Salman Rushdie's Oz

What I found interesting about Salmon Rushdie’s take on “The Wizard of Oz,” was that it wasn’t simply a rehash of the story, nor was it a sycophantic praising. It is obvious that this story has meant a lot to him creatively, as it is unavoidable in our society. As I was reading his account of his childhood and how he took the examples of elements of the film to flesh out his own stories, I was reminded of myself, and, in fact, many other examples of media. When I watched the film again on Thursday for the first time in God knows how long, I was taken aback by how almost the entire film has been recreated or referenced in more sources than could possibly be counted. Nearly every line is classic. But besides pointing out how influential it was, and how wonderful everyone thinks the film may be, I found it quite refreshing that Mr. Rushdie was able to address the film critically, and point out its flaws. He did not shirk away on the fact that the film was heavily influenced by Hollywood bigwigs, which cheapened it in the instance of the overly moralizing/sappy ending, or how the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was nearly cut from the film. He also was able to turn a critical eye toward the archetypal characters of Dorothy’s three companions, exhibiting the shortcomings of both the scarecrow and the tin man. I found the ending (Part II) of the book rather bizarre and out of place with the rest of the book, but I found the critical analysis very helpful in how I will try and approach films from now on, with a bravery to challenge the creative choices and praise where there is true and unquestioning inspiration.