Oz

[The Curmudgeon]

You know, I'm seriously thinking about getting into L. Frank Baum's Oz series. It's less well known than C.S Lewis' works and, well, less tedious than Tolkien's (sorry, that sounded very much the words of a philistine, but I tried to read the books and Jesus - if I found the films dull... "before you start the book, here is a complete history of a world I just made up. Study it.")

The world of Oz just seems really quite complex and involved (even if it is for kids) and there are some awesome re-interpretations going around right now ("Wicked" - a book about the "mis-understood" Wicked Witch of The West and how she came to be, constantly overshadowed by her popular blonde sister) and the books (there are 40 books considered canon, 15 of them by Baum himself) just look charming - and can be picked up quite cheap too.

The real reason I'm writing this - has anyone heard the rumour that they're going to remake The Wizard Of Oz but make it an epic, ultra-high budget action movie a la Lord Of The Rings? At first I was appalled, but I dunno... if they do it right and try to stay out of the shadow of the original movie... it could work quite well.

But the thing is - it is, was and always will be a book for children, and all the glossy graphics and pompous music won't change that. Does anyone think a CGI cowardly lion and bloodthirsty Wicked Witch could work?

[trashcanman]

Silly me, I thought we were going to talk about the old HBO prison series with all the anal rape and nazis. I am duly appalled both by the notion of remaking a bonafide classic of any genre and the dissing of Tolkien. But "Rings" is notoriously written for the hardcore geeks who live and breathe that kinda shit so you get a pass along with 90% of the world. So what got you, the lengthy songs that are sung for every occasion or the sentences in elvish and dwarvish that aren't even translated? You know, you could always buy the elvish/dwarvish/shirespeak/black tongue/etc.-to-english dictionaries and learn the languages of Middle Earth in full. No? Lazyass.

[hackersanonymous]

Hmm... If it's done wrongly, they may as well change Scarecrow's opening song to "If I only had a soul"..

Hollywood better tread lightly - this is one of my all time ever, ever favourite films we're talking about here...

That said, I could perhaps do with watching a Wizard of Oz that I can't recite every single line... At least once, anyway.

Toodles!

[xfiruath]

Oz would certainly be an odd choice to make into a big budget action epic, but it could definitely work. They would really have to highlight the more menacing aspects of the various antagonists and seriusly cut down on the cutesy details though. I've actually thought it would make a pretty decent animated epic if it was done in a more distinctive style. Think about what Oz could be like if an artist like DiTerlizzi animated it - it would be much more like a surreal acid trip. Or maybe even somebody like Brom or Luis Royo, who would make it a slick, ultra violent and non-stop action flick.

Wasn't the original Oz novel meant to be political/social satire along the lines of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" instead of a children's book? I think I heard that way back in my U.S. History class in high school.

[The Curmudgeon]

I've just finished reading the first book, and man, I'm telling you, it could make a fucking AWESOME film. If they do it correctly, it could be a funny, VERY dark fantasy film.

A scene where a swarm of killer bees attack and break their stings on the Tin Man? Where a flock of killer crows attack and Scarecrow BREAKS their necks, or where the Tin Man beheads 40 wolves?

As much as I adore 1939's Wizard of Oz (quite possibly my favourite film of all time), it really isn't faitful to the book AT ALL. Like, the Wizard appears to them as different things - only Dorothy sees the giant head (the Lion sees a giant monster with the body of a bear and the head of a tiger). Oh, and the Wicked Witch had one eye. And they weren't ruby slippers, they were silver. Oh, and..

Sorry, I'll stop now. Seriously, I think that it could be a superb film if done correctly, and think of the possible sequels (all 40 of them..!)