People are only just realising how 'ground-breaking' Wizard of Oz scene was made

08 June 2024 , 08:55

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An iconic Wizard of Oz scene has left fans praising the 'ingenious' clip after realising how it was filmed (file) (Image: Mgm/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

Film fans are only just realising how a "ground-breaking" Wizard of Oz scene was filmed.

A Twitter/X account has explained the camera trickery involved in one of the film's most iconic scenes, 85 years after it was first recorded.

The 1939 adaptation of L. Frank Baum's 1900 fantasy novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, used unique angles and stand-ins to show Dorothy leaving her sepia-toned world and entering Oz in Technicolour.

A Judy Garland lookalike was used and dressed in sepia clothing. She then made way for the real Garland, who was dressed in regular clothing, before Dorothy opens the door to Oz. Technicolour was still a fairly new technology at the time, and Wizard of Oz director Victor Fleming used it to bring the fantasy world of Oz to life.

The HistoricVids account explained on X: "In the Wizard of Oz, the shot of Dorothy walking towards and opening the door was filmed in color on a set painted sepia toned and the Dorothy stand in wearing sepia clothes and make up. After she opens the door she moves out of frame and Judy Garland wearing the regular Dorothy clothes moves into frame.

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"The use of Technicolor, a color film technology, allowed the filmmakers to create the vibrant and colorful world of Oz. The transition from black and white to color was a groundbreaking visual effect at the time and added to the magical experience of the film. [sic]"

X users were impressed by the revelation, and said it may be one of the best scenes put to film.

One user wrote: "I just love this. I love when filmmakers operate like illusionists and magicians, it’s ingenious." Another wrote: "The Wizard of Oz was a milestone of cinema on so many dimensions. How did they figure that stuff out back then? Absolutely magical." A third described the clip as "one of the most iconic movie shots in cinema history."

Even those who had seen the transition already said they remain mesmerised by it. One Twitter/X user revealed: "Saw this in a theatre and it really is quite a stunning moment, even knowing it was coming. By this time you've spent enough time in the dark watching sepia tones to be used to it and then the Technicolor switch happens and everything is fantastically vibrant."

Ewan Gleadow