Mega Silents: Wizard of Oz Double Bill
South West Silents is very excited to present this special double bill consisting of the UK Premiere of the brand new 4K restoration of the forgotten silent film His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914) and the classic of Hollywood classics, The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Produced and written by the man behind the legend of Oz, L. Frank Baum, this screening of His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz gives audiences, of all ages, a very rare chance to see the backstory to some of OZ's most beloved characters. Characters who we all fell in love with from the 1939 classic.
UK Premiere: His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914): Directed by J. Farrell MacDonald, and written and produced by L. Frank Baum (author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz). His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914) stars Violet MacMillan, Frank Moore, Vivian Reed, Todd Wright, Pierre Couderc, Raymond Russell, and Fred Woodward.
The film originally opened on September 28, 1914, to little success, though it was received as well above average fare by critics of the time. Early in 1915, it was reissued under the title The New Wizard of Oz and was slightly more successful.
The film is loosely based on Baum's 1900 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but in the screenplay, Baum introduced many new characters and a large new story that later became the basis for the 1915 book The Scarecrow of Oz.
Similar to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow's origin is revealed, although his life is now attributed to "the Spirit of the Corn", who appears as a conventional Hollywood depiction of a Native American.
The film with have live piano musical accompaniment by Dominic Irving. Restoration courtesy of Nate Barlow.
The Wizard of Oz (1939): The classic musical adaptation of the L. Frank Baum novel starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr and Jack Haley.
A tornado whisks Dorothy (Garland) and her house from Kansas to Munchkin City, squashing the Wicked Witch of the East upon landing. The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) vows revenge, while Dorothy sets off on the yellow brick road to see the Wizard of Oz (Frank Morgan), hoping he can tell her how to get home.
On the way she makes friends with a scarecrow (Bolger), a tin man (Haley) and a cowardly lion (Lahr) - all of whom have specific reasons for wanting to meet the magical Wizard. With the Wicked Witch out to get her, will Dorothy ever get home again?
We highly recommend booking tickets early to avoid disappointment!
South West Silents is a not-for-profit organisation. With support of the BFI Film Audience Network, awarding funds from the National Lottery in order to bring this project to more audiences across the UK.