Neo versus Dorothy: The Matrix Brings the Wizard of Oz into the 21^st century

Like any other movieholic, I took The Matrix far too seriously. I thought that is I could understand the Watchowski vision, I could solve any problem, be anybody, do anything. 

And then it dawned on me.

The Matrix is not really a movie.

Every movie that’s ever been made seeks an equalibrium with other genres in its environment. Movies adapt; this leads to Comic books, action figures and television pilots.

The Matrix does not do this. Instead, it inhabits a genre and overwhelms it, moving on to others.  No genre is safe.

There is another organism that follows this pattern. Do you know what it is?

It is a virus.

But is that so wrong?

The Matrix is about viruses.

The first film describes what a virus is, in Smith’s monologue to Morpheus. Smith describes his hatred of humanity, and his feeling of imprisonment inside the Matrix. And yet the existence of the agents rely on a viral-like behavior. The agents must possess the inhabitants of the Matrix in order to function. As with a viral infection, during the incubation period, you know something is wrong, but you can’t put your finger on it.

Everyone plugged into the Matrix is susceptible to infection by a program, any program. The Oracle, for example, is a program that inhabits the body of someone in the Matrix, as does Seraph, the Merovingian, et al.

Ironically, Smith becomes an even worse version of himself, after his fatal encounter with Neo at the end of movie one. Smith becomes a more efficient virus, a resistant strain. Smith replicates himself by infecting and overwriting every single inhabitant in the Matrix. A Smith plague, if you will.

The second movie explores the inevitablity of viral infection. The machines have found Zion, the free human city and have a Sentinel for every citizen. Oh, by the way, had Neo accepted the Architect’s deal, the Matrix would have been rebooted, Zion destroyed and Smith would infiltrate and destroy the Machine World.  We see a Smith, a true virus at work, as he infects human and program alike. We can see all the symptoms of an infection now; in Neo’s words, “it felt like I was dying.”

During this stage, most people experience denial. “No,” they say, “I can’t be sick.” Morpheus is in full denial at the end of movie two. The inhabitants of Zion are in denial; they don’t think they will die horribly.  Neo knows that something bad will happen to Trinity, but denies it. Neo even denies death, by rescuing Trinity after being shot by an agent.

The third movie is touch and go; most folks are fatalistic, expecting death. I can see why people are disappointed with the third movie. The one person we don’t want to see die is the one who goes unexpectedly. Trinity was susceptible to Death, after escaping her cold touch so many times in the past. But Trinity had to die, because everything has a beginning, middle and an end. Honestly, the Matrix series is really about Trinity.  It is her sacrifices, her choices, and her death that makes the films work. 

The truth is, in the last stages, you don’t know where it’s going to end. Of course, if Neo is the One, then can’t he also be Eon? I believe that Neo lives, Trinity dies (everything has a beginning, middle and end), and everybody else (except Smith, of course) continues on. You need someone to continue, right? Or else, you can’t have the true viral experience; comics, books. Miniseries, videogames and the rest. 

Psycho: How Hitchcock modernized Oz

Antonio Jacobs

Alfred Hitchcock. He is a genius of his time, making horror a psychological game. Without showing his audience much of anything, his scenes imply certain events and actions, letting the imagination of the viewer fill in the blanks. Admittedly, storylines followed the Wizard of Oz model quite strictly until the 1960's, when a new class of director began to emerge. Hitchcock broke the mold by killing Dorothy in Psycho. 

Before Psycho, the common understanding was that if Dorothy dies, the world goes with her. After all, wasn’t Oz a figment of Dorothy’s imagination? Wasn’t it just a dream? With the Cold War, Roswell and Area 51, America in the late fifties was beginning to experience the first stages of nationwide hysteria. Danger lurked behind every corner for everyone, including Dorothy. In Baum’s tale, Dorothy could safely run away from home and not feel threatened by strangers she met along the way. In fact, while in Oz, Dorothy's  newfound companions all seemed strangely familiar to her, as if she “had known them all along.”  No, the forces of nature were the real threat, as Dorothy discovers on her way back home.

