The unknown ‘Wizard of Oz’ sequel that hardly anyone knows about
Everyone is familiar with The Wizard of Oz, with the beloved film changing cinematic history through its pioneering use of technicolour and sparking an explosive new era of creative possibilities. The stories from the production are infamous, whether it be Judy Garland’s harrowing experiences behind the scenes, the use of asbestos to create fake snow or the ballooning budget that alarmed all the studio heads. However, each of these challenges resulted in one of the most influential films of all time, with the glittering costumes, immersive set design and infamous feud between the wicked witches cementing its legacy in popular culture and leading to the later success of Wicked. The cinematic adaptation of the musical has been one of the most inescapable stories of recent years, with the love-hate ‘friendship’ of Galinda and Elphaba sweeping across our screens and adding a modern edge to their fabled feud.
However, the story does not end there, with the original writer of the novel, L. Frank Baum creating fourteen books in the series. After the author died, the story became public domain and many other writers created their own additions to the series, spinning off of the details from the first novel and adding many dimensions to the fantastical world.
This then led to a lesser-known film adaptation of one of these novels, which became a sequel to the first film. Titled Return to Oz, the film was adapted from the book written by L. Frank Baum, which follows Dorothy as she is rescued from a psychiatric ward by someone in Oz and finds herself back in the mystical land.
What is even more bizarre than the existence of this film, is the fact that it was directed by Walter Murch, who is perhaps the most esteemed editor of all time and recognised for his editing iconic films such as Apocalypse Now, The Godfather 3, Ghost and The Talented Mr Ripley. The editor went on to publish the landmark book In the Blink of an Eye, which is widely considered as the most influential text on the art of editing.
However, the editor turned his hand to directing for just one project, with Return to Oz being released in 1985, arriving 46 years after the original film. After the story became public domain, it meant that anyone could write about the characters and world contained in the original story. However, certain details created by Disney in the first film, such as the addition of the ruby slippers could not be included in the sequel due to copyright laws, with Dorothy instead having to wear silver slippers in the 1985 film.
Despite the fact that it is marketed as a children’s film, it could not be further from this description, with a dark and slightly sinister edge that trumps even the most unsettling elements of the first film. The plot centres on the fact that Dorothy was submitted to a psychiatric ward after the events of the first film, with the beloved characters being distorted in strangely disturbing ways and adding a new layer of horror to the world.
In Murch’s haunting retelling of the story, Oz is an overgrown and decrepit city, with the yellow brick road falling apart and the people of Oz being traumatised into a permanent state of shock and deterioration. Dorothy’s fluffy escapism is now painted as the side effect of a mental illness, with her classic companions existing as strange and distorted versions of the previous characters.
Make no mistake, Return to Oz is a barely concealed horror movie, and the reasons for its lesser-known existence become starkly obvious after just a few minutes of watching. If you’re in the mood to see a new side to Emerald City and traumatise yourself in the process, then Murch’s bizarre masterpiece is the film for you.
