I had to miss the One Republic concert tonight (next to my office!) to go to an elementary school performance of Wizard of Oz (my kids were not even in it). I tried to convince them of the Marxist themes in the Wizard of Oz. The red (ruby) shoes and the yellow brick-road path to capitalism. The Kanas rural backdrop is a nod to the rural landscapes of communist countries, as is the self-maintenance of their farm life. The storm takes Dorothy from a life of self-maintenance to a life of capitalist opulence and self-delusion (sepia -> Technicolor). The lack of height of the Munchkins is a visual representation of their stunted minds and the fact that they are also scared by the Wicked Witch of the West, shows they are afraid of the politics of both East and West. The Scarecrow is the agricultural worker, stereotyped by his need for a brain. The Tin Man is the Industrialist who needs a heart, again stereotyped by this need and the Cowardly Lion who as a lion is stereotyped to be powerful, but turns out to be strong in voice but not in actions, this is a representation of a member of local government who seems to have power but is still voiceless in the bigger picture of democracy. As for the field of poppies, note Marx said that, “Religion is the opium of the masses”. They are sent to kill the Witch of the West therefore killing western politics and capitalism as a whole.
Posted on: Sat, 07 Jun 2014 04:41:06 +0000
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