12-28-2001, 09:13 PM
As a kid, my favorite movie was "The Wizard of Oz". The one night, each year, it aired on CBS was a major event in my life. About a month ago, I watched it again when it was on TNT and finally decided to do something I've wanted to do for about 20 years- read the original novel. I knew the novel had many differences than the movie version but I was surpised by many of them. Here's a rundown of the major differences.
In the novel:
1. Dorothy really travels to Oz. It's not a dream.
2. There are four witches instead of three. There is (a) a Wicked Witch of the East squashed by Dorothy's house, (b) a Wicked Witch of the West who gets melted by Dorothy, (c) an elderly Good Witch of the North who greets Dorothy in Munchkin Land, and (d) Glinda the Good Witch of the South who appears at the end of the novel. In the movie, the two good witches are combined into one composite character.
Also, the two Wicked Witches are not sisters.
3. There are no ruby slipppers. Instead Dorothy takes "silver shoes" from the dead Witch of the East.
4. Dorothy cannot get home because a vast desert surrounds the land of Oz.
5. All the witches wore white.
6. The Scarecrow is two days old when he meets Dorothy.
7. The Tin Woodman was originally a man. He fell in love with a Munchkin girl and intended to marry her. However, an older woman who lived with the Munchkin girl did not want the marraige to happen so she asked the Wicked Witch of the East to prevent it. The Witch enchanted the man's axe and it cut off one of his legs. The man went to a tinsmith and had it replaced with a tin leg. Then he lost the other leg, then an arm, then the other arm. Each time he had them replaced. The axed then cut off his head but the tinsmith was walking by and was able to replace that too. Finally, the axed cut his body in half but still the tinsmith was able to replace it with a tin replacement. Ultimately, he was made entirely of tin- but with no heart and therefore he lost his love for the Munchkin girl.
8. Both the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman have neither a brain nor heart. They have a debate over which is better to have. Of course, they both stick to their original desires.
9. There are several adventures after meeting the Cowardly Lion but before reaching Emerald City. They are:
(a) They cross a large gulf in the Yellow Brick Road by riding on the Cowardly Lion as he jumps the gulf.
(b) They are attacked by two Kalidahs, beasts with bodies like bears and heads like tigers. They escape by crossing another gulf.
(c) They cross a river by building a raft. However, they get swept downstream, and away from the Yellow Brick Road, by the tide. Except for the Scarecrow, who gets stuck on a pole in the middle of the river. The Scarecrow is eventually rescued by a stork.
(d) The poppy field is not enchanted by the Wicked Witch of the West. It naturally puts people/animals to sleep forever. Dorothy is simply carried out by the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman. The Cowardly Lion is pulled out on a cart by field mice after the Tin Woodman saves the life of the Queen of the Field Mice who was being chased by a predator.
10. Everyone is required to wear green spectacles which can't be removed when entering Emerald City. They are told that this is done to prevent blindness due to the brightness of the city. However, it is later revealed that this is a trick by the Wizard to make everbody see the city as green- which it isn't. It's a large, beautiful city but it isn't made of Emeralds.
11. Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion all see the Wizard individually and on different days. He appears to each of them differently. Dorothy sees the giant floating head from the movie. However, Scarecrow sees a lovely lady. Tin Woodman saw a terrible beast as large as an elephant with five eyes, five arms, and five legs. Cowardly Lion saw a ball of fire. As in the movie, each is told they must kill the Wicked Witch of the West in order for their requests to be granted.
12. Thw Wicked Witch of the West had one eye which could see great distances in her land, The land of the Winkies (sort of like Munchkin Land which had been ruled by the Witch of the East).
13. The Witch had a silver whistle hanging from her neck. She used it to summoned different beasts to attack Dorothy and her friends while in the Witche's land. Wolves, crows, and bees all attacked the group but were killed by either the Scarecrow on Tim Woodman. She then sent her Winkie (like Munchkins) slaves to attack the group but they were scared off by the Cowardly Lion.
14. The Winged Monkeys were not servants of the Wicked Witch of the West. However, they were required to obey three commands of whoever bore a Golden Cap which, of course, the Witch possessed. The Witched used her third command (two were used prior to the story) to order the Winged Monkeys to capture the Cowardly Lion and destroy the others in the group. Eventually, The Golden Cap came into Dorothy's possession and she used it three times as well. Later, Glinda possessed the Cap and used it as well before turning it over to the Winged Monkeys themselves to end their servitude.
15. The Winged Monkeys tore the Scarecrow apart, dropped the Tin Woodman from a great height onto sharp rocks and left him immobilized, and kidnapped the Cowardly Lion and brought him to serve the Witch. However, they would not hurt Dorothy due to the mark left on her forehead by the Good Witch of the North's kiss.
