The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond Available Now on DVD. Amazon Link is HERE
Here we have everything you wanted know about Oz in one package. “The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond” covers a lot of ground in its tight 50 minute running time starting at the inception of the story and cruising along briskly to modern day. Do not expect any angle on the current Disney version in theaters now, however, as this doc was completed in 2009 and is seeing a re-issue here to capitalize on the new surge of interest brought on by the new flashy prequel. Actually compared to “Oz the Great and Powerful,” I enjoyed myself more watching this collection of archival footage.
“The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond” begins with L. Frank Baum and how he created the series of books that has inspired so many different incarnation. Baum is presented as a sort of reluctant genius who returns to his creation time and again out of necessity. Nothing else the man could come up with compared. Baum mounts stage plays and directs many very early film versions of which we see some amazing footage.
The 1925 version of “The Wizard of Oz” is discussed and is actually presented in its entirety on the disc as a bonus feature. The film is interesting for a few reasons: Oliver Hardy (from “Laurel and Hardy”) plays the Tin Man, there is a harsh racism throughout the story that serves zero purpose and the differences between this and the classic 1939 version are so vast, it serves as a riveting example of the growth of the medium during the early years. The two films were produced only 14 years apart but you can see the simple and amateur techniques transform into a lush and gorgeous piece of art. To put that in perspective, that length of time is the same as present day 2013 to “American Beauty” of 1999. The medium of cinema has stabilized a bit in comparison.
Director Troy Szebin parades out a large collection of guests to tell the story of Oz from “Chicago” director Rob Marshall and Mickey Rooney to super fans of the film who run blogs. “The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond” never feels like a documentary you would see in the theater, however, as this is strictly the style of documentary you would see on television. The information and footage is fascinating though and any fan of the Wonderful World of Oz needs to seek this out.