Dorothy Gale is renamed Marion Crane (notice the similarity in the names cadence-wise). The first scene introduces us to Marion (Janet Leigh) and her paramour, Sam Loomis (John Gavin). Figuratively, the two have just had a "roll in the hay," as it were, and were lightly debating the pros and cons of an impoverished marriage between the two of them. This is obviously meant to reflect the first scene between Dorothy and the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. As we could tell, life with the Gales was not Champagne and Caviar, and this is also reflected in Psycho.

In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy runs away from home as a result of feeling ignored and misunderstood by her family, especially after her dog, Toto, is rudely taken from her by Mrs. Gulch.  Gulch represents the life of privilege, while Toto symbolizes fortune, or the possibility of happiness and security. For if Mrs. Gulch can take Dorothy's dog away, what is to prevent her from  taking the Gale farm as well? So Dorothy runs away, after Toto manages to make it back home to her. Even with this fortune, Dorothy still has her doubts about her future, ethically conflicted by her own desires to see the world and her loyalty to her family.

In the Hitchcock version, Marion seizes upon an opportunity to have the life she and Sam dream about. Her Toto is forty thousand dollars entrusted to her by a wealthy investor for deposit, an amicable stand-in for the creepy Ms. Gulch. Even though running  away is not a scrupulous decision for Marion, she is swept away by the adventure  of it all.   She starts her journey on the road, hoping to join up with Sam and begin a brand new life.  There is no Professor Marvel to cast doubt on her plan, to make her question her actions. Therefore, Marion keeps right on going, allowing Hitchcock to make  his alterations in the tale.

Throughout her journey, Marion is tracked by the tinman,  Deputy Sheriff Al Chambers (John McIntire). The Deputy must be rusty; he is never quite able to catch up with Marion.  This is the next place where Hitchcock deviates from Baum's text.  Unlike Dorothy, Marion does not return to the Gale farm.  Instead, she ditches the car she is in, and purchases a new car.  Once Marion recognizes she is being followed, she attempts to shake him off.  This proves to be her undoing.  

Dorothy makes it as far as the forest before tragically losing her life to a misunderstood, mentally unstable, cowardly Lion, portrayed by Anthony Perkins. Perkins, cast as Norman Bates, proprietor of the Bates Motel, is a dead ringer for the Lion. His manner is odd, his social skills are atrophied, and his hobbies are suspect. We get an insight into his disturbed personality when we discover that Bates is an amateur taxidermist; he likes to stuff birds. This is the humor of the tale; Marion gives her last name as Crowe, a bird we associate with death.

The name "Norman Bates" is indicative of his character. The first name "Nor-man" demonstrates his lion persona; he is not a man, or at the very least, not a normal man. His surname, "Bates", is a verb, meaning to trap.  The motel serves as an ideal way to capture prey.  There is a sense of play in Bates, inviting Marion for a cup of tea, engaging her conversation, determining that she is alone and an untraceable victim.

Marion is so easily dispatched by Bates because he never finds the money. The money would have guaranteed her survival - her flight or fight response. In The Wizard of Oz, everyone is terrorized by the Lion until he threatens Toto, causing Dorothy to attack the Lion, and reveal him for the coward he is.  Marion never has this opportunity.  Had Marion decided to leave with Sam initially, she would have survived. Had she remained within line of sight of the Deputy Sheriff, she would have survived. By deviating from the original storyline, Hitchcock places his Dorothy in harm's way to the point of no return.  The other players are left to pick up the pieces.

Bates is brought to a homicidal state by his "Mother" persona, thus establishing the betrayal pattern we see in the Lion in subsequent movies after 1960. Indeed, "Mother" can be looked at as the Wicked Witch, removed from the world in a house on the hill, much like the Witch's castle in the Haunted Forest. But where does this betrayal come from? In The Wizard of Oz, the Lion's mantra of "I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks, I do, I do, I do, I do believe in spooks" provides the Witch the opening needed for the ambush in the Haunted Forest by the winged monkeys.  Bates' actions are on some level controlled by his mother, dead though she may be.

What has Hitchcock created? We are left with a world where Wicked Witches still rule and dominate through intimidation and fear, where bad things happen to nice people, and where the survivors are left asking questions for which there are no real answers. Scarecrows are left left on poles to be ridiculed by the Crowes of the world. Tinmen are left to rust, their police procedures and protocols forever denying them an oilcan's repast. Lions gradually lose what's left of their fragile mind because there is no Toto to trigger Dorothy's defense mechanism.

Hitchcock’s remake of Oz thrusts Dorothy into a world of danger, imagined and unimagined, which ultimately leads to her death. There is no over the rainbow for Dorothy; had she stayed home, the least of her worries would have been maintaining her employment, arguing with her husband, and living the American dream. Which, of course, is what The Wizard of Oz is really about.

KILL BILL - QUENTIN TARENTINO CREATES A PREQUEL TO WIZARD OF OZ SADISTIC, BLOODY AND KICK-ASS

Many movies don't have the guts to veer off the Yellow Brick Road, but Kill Bill has the nerve. Quentin Tarantino has crafted a tour de force directly influenced by his lust for Asian cinema. His choice for Dorothy, Uma Thurman, is unique. Uma is definitely not Judy Garland, although they share the same number of syllables.

What makes Kill Bill so different from most films is that the main character, Beatrix Kiddo (same number of syllables as Dorothy Gale), is not really Dorothy at all, but her mother. This story is really about Dorothy's mother's adventures in Oz. That she encounters her daughters avatars - Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion and Witch - is incidental. What really happened is this:

Dorothy's mother was in the service of the original wicked witch, Bill. But Mommy grew tired of the Winkie life, and sought escape, eventually winding up in Kansas, or in this variation, Texas. Unfortunately, Momba (or in this reality Mamba, or more accurately Black Mamba, which is Kiddo's superhero name) is tracked down on her wedding day, and she is murdered. The homicide doesn't take, and Mommy survives long enough to give birth to her child, Dorothy. In the original story (and QT would know this, the movie buff he is) the infant Dorothy was left on the front porch of the Gale household. In this story, the infant is raised in Oz, and her mother lounges in a coma for four years.

Starts off with the black and white - harsh reality based on the knowledge of a baby unborn in limbo, as we see Kiddo (Uma Thurman) dispatched by an unseen Bill.

After the credits we are instantly transported to Oz (Pasedena), and shown a green house. Kiddo's transport is, of course, yellow. Her first target is the Lion, Vernita Green aka Copperhead. Sad to say, this is a tradition - the Lion is usually regulated to a minority actor (something about blacks being animals, they are regulated to playing lions, you get the picture). Kiddo and Green engage in a knife fight, which seems to be right up the Lion's alley. The fight is interrupted by the arrival of Vernita's cub, her four year old daughter. They proceed to have a civil conversation of the "put 'em up, put 'em up" variety, and Vernita is dispatched by Beatrix after a cowardly attempt at homicide behind a box of Corn Flakes. Beatrix then calmly instructs Vernita's daughter that vengeance is an option.

QT then transports us to Japan, where we learn the story of O-Ren, aka Cottonmouth, which is a nod to the Godfather, since O-Ren's position is that of head mafia dona.  

STAR WARS
Episode X: The Ozian Parallels
When Star Wars: A New Hope appeared in theaters for the first time in 1977, it took audiences by storm; a trend emerged that has left repercussions to this day. The Star Wars universe is a part of American myth, sharing the mantle with a previous multimedia spectacle released some 38 years before - The Wizard of Oz. When you begin to compare these two films it is obvious how many qualities they share, and why without The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars would never have been made.

George Lucas’ vision at this point is nowhere near completion.. Indeed, the Star Wars universe has taken on a life of its own, with dozens of novels, comic books, Graphic novels and teleplays from writers throughout the world. Of course, this is not so unique if you look at Ozian history. After Baum’s death in 1919, twenty years before the film was completed, at least one book on average per year every year was published about Oz (or characters of Oz) until the 1950’s, which culminated in more reflection on this marvelous creation (the movie was re-released in 1949). Compare that to the Lucas phenomenon and the parallels show up very clearly.
To date, the Star Wars double trilogy follows the Yellow Flick Road to the letter. It contains all the essential characters, key plot points and behaves according to Ozian logic. Keep in mind: the double trilogy does last at least thirty-five years, which is, incidently, the difference in release dates for each trilogy. Star Wars also visits, and in some cases, expands on the five Key Points of Ozian filmmaking:
1. DOROTHY IS THE MOST POWERFUL CHARACTER IN THE UNIVERSE
And who is Dorothy? Anakin Skywalker, of course. The name says it all. A Dorothy character’s name or occupation always suggests control of elemental forces (Dorothy Gale=Ani Skywalker each has 5 syllables, another indicator). Dorothy has no parents, and is raised by her Aunt and Uncle. While in Oz, she is guided by several surrogates, serving various kinship roles, from uncle to cousin to mother to father to lover. Anakin (note: Any Kin) has no father, leaves his mother at age nine, only to watch her die ten years later at the hands of Tusken Raiders. Ani loses a father figure in Master Qui-Gon Jinn almost right away, is raised and tutored by surrogates from Wizard-like Emperor Palpitane to Master Yoda, the Good Witch of the Swamp. Anakin finds the familial relationships he needs for his journey from the Scarecrow (Obi-Wan Kenobi), the Tinman (Mace Windu) and the Lion (Jar Jar Binks). Any details left out by Anakin’s life are filled in rather nicely by his son, Luke. Luke gives us the Aunt & Uncle connection in Beru and Lars, maintains his own set of companions in an old Scarecrow (Obi-Wan, again), Tinman (Han Solo), and Lion (Chewbacca).
What about the women in Star Wars? Padme is another Tinman, and Dorothy is only attracted to Tinmen (they are the most sensitive). Leia is the product of Anakin (Dorothy) and Padme (Tinman), so she is first drawn to Luke (Dorothy, Jr.) and then finally to Han (Tinman). Since Lucas’ fantasy is a male adolescent one, Leia’s role as Dorothy is downplayed. But understand - without Leia’s outreach to Obi Wan, Luke would have never begun his journey, would never have become a jedi, and never have fulfilled his destiny. So, although Luke is pivotal, Leia is equally so. Both Skywalkers have to take a back seat to their daddy, Anakin (Darth Vader).
Now, why is Anakin the most powerful and important character in the Star Wars universe? Because his existence is the fundamental point in the storyline. How convenient is it that the Naboo Royal Yacht has to make an emergency landing on Tatooine aka Kansas? Why are dust storms aka tornadoes so frequent there? Why does everyone take such a keen interest in Ani? When they meet him, why doesn’t the Jedi Council go with their first instinct, which is not to train Anakin in the ways of the Force? Dorothy is a master at travel; Ani is a natural pilot. And besides, there is no jedi more powerful than Anakin. He is the chosen one, the one who brings balance to the Force. I ask you, if there is an abundance of Good jedi, why would anyone want to bring balance to the Force? Wouldn’t that mean an equal balance of good and evil?
And what is the role of Palpitane?
Palpitane plays two roles - that of the Wizard and that of the Wicked Witch. He has fooled them all, you see. The original Wizard was sent away (Chancellor Valorum), when it was suggested that he was merely a humbug. Palpitane is dispatched in Ozian fashion; Anakin, now the tinman-like Darth Vader, is only moved to action when someone he cares for, his son, Luke, is directly attacked by Palpitane. Dorothy only reacts to save the life of her comrade, the Scarecrow. Also, Luke reacts in a similar fashion, after watching his scarecrow, Obi-Wan, cut down by his Wicked Witch, Darth Vader.

2. THERE ARE TWO WORLDS
There are many worlds in Star Wars, but there are two worlds that are essential:
Tatooine and Coruscant (Emerald City). Actually, Tatooine represents Kansas; the rest of the universe is Oz. Each new world represents an aspect of Oz. The Death Star represents the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West. Cloud City represents a return to Emerald City. The Ice Planet of Hoth is the realm of Glinda, the good Witch of the North. The Forest Moon of Endor is Munchkinland. Naboo is in Winkie Country.

3. THE RUBY RED SLIPPERS
Power corrupts absolutely. And power is what the witches crave, especially in the Star Wars universe. The representation of the Ruby Red Slippers in Star Wars is the Force; the foci for the Force are the light sabers. Since travel is so much easier in the Star Wars universe, focus has shifted from the feet to the hands. For older films, the ability to move one’s feet were coveted, since dance was a major means of expression. For Star Wars, hands play a vital role: pointing, grabbing, swordplay, firearms and the manipulation of the force involve hands. When Jedi are injured, it is an attack on the hands. Most noticably, the Skywalkers; Anakin loses his hand not once, but twice, both times by apprentices of Yoda, Count Dooku and Anakin’s son, Luke respectively. Luke loses his hand in a duel with his father, Anakin. Use of more than one lightsaber is encouraged, especially with Dark Lords of the Sith. Darth Maul sported a double-edged lightsaber, while Anakin fought Count Dooku with two lightsabers. Is it coincidence that lightsabers get their power from jewels?

In Oz, the Wicked Witch desired two things from Dorothy, one thing overshadowing the other: first, revenge for killing her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East. Second, the Ruby Slippers, which would give the Wicked Witch total control of Oz. Had the Witch realized Dorothy’s potential early, she would have treated Dorothy differently. Obviously, Dorothy was too powerful to kill outright, and this is a trait all Dorothys possess, from Luke Skywalker to Harry Potter. Dorothy is often persuaded to relinquish power, either against her will our through guile. Most Dorothys fight the urge to join evil, but this is not always the case. Star Wars is a tale about morals, so Luke’s choice is on the side of good. Anakin chooses good as well, at the very end of his life. This film has very strong Judeo-Christian undertones, with the concept of forgiveness right before death guaranteeing paradise. There is also a Japanese or maybe Viking sensibility exhibited, with funeral burning of Jedi corpses.

4. SPECIAL EFFECTS
There isn’t much I can say about the special effects in Star Wars, except to say that like The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars revolutionized the way we look at filmmaking. Money was spent, sets were built, races created, music composed and recorded. A new world, indeed, an entire galaxy had to be invented and built for the sake of this movie, er, trilogy, er, mega-epic. Detractors and cynical reviewers often forget how much work is put into a film, especially film of this scope. Diehard fans were expecting Episode One to be “better” than Episode Four, but how is that possible? Lucas started us off in the middle of a story, using the technology available in the nineteen seventies to present it. Let’s be honest. The technology to create Star Wars didn’t exist yet; Lucas had to form two companies to create his special effects: Industrial Light and Magic, and Skywalker Sound. And Lucas is a risk taker, seeking to experiment with new technologies, in order to push the envelope of filmmaking. Compared to today’s standards, the special effects of the original Star Wars look pretty cheesy and fake, and twenty-five years from now, today’s CGI will look pretty cheesy and fake. What viewers may desire to do is to lose themselves in the story, and hope that the special effects are not distractions to the plotline. In the case of Star Wars, I don’t think it is.

5. THE EXCITING WORLD OF TRAVEL
Again, what can be said here? Certainly, Dorothy travels in her house from Kansas to Oz, sort of like a spaceship! Yeah, The Millennium Falcon is like a house, isn’t it? Well, anyway, travel is not an issue in Star Wars. It is a fact of life. Only the landlocked cum Tatooine residents seemed unable or unwilling to travel. We do see a lot of landscape in Star Wars, a lot of races and several candidates for Emerald City. Each film has Munchkins, ranging in size like the original Wizard of Oz. Each film has Winkies, the soldier race, and Flying Monkeys for the aerial dogfights. Shall we go in to more detail?
Jawas represent the more industrious version of the Munchkin, a sort of Lollipop Guild, if you will, while the Ewoks are like the Lullubuy League. The Gungans are also Munchkins, albeit tall, amphibious ones. Mercenaries are lumped into the Flying Monkey category, as are Tusken Raiders. The Winkies are always misguided, under the thumb of the Wicked Witch. In the Star Wars universe, these include Stormtroopers, Clone Troopers, and Battle Droids. Others, such as shapeshifting assassins, Grand Moffs, Dark Lords of the Sith, and Emperors gain Witch status.

At any rate, travel is simplified through the use of scapeships, which frees the viewers from mundane skips along the Yellow Brick Road, replaced by the streaking stars in Hyperspace. Consider a failure to achieve hyperspace a meander into the poppy field.
JABBA THE HUTT
As a wicked witch of the East, Jabba is connected to Han Solo, our resident tinman. Those who have read the Baum classic know that the Wicked Witch of the East is responsible for the tinman’s metallic condition. In The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo is encased in carbonite, placing him in a hibernatory state. Han remains in this state until rescued by Leia and Luke, which parallels the tinman’s rescue by Dorothy and the Scarecrow.
DROIDS
C3PO and R2D2 are at first glance mislabeled as Tinman and Toto respectively, due to the obvious metallic exterior. However, C3PO is a scarecrow, smart about many things and ignorant about many other things. R2D2, dismissed as Toto, certainly appears that way when interacting with other beings. When paired with 3PO, however, R2 become the proverbial Lion, acting impulsively, with a strange sense of humor. Oddly, R2 suffers from no confidence problems, making the miniscule droid the king of the forest. R2’s comfort level is frightening among the many environments the droid comes across. Quite resilient the rolling copy machine is.

C3PO and 32D2 relationship may also be compared to a Japanese story about two friends in a fanciful Samurai epic. While not inundated in the action per se, the two droids are not only in-dispensible, they are saturating the story, appearing in every episode.
OUR YELLOW FLICK SEAL OF APPROVAL
Star Wars qualifies as a Western, because of its frontier scenes on Tatooine, its shootouts, and several key moments that establish the Western mise en scene. Discovery of the unknown, initial contact with native peoples, and ambushes are an essential part of the western idiom.
Star Wars qualifies as a comedy because of the inclusion of those two memorable droids, R2D2 and C3PO, in the tradition of Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, the Scarecrow and the Lion, both transformed into tinmen.
Star Wars also qualifies as a war film, with scenes that depict huge battles in space, and on land, death and destruction en masse, and stratego.
Lastly, Star Wars is an epic, packed with drama, action, swashbuckling, damsel in distress, history and politics. As a result, Star Wars has remained true to the legacy of Wizard of Oz - the creation of American religious myth. Why American? You’ll notice that all the heroes in Star Wars appear to have American accents, notably Midwestern accents. The villians sound distinctively non-American. The Trade Federation sounds Japanese; Governor Tarkin is definitely British. Even Jar Jar Binks Carribean gibberish suggests American immigrant. Without reading too much into it, Star Wars emerges in the Top Ten of Yellow Flicks.
Actually, the difference is really 22 years; the premier film released in 1977, and Episode One: The Phantom Menace was released in 1999. The figure of thirty-five years is a speculation based on when the last Star Wars film is completed and released. Incidently, the duration between the first film version of The Wizard of Oz (1904), and the MGM version (1939) is indeed thirty-five years.
©2003 Antonio Jacobs

 

TRAINING DAY

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, and starring Denzel Washington (Glory, Malcolm X), who won an Oscar for his performance of Alonzo Harris, a narcotic detective with questionable ethics.  Alonzo presents the Wicked Witch of the West, ruling his turf of drug dealers cum Winkies with a corrupt iron fist.  Ethan Hawke (Gattaca) plays Jake, a talented rookie cop eager to rid the streets of L.A. of drugs and crime.  Jake represents Dorothy, introduced to a colorful, dangerous world.  Jake gets caught up in a cyclone of illicit activity, drawn deeper by Alonzo, until Jake has no recourse but to fight his way out.

What is most disturbing about Training Day is the total lack of support of Dorothy’s staunch allies: Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion, and even Glinda, the good witch.  When they do appear, they emerge as passive advisors to Alonzo in an Emerald City-like Wizard’s chambers.  What this means is that by the time Dorothy finally arrives in Oz, her latent friends and allies have already been corrupted by the dark forces.  This makes Jake’s journey down the Yellow Brick Road a lonely and painful one, his only ally Alonzo, slowly turning from friend to foe.

The parallels are obvious: Alonzo giving Jake a joint laced with PCP as an initiation (Poppies!), Jake returning to Alonzo’s turf to confront him after being left with the Latinos (He escapes like Toto did, when Dorothy was watching her life slip away in the sands of the hourglass. Actually, it Alonzo's life that is on the line; he literally has hours to fix his dangerous dilemma).  When Jake finally takes Alonzo down, the entire neighborhood switches loyalties, enabling Jake to escape.  Once the house falls from the sky, the Wicked Witch ceases to be a threat. You can conclude that Alonzo’s downfall is a wet one.

A curious note – Snoop Dogg and Macy Gray give charming performances as members of the Lollipop Guild and Lullaby League respectively.

 Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The obvious nod to WOZ is when Frodo and Samwise are leaving the Shire for the first time. Sam pauses for a moment and says, "if I take one more step, it will be the farthest I've ever been from the Shire. As Frodo encourages Sam to continue, a scarecrow is in the background, covered with crows!

Casablanca

Rick, Casablanca's resident tