Factual error: When Dorothy runs away from the hospital she is chased by a nurse, who has a torch. Earlier in this film the doctor said they two months away from the 20th century which gives the year as 1899. Such a modern torch that the nurse had was not invented yet.
Return to Oz (1985)
1 review
Directed by: Walter Murch
Starring: Piper Laurie, Fairuza Balk, Jean Marsh, Nicol Williamson
Your rating
Average rating
(3 votes)
Released to mixed reviews and disappointing box office returns, "Return to Oz" never quite caught on with mainstream audiences. But since its release over thirty years ago, it has maintained a dedicated cult following. And I would argue it's one of the 1980's greatest hidden gems. A darker, edgier film than the 1939 classic, "Return to Oz" is rampantly creative and incredibly imaginative.
The film follows Dorothy Gale as she returns to Oz only to find it in ruin, now being ruled over by an evil head-stealing witch and a nefarious rock-monster known as the Nome King. Together with a new group of friends, Dorothy must figure out a way to restore Oz to its former glory.
"Return to Oz" is very well-executed, with top-notch direction and a deliciously bleak design philosophy. This was the only film directed by Oscar-winning editor Walter Murch, and it's a shame he never helmed another major movie. His guidance and sense of composition lends a great deal to the proceedings. I absolutely love Fairuza Balk in her first major role as our new Dorothy. She's just wonderful in the part, capturing the innocence and drive of the character. The effects are also quite magnificent - the film is populated with all sorts of fantastically realised creatures, monsters and characters. And David Shire's musical score is absolutely beautiful. It's poignant, exciting and captures of the mood of the picture perfectly.
While I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for very young children due to the darker content (including a subplot involving electroshock therapy, and a great deal of implied off-screen violence), I think older kids and even adults will be able to appreciate what it's going for.
It's not a perfect film by any stretch, but if you love grim 80's fantasy or are a junkie for the "Oz" franchise, it's well worth seeing. For me, it's right up there with other classics like "The Dark Crystal" and "The Neverending Story." I'm giving it a very good 4.5 out of 5. (Rounding up to a 5 for the rating system).
More mistakes in Return to Oz
The Nome King: Don't you know that eggs are poison?
Billina: Poison, indeed!
The Nome King: Poison... Poison to... Nomes.
Trivia: Here are some interesting tidbits about where some of the aspects of the movie came from, which is a compilation of the books following the first. Jack Pumpkinhead, the Powder of Life, the Gump, Mombi, Ozma (Tip) and the escape off the top of the roof all come from 'The Marvelous Land of Oz'. The multiple heads angle, the Gnome King's Nick-Nack game, the chicken coop, Billina, and Tik-Tok all come from 'Ozma of Oz'. The tunnel under the Deadly Desert that Mombi uses to get to the Gnome King seems to come from 'The Emerald City Of Oz'.
Question: Why do we see Nurse Wilson being taken away in a jail cell at the end of the movie?
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Answer: The fire made the authorities discover the abused patients they'd locked in the basement.
Brian Katcher