Film / News
A Double Dose of Oz at the Bristol Megascreen
Few people realise that the 1939 musical with Judy Garland was not the first screen visit to L. Frank Baum’s land of Oz. Made in 1914, His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz, is described by South West Silents director James Harrison as “a totally different story from anything which has been screened of Oz before. It’s very much a sequel before sequels were a thing. Some of the characters we know in the 1939 Judy Garland film are there, but there are a number of other characters who many would have never encountered before. Plus, it was written and produced by ‘Mr Oz’ himself, Lyman Frank Baum.
“I’d be lying if I was saying that we weren’t cashing in on the success of 2024’s Wicked: Part I (Part 2, Wicked: For Good, is out later this year); but it was totally by chance that we were offered a brand new restoration with a 4K transfer of the 1914 version of The Wizard of Oz. It’s ended up being the UK premiere of it as well, so we thought, well why not, let’s do a Wizard of Oz double bill. Which is a real rarity in itself.”
So that’s what happening at the Bristol Megascreen (the former IMAX cinema in the Aquarium) on Saturday 13 September. Tickets are available now here.
It’s the first in a new season of special double bill cinema events showcasing films from the silent era alongside modern masterpieces. Next up on Nov 22 is The Battle of the Somme (1916), with accompaniment by pianist Stephen Horne, paired with Stanley Kubrick’s early masterpiece Paths of Glory (1957). Tickets for this are on sale now.
Main image from The Wizard of Oz supplied by South West Silents.
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