Visible crew/equipment: After just meeting Tik-Tok, Dorothy winds him up, and then he bows, and raises his hat. As he bows a crewmember can clearly be seen crouched behind him. (00:36:20)
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
Mombi III: Not beautiful you understand, but you have a certain prettiness, different from my other heads. I believe I'll lock you in the tower for a few years until your head is ready. And then I'll take it.
Dorothy: I believe you will NOT!
Trivia: Since the ruby slippers were created for the 1939 Wizard of Oz movie (the book used silver shoes instead), they are still protected by copyright. Disney had to pay MGM a huge sum of money for the rights to use them in Return to Oz, where they take the place of the magic belt in the books.
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