The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz (1925)

The worlds greatest fantastic spectacle.

A farm girl learns she is a princess and is swept away by a tornado to the land of Oz.

Date of release
1925-02-12
TMDB
5.5 / 10 (53)
Runtime
1h 21m
Genres
Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Director
Larry Semon

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Based on: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz is a 1925 American silent fantasy-adventure comedy film directed by Larry Semon, who has the lead role of a Kansas farmhand, later disguised as the Scarecrow.

Production

The film departs radically from the novel upon which it is based, introducing new characters and exploits. Along with a completely different plot, the film is set in a world that is only barely recognizable as the Land of Oz from the books. The film focuses mainly on Semon's character, one of three farm hands on Uncle Henry's farm who later becomes the scarecrow, somewhat presaging the 1939 MGM movie.

Some elements of the narrative have their roots in earlier adaptations of The Wizard of Oz. For example, Prime Minister Kruel has a predecessor in King Krewl, the antagonist in the 1914 film His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz, and its literary base, The Scarecrow of Oz.

Lead actress Dorothy Dwan was Larry Semon's fiancée at the time of its filming. The couple would marry upon the feature's release and remain together until Semon's death three years later in 1928. "L. Frank Baum, Jr." is also given top billing in the film's credits for cowriting the script. That credit refers to Frank Joslyn Baum, Baum's eldest son.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

Recommended