16. The Witch was terrified of Dorothy when the girl was broght to the castle due to the mark on Dorothy's forehead and the silver shoes she was wearing. However, the Witch realized Dorothy did not understand how to use her powers.
17. The Witch always carried an umbrella with her.
18. Dorothy was enslaved by the Witch for an extended period of time in which she had to follow the orders of the Witch.
19. The Witch wanted Dorothy's shoes but couldn't get to them while Dorothy was bathing because the Witch was afraid of water. The Witch also couldn't get the shoes while Dorothy was sleeping because the Witch was afraid of the dark. She eventually got one of the silver shoes by causing Dorothy to trip over an invisible iron bar which caused one shoe to fall off. Dorothy was so angry at losing one of her shoes (which she had grown proud of) that she threw a nearby bucket of water on the Witch which, of course, melted her.
20. The Winkies, thrilled to be free from the Wicked Witch of the Wests rule, rescued the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman.
21. The Wizard perpetrated his fraud to due fear that the Wicked Witches would destroy him.
22. The Wizard put a mixture of bran, pins, and needles in the Scarecrow's head and called it "bran-new brains". He placed a heart made of silk and filled with sawdust in the Tim Woodman's chest. He gave thw Cowardly Lion a green liquid to drink which he said would become courage inside the Lion. All three were delighted that their requests had been granted.
23. After the Wizard's ballon takes off without Dorothy, the group travels to the South to seek out Glinda, the Good Wich of the South. Along the way, they encounter fighting trees blocking entrance to a forest, a land of people made of china, a spider-like creature terrorizing forest creatures, and Hammerheads who blokced the path over a hill.
24. The silver shoes allow Dorothy to fly to Kansas "in three steps" but they fall off her feet during the trip and are lost forever in the desert surrouning Oz.
25. Each land of Oz has a color. Munckinland in the East is entirely blue. Emerald City is green. The Land of the Winkies in the west is yellow. The Country of the Quadling is the south is red (inlcuding Glinda's throne of rubies). The North isn't seen.
26. Scarecrow is appointed ruler of Emerald City as in the movie. Cowardly Lion becomes King of the Forest, literally, and returns there. Tin Woodman becomes ruler of the Winkies (replacing the Wicked Witch of the West).
The novel is remarkably different than the movie in many ways. After reading it, I think a literal translation of the novel could be made into a new film which could be well received despite the 1939 film's extraordinary popularity.
In the novel:
1. Dorothy really travels to Oz. It's not a dream.
2. There are four witches instead of three. There is (a) a Wicked Witch of the East squashed by Dorothy's house, (b) a Wicked Witch of the West who gets melted by Dorothy, (c) an elderly Good Witch of the North who greets Dorothy in Munchkin Land, and (d) Glinda the Good Witch of the South who appears at the end of the novel. In the movie, the two good witches are combined into one composite character.
Also, the two Wicked Witches are not sisters.
3. There are no ruby slipppers. Instead Dorothy takes "silver shoes" from the dead Witch of the East.
4. Dorothy cannot get home because a vast desert surrounds the land of Oz.
5. All the witches wore white.
6. The Scarecrow is two days old when he meets Dorothy.
7. The Tin Woodman was originally a man. He fell in love with a Munchkin girl and intended to marry her. However, an older woman who lived with the Munchkin girl did not want the marraige to happen so she asked the Wicked Witch of the East to prevent it. The Witch enchanted the man's axe and it cut off one of his legs. The man went to a tinsmith and had it replaced with a tin leg. Then he lost the other leg, then an arm, then the other arm. Each time he had them replaced. The axed then cut off his head but the tinsmith was walking by and was able to replace that too. Finally, the axed cut his body in half but still the tinsmith was able to replace it with a tin replacement. Ultimately, he was made entirely of tin- but with no heart and therefore he lost his love for the Munchkin girl.
8. Both the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman have neither a brain nor heart. They have a debate over which is better to have. Of course, they both stick to their original desires.
9. There are several adventures after meeting the Cowardly Lion but before reaching Emerald City. They are:
(a) They cross a large gulf in the Yellow Brick Road by riding on the Cowardly Lion as he jumps the gulf.
(b) They are attacked by two Kalidahs, beasts with bodies like bears and heads like tigers. They escape by crossing another gulf.
(c) They cross a river by building a raft. However, they get swept downstream, and away from the Yellow Brick Road, by the tide. Except for the Scarecrow, who gets stuck on a pole in the middle of the river. The Scarecrow is eventually rescued by a stork.
(d) The poppy field is not enchanted by the Wicked Witch of the West. It naturally puts people/animals to sleep forever. Dorothy is simply carried out by the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman. The Cowardly Lion is pulled out on a cart by field mice after the Tin Woodman saves the life of the Queen of the Field Mice who was being chased by a predator.
10. Everyone is required to wear green spectacles which can't be removed when entering Emerald City. They are told that this is done to prevent blindness due to the brightness of the city. However, it is later revealed that this is a trick by the Wizard to make everbody see the city as green- which it isn't. It's a large, beautiful city but it isn't made of Emeralds.
11. Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion all see the Wizard individually and on different days. He appears to each of them differently. Dorothy sees the giant floating head from the movie. However, Scarecrow sees a lovely lady. Tin Woodman saw a terrible beast as large as an elephant with five eyes, five arms, and five legs. Cowardly Lion saw a ball of fire. As in the movie, each is told they must kill the Wicked Witch of the West in order for their requests to be granted.
12. Thw Wicked Witch of the West had one eye which could see great distances in her land, The land of the Winkies (sort of like Munchkin Land which had been ruled by the Witch of the East).
13. The Witch had a silver whistle hanging from her neck. She used it to summoned different beasts to attack Dorothy and her friends while in the Witche's land. Wolves, crows, and bees all attacked the group but were killed by either the Scarecrow on Tim Woodman. She then sent her Winkie (like Munchkins) slaves to attack the group but they were scared off by the Cowardly Lion.
14. The Winged Monkeys were not servants of the Wicked Witch of the West. However, they were required to obey three commands of whoever bore a Golden Cap which, of course, the Witch possessed. The Witched used her third command (two were used prior to the story) to order the Winged Monkeys to capture the Cowardly Lion and destroy the others in the group. Eventually, The Golden Cap came into Dorothy's possession and she used it three times as well. Later, Glinda possessed the Cap and used it as well before turning it over to the Winged Monkeys themselves to end their servitude.
15. The Winged Monkeys tore the Scarecrow apart, dropped the Tin Woodman from a great height onto sharp rocks and left him immobilized, and kidnapped the Cowardly Lion and brought him to serve the Witch. However, they would not hurt Dorothy due to the mark left on her forehead by the Good Witch of the North's kiss.
16. The Witch was terrified of Dorothy when the girl was broght to the castle due to the mark on Dorothy's forehead and the silver shoes she was wearing. However, the Witch realized Dorothy did not understand how to use her powers.
17. The Witch always carried an umbrella with her.
18. Dorothy was enslaved by the Witch for an extended period of time in which she had to follow the orders of the Witch.
19. The Witch wanted Dorothy's shoes but couldn't get to them while Dorothy was bathing because the Witch was afraid of water. The Witch also couldn't get the shoes while Dorothy was sleeping because the Witch was afraid of the dark. She eventually got one of the silver shoes by causing Dorothy to trip over an invisible iron bar which caused one shoe to fall off. Dorothy was so angry at losing one of her shoes (which she had grown proud of) that she threw a nearby bucket of water on the Witch which, of course, melted her.
20. The Winkies, thrilled to be free from the Wicked Witch of the Wests rule, rescued the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman.
21. The Wizard perpetrated his fraud to due fear that the Wicked Witches would destroy him.
22. The Wizard put a mixture of bran, pins, and needles in the Scarecrow's head and called it "bran-new brains". He placed a heart made of silk and filled with sawdust in the Tim Woodman's chest. He gave thw Cowardly Lion a green liquid to drink which he said would become courage inside the Lion. All three were delighted that their requests had been granted.
23. After the Wizard's ballon takes off without Dorothy, the group travels to the South to seek out Glinda, the Good Wich of the South. Along the way, they encounter fighting trees blocking entrance to a forest, a land of people made of china, a spider-like creature terrorizing forest creatures, and Hammerheads who blokced the path over a hill.
24. The silver shoes allow Dorothy to fly to Kansas "in three steps" but they fall off her feet during the trip and are lost forever in the desert surrouning Oz.
25. Each land of Oz has a color. Munckinland in the East is entirely blue. Emerald City is green. The Land of the Winkies in the west is yellow. The Country of the Quadling is the south is red (inlcuding Glinda's throne of rubies). The North isn't seen.
26. Scarecrow is appointed ruler of Emerald City as in the movie. Cowardly Lion becomes King of the Forest, literally, and returns there. Tin Woodman becomes ruler of the Winkies (replacing the Wicked Witch of the West).
The novel is remarkably different than the movie in many ways. After reading it, I think a literal translation of the novel could be made into a new film which could be well received despite the 1939 film's extraordinary popularity.