American old film class Cabin in the Sky and The Wizard of Oz Essay

American old film class Cabin in the Sky and The Wizard of Oz - Essay Example The sets are lavish, costumes bizarre, colours psychedelic and the music is loud and active. Two very good visual sequences are the foreboding interior of the Wizards castle and the swooping swarm of the Wicked Witchs minions resembling flying monkeys. The wicked witch threatens Dorothy. The Wizard of Oz is a true predecessor of most modern Hollywood movies, and perhaps the single most influential movie of the twentieth century. Its reputation of being a classic is well deserved. This movie was released during the Great Depression. The faith in human nature expressed in The Wizard of Oz served as an affirmation to movie going audiences in 1939. The Wizard of Oz is one of the most enduring stories in American popular culture, the themes and images from this story are a part of everyday experience and the songs "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" and "If I Only Had a Brain," are instantly recognizable. The Wizard of Oz is about the great American myth of self-actualization, the allegorical search for courage, intelligence and heart. The message of the film is that all of these things lie within one and all that is needed is to recognize them and that despite the magical and amazingly colourful world that we live in, there is no place like home and ones family. It could also be construed to be a film about the disillusionment with politics as the great and celebrated leader turns out to be a charlatan, while all that is needed to get by is the simple basic tools within held by the masses of the world. The 1943 musical "Cabin in the Sky", resembles a standard MGM musical rather than a black-music musical. "Little Joe" Jackson (Eddie" Rochester" Anderson) drifts from his devout and devoted wife Petunia (Ethel Waters), to Georgia Brown (Lena Horne). He is shot by Domino Johnson (John W. Sublett), a gambler. Little Joes soul leaves the body and Lucifer, Jr. (Rex