped in the Witch’s room in the castle, we see Auntie Em in all her sepia goodness. We are strung down to the idea of both places being traps, but not knowing which reality is real. Dorothy, in this moment, realizes that she really needs to go back home to Kansas. However, she is still trapped and must get home at all costs. In the end, she eliminates the Witch with the assistance of her friends and goes back to Oz where everyone gets their wishes, but her. It is in this moment that everything changes for her. Her change where she wishes deeply to be home because even though her life was stagnant and monochromatic, there was, indeed, color and life in her
The visual representation of the castle is of slate color; it is dark with a dull sheen on it. The castle has nothing but dullness to it. Colors are only present in few objects, which are the Witch’s skin tone, her henchmen’s skin tone, and mystical objects throughout the castle such as her broomstick, the hourglass with ruby sand and the viewing crystal which has varying colors of reds, greens, and even slate variations. The fact that this stronghold has no color variations is representative of a monochromatic, trapped life, similar to what Dorothy had back in Kansas. To influence this idea more, while Dorothy is trapped in the Witch’s room in the castle, we see Auntie Em in all her sepia goodness. We are strung down to the idea of both places being traps, but not knowing which reality is real. Dorothy, in this moment, realizes that she really needs to go back home to Kansas. However, she is still trapped and must get home at all costs. In the end, she eliminates the Witch with the assistance of her friends and goes back to Oz where everyone gets their wishes, but her. It is in this moment that everything changes for her. Her change where she wishes deeply to be home because even though her life was stagnant and monochromatic, there was, indeed, color and life in her