Oz the Great & Powerful

Oz-The-Great-and-Powerful [1]2,890 words

Oz the Great and Powerful, the new prequel to the children’s classic, The Wizard of Oz, is a tempting spectacle for families with children, but the plot is thick with sexual tension, and the mature dialogue will be totally inaccessible to little ones. White families should steer clear of this movie, however, not because of the steamy thematic elements, but rather the anti-white and anti-Western propaganda that it contains.

The star of the show is Oscar, a magician for a traveling circus. Both a womanizer and a cheat, he is driven by Mammon and Pleasure. During the opening scenes, which are filmed in black and white, Oscar complains about the unsatisfactory proceeds from his last show and attempts to seduce a “simple country girl” he has recruited to assist with his levitation trick. Oscar gives her a music box that he claims belonged to his late grandmother. She is moved, but Oscar’s technical assistant Frank interrupts the moment at show time.

After the show, an innocent little girl in a wheelchair, convinced by his performance, shouts “Make me walk!” Soon the whole crowd joins in her request. When Oscar cannot rise to the occasion, the spectators realize they have been fooled and attack the magician. Oscar retreats to his trailer, where he receives a visitor from Kansas. Annie reveals that a young man named John Gale has proposed to her, saying “I thought you should know.” Momentarily tempted, the magician congratulates Annie on the proposal from a “good man.” Annie replies that Oscar too could be a good man if he wanted, but Oscar wants to be great man not a good man. He does not wish to be a slave to the soil until it consumes him in death like his own father. The tete à tete is interrupted when Oscar boards his hot-air balloon to escape the circus strongman who believes the magician attempted to seduce his wife.

Oscar loses control of the balloon as a tornado carries him away to the Land of Oz. He pleads to God for protection and mercy, and offers his thanks when his balloon escapes the tornado. “You won’t regret this!” he shouts. When Oscar lands in a beautiful marsh, Nature itself celebrates his arrival. The leaves on the trees quicken and flutter about, green shoots whistle a tune, and water lilies blossom and curtsy. Now in color, the film never reverts to black and white as in the original, suggesting the objective reality of Oscar’s experience in Oz.

Shortly after the beautiful witch Theodora appears, river fairies drive the reluctant magician out of the water to meet her and begin his new life. He is already wavering in his obligations under the bargain he struck with God in the balloon. Dressed provocatively in a red jacket and black leather pants, Theodora confirms Oscar’s messianic destiny, revealing a prophecy concerning a great wizard who will descend from the sky to save Oz from the wicked witch who killed her good father and usurped his Throne. She further reveals that the wicked witch has sent her minions to kill him before he can depose her. Cornered, Oscar releases a white dove to distract a flying baboon that nearly captured them.

Oscar wastes no time in taking advantage of the opportunity with Theodora. He gives her a copy of the same music box that he had given to his previous target. Despite her attire, Theodora is totally inexperienced; Oscar must teach her to dance. The next morning the pair sets out for Emerald City where Oscar will meet Evanora, the Theodora’s sister who is serving as Regent in place of the dead King. She walks with Oscar among oversized yellow-orange daisies and speaks of her dream of a future with him as his Queen. Disingenuously, Oscar says, “Like you said, we belong together.” Frank, the magician’s assistant, reappears as Finley the flying monkey trapped in a vine along the way to Emerald City. Oscar uses a crude magic trick to distract a lion who is about to attack him, and Finley swears an oath to the magician and remains his companion throughout the tale, even when the magician reveals to him that he is not the true Wizard. Finley’s own faithfulness both highlights Oscar’s own vacillation and provides the ideal toward which the magician will evolve throughout the film.

When Theodora and Oscar arrive at Emerald City, Oscar jokes, “Good thing green is my favorite color.” Evanora is so unimpressed with Oscar that she accuses Theodora of conspiring with the Wicked Witch to bring an imposter to Emerald City. Evanora’s accusation triggers a dispute that reveals the dark side of the Theodora’s personality. When Theodora hurls a fireball at a nearby vase and shatters it, Evanora states “that temper really is wasted on you, isn’t it?”

Although she doubts Oscar, she takes him on a tour of the Palace. The finale of the tour is the palace treasury, which is filled with gold coins, statues, and jewels. Oscar rejoices in his unexpected fortune by swimming in gold coins and kissing a chalice. He is disappointed when Evanora reveals that he must kill the Wicked Witch before taking final possession of the throne and his treasure. He must seize her wand, which is the source of her power and her life. Oscar feigns compunctions about “killing a lady,” though cowardice is more likely the cause of his hesitation.

Finally, he agrees. Soon Oscar and Finley set out on the yellow brick road. The monkey implores his master to confess his fraudulent behavior and beg for mercy. Oscar refuses, asking “How hard can it be to kill a witch?” The yellow brick road passes through “Chinatown,” a little village of China dolls that live in teapots and other dishes. The Wicked Witch has decimated the delicate little village, but a broken, crippled little girl has survived the disaster. Foreshadowing the remainder of the story, this time the wizard’s magic is sufficient to make the little girl walk again. He glues her back together, and she demands to join him on his journey with Finley. Reluctantly, Oscar accepts her as a third companion.

The new company of three sets out to find the wicked witch in the Dark Forest where she lives. Frightened by the sights and sounds of the forest, China Girl brandishes a tiny knife that she had been concealing on her person. “I’m made of China. I’ve gotta protect myself somehow,” she explains. Despite her tiny frame, China Girl’s martial spirit complements Oscar’s instinctive cowardice. The three companions find the witch in short order, and Oscar easily takes possession of her wand. He quickly surrenders it again when she reveals herself as the beautiful Glinda the Good, witch of the South. Enchanted, Oscar sees his own Annie of Kansas. Glinda informs Oscar that Evanora is the true wicked witch who is responsible for the King’s murder and ongoing reign of terror in Oz, including the destruction of China Girl’s village.

When Evanora sees these events transpire in her crystal ball, she sends flying baboons and foot soldiers to kill Oscar and Glinda. Soon, Evanora’s forces appear in the Dark Forest, and Glinda asks the wizard to use his magic to repel the invasion. Exposed as a fraud, the wizard tells the companions to run. Nearly driven off a cliff, Glinda surrounds Oscar and the others in magic bubbles that transport them to her palace grounds. Told that only good people can pass through a protective wall surrounding the castle, Oscar fears he is doomed, but the wall yields after some initial resistance, perhaps because of the complementary personalities of his companions and the elevating influence of Glinda’s goodness and beauty.

Back in Emerald City, Evanora casually opens her own music box and reveals that she and Oscar had danced in her chambers the night before. The two sisters spy on Oscar and Glinda in Evanora’s crystal ball. Devastated, Theodora asks, “Do you think she’ll be his Queen.” Evanora replies, “Of course, she’ll be his Queen. You cannot compete with Glinda’s charms. No one can.” Tears gouge cuts into Theodora’s face, prefiguring a transformation that will be complete when Evanora offers her an apple to cure her broken heart. When she takes a bite of the apple, Theodora sees that Evanora is the Wicked Witch, not Glinda. After the initial rush of enlightenment, Theodora doubles over in pain. Evanora tells her not to worry because that is just her “heart withering away.” The apple turns Theodora into the familiar, ugly green-skinned Wicked Witch from the old classic. Evanora offers to cast a spell to restore the appearance of her former beauty, but Theodora prefers her new identity. “This is who I am now,” she says. “I want him to know he did this to me.”

Meanwhile, Oscar confesses his deceit to Glinda, who tells him that she already knew he was not a wizard, “or at least not any kind of wizard we were expecting.” She tells Oscar that he must nevertheless persuade the people that he is the wizard because he is their only hope. He agrees to try. Glinda introduces Oscar to the “good people of Oz,” among whom are tinkers, bakers, seamstresses and munchkins, but no warriors because they are “forbidden to kill.” Ecstatic that their wizard has arrived, the townspeople honor Oscar and Glinda with gifts and musical performances. Theodora interrupts the festivities to confront Oscar and reveal her terrible new form. She humiliates him by reducing him to a puppet dancing helplessly in the air. Theodora promises to wage a war of extermination on Glinda and her people, killing Oscar first. Later in the movie, she commands the army to show them “no mercy.” Thus, the ultimate evil arises from hatred of the chooser and envy of his chosen.

Oscar despairs and begins packing his things as he reverts to his previous pattern of cowardice and flight. Glinda catches him in the act and insists that he find a solution. While they are talking, China Girl asks Oscar to tuck her in for bed. Oscar obliges and China Girl asks if he can grant wishes. Oscar replies that he cannot but that he is still a great wizard. He tells her that Thomas Edison—the inventor of the movies, among many other things—was a great wizard who could see the future and make it come true, but he could not grant wishes either. The solution to his dilemma is now clear.

Triumphantly, he says to Glinda, “I may not be the wizard that you were expecting, but I may just be the wizard that you need.” They discuss their plan to defeat the Wicked Witch using the tricks of his show business trade. Marshaling all the talents of the simple people of Oz, he will put on the show of his life, and take down the Wicked Witch by the power of illusion. Using the power to shape reality (media), they will take control of the Throne (political power) and the Emerald Palace Treasure (finance).

After meticulous planning and preparation, Glinda and Oscar launch their assault on Emerald City. The first phase of the attack is to put the witches’ deadly flying baboons to sleep, literally. Glinda casts a mist over a field of narcotic poppies and an army of straw men crafted by the town seamstresses and farmers march on the castle through the mist. When the baboons realize they are attacking straw men, it is too late to escape and they fall asleep. In the ensuing chaos, Evanora captures Glinda but China Girl makes off with the good Witch’s wand.

Meanwhile, Oscar infiltrates the castle with the help of the town herald, a colored munchkin who is loyal to Glinda. Theodora looks on while he loads his balloon with gold from the treasury. Theodora sneers contemptuously, “How predictable!” and hurls a fireball at the balloon intending to kill Oscar, but she is about to find out that she is the one who has been outmaneuvered. Believing the wizard is dead, the people of Emerald City are devastated. Oscar then uses an image projector to present himself “in his true ethereal form” and claims to be invincible. Theodora’s attempt to destroy him has only amplified his prestige and authority. Glinda is able to escape when China Girl delivers her wand. Oscar uses fireworks to create the illusion that he can command the stars, spitting them at Theodora through his gaping holographic mouth until she flees on her broom. The Wizard gives her permission to return as a loyal subject of the King if she chooses, because her evil is not of her own choosing.

Glinda confronts Evanora as she tries to escape through the Throne Room. In the ensuing witches’ duel, Glinda destroys the emerald medallion that makes Evanora appear young and beautiful. Now a one-eyed crone, Glinda banishes her from Oz and she is carried off by flying baboons. In the concluding scenes, Glinda appears in a gown of unmistakably bridal inspiration. Oz commands his friends, gathered in the Throne Room, to keep their secret so the people of Oz remain confident that their savior can protect them from the Wicked Witches. The film ends with a gift-giving ceremony and a demonstration of the holographic Wizard King as he will appear on his Throne. The couple shares a kiss and the following dialogue:

Glinda: “I knew you had it in you.”

Oscar: “What? Greatness?”

Glinda: “No. Goodness.”

Several themes that characterize hostile Jewish attitudes towards Whites and Western civilization are subtly apparent in this film. Evanora, standing in for Gentile elites, is a wicked tyrant and usurper. She cynically manipulates Theodora and her other subjects (ordinary Whites) by wrongly accusing Glinda of murdering their good King, when in fact it is Evanora who killed the King and continues to persecute his daughter Glinda and her people. Evanora is only great because she is not good. She maintains power only by using black magic, false consciousness, deception, and repression of her superior rival.

For her own part, the tragically disposable Theodora is easy to manipulate because she is both foolish and envious. She appears to be good before the apple opens her eyes to evil. A dangerous fiend lurks within Theodora that can only be contained only as long as she remains in the dark, ignorant of the fearsome and painful aspects of human life. When she sees evil, she becomes evil. The latent hate and rage revealed in her quarrel with Evanora can no longer be contained. She is so evil that she frightens even her sister, who created her to serve as a weapon against her rival. Theodora is unable to overcome her envy of the impeccable, radiant Glinda, who is her superior in every way.

Glinda, on the other hand, is both sophisticated and harmless. She combines innocence and knowledge into one perfect, whole character fit to rule as Queen. But she has none of the ruthless and Machiavellian traits necessary to become queen. Thus, in the end, the morally superior Glinda is able to overcome her wicked and mighty rivals only with the help of her long-awaited Wizard from Heaven.

Trevor Lynch argues that superheroes should be read as symbolic proxies for Jews [2]: superior outsiders and “freaks.” But even though superheroes are feared and rejected by the ignorant masses and must thus employ crypsis, they are not a hostile elite out to rule us. Instead, they are a benevolent elite that works to save us from supervillains, who are often indigenous White elites (Big Business, corrupt politicians) or their symbolic proxies (Nazis, Russians, and even Tolkienesque Elves in the Hellboy [3] movies).

I read the Wizard as a similar crypto-Jewish character. The wizard is a nomad (check) in show business (check) who is a fraud (check), a seducer of the innocent (check), and a homewrecker (check) who lusts for the feel of gold (check). These are all traits inexpugnably associated with Jews in the public mind. Since these traits cannot be denied, they must be redeemed. Thus it is admitted that the Wizard is a rogue. But he turns out to be a rogue with a good heart. He is a real mensch.

Furthermore, Oscar’s techniques for gaining power — which include building a minority coalition (Chinatown and monkey town, check, check), deploying drugs (check), and fooling people with Thomas Edison’s motion picture technology (check) — are just what is needed for the innocent Glinda to triumph over the evil Evanora and Theodora and regain her throne. But this time the Wizard will rule alongside her, producing the illusions necessary to maintain power (for everybody’s good, naturally).

And who are the men behind the curtain of Oz the Great and Powerful? Not surprisingly, the movie was produced [4] and directed [5] by Jews. Screenwriter Mitchell Kapner is also probably Jewish, and Jews play three of the four leading roles [6]. Frank Baum’s Oz books are an allegory of American life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Oz the Great and Powerful is an allegory of how the “wretched refuse” of the shtetls, who were flooding into America at the same time, ended up using the power of illusion to take over. And what better way to cement their power than to teach little white children not to seek greatness, but mere goodness?