Last night for movie night, we saw Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), a Disney retread of the Oz mythos, with reflections of both the original books by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 movie. It had some visual appeal, but the heteronormativity was so intense and unyielding that it burned.
In black-and-white 1905 Kansas, Oz (James Franco) is a circus sideshow magician who seduces every woman in sight -- three in the first five minutes.
Easter Egg: The circus is run by Mr. Baum.
He has an assistant (Zach Braff), whom he treats horribly, and an ex-girlfriend (Michelle Williams), who is in love with him but plans to marry John Gale instead because he doesn't want a "normal" life, the heterosexist trajectory of job, house, wife, and kids. Not because he is gay, because he is irresponsible.
Easter egg: It's not mentioned, but the ex-girlfriend is going to become Dorothy's mother, then die, so Dorothy can go live with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, and get zapped to Oz in seven years.
Oz's act comes to a halt when he admits that he can't cure a disabled girl in the audience.
Then he has to flee when the circus strongman and clown (Tim Holmes, Brian Searle) get angry over the seduction of their wives. Oz jumps into his balloon, and is zapped through a tornado into Oz.
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I figured a guy playing a strongman would have some beefcake photos,but Tim Holmes doesn't. Instead, we have him saying that he's visiting his kids "to see his grandchildren"..with his hand on one of their bellies. No baby in there, buddy; those are your twin sons.
Left: Eugen Sandow, the original strongman.
Back to Oz. The wilderness is brightly-colored, with singing foliage out of Fantasia, and things that keep zapping you in the face (the film was originally 3-D).Oz meets the Good Witch Theodora, who happens to be traipsing around the wilderness with no supplies. Discovering that he is coincidentally named after her country, she concludes that he is the Wizard prophesied to free the kingdom from the evil Wicked Witch, so of course he seduces her. Is this supposed to be an endearing trait?
Next they go to the Emerald City, picking up a flying monkey in a bellman's outfit (Zach Branff) along the way. Evanora, the Witch in power, will be happy to hand over the throne, as long as he saves them by breaking the wand of the Wicked Witch, which will kill her.
More Oz after the break