A cyclone takes little Dorothy (Bebe Daniels) and her friends -
including the Scarecrow (Robert Z.Leonard) to Oz, where evil witch Momba
(Hobart Bosworth) is trying to take over the realm from the Wizard
(Winifred Greenwood). Upon hearing that, Dorothy and her friends -
including the Lion and the Tin Man whom she has just met in Oz - go to the
palace to fight the evil witch, which Dorothy ultimately succeeds in by
pouring water on her. The wizard is so grateful that he makes the
Scarecrow king and leaves the realm by hot-air balloon. everyone else
dances ... Apparently, the oldest surviving adaptation of Frank
L.Baum's Wizard of Oz - and it's a less than perfect film:
Sure, in 1910 film as a medium was still in its infancy, and special
effects or lavish production values were simply unheard of - but that
doesn't really excuse the very slopping storytelling this film presents.
Actually, there is not much of an actual narrative in this film, just a
few sequences were pulled from the book and/or the musical based on it and
simply presented in (then standard) all mastershots. This makes the whole
film stagey, incoherent, and - let's face it - rather boring to watch. You
might still want to watch this one for its film-historical relevance, but
don't expect anything resembling a masterpiece or lost gem or whatever.
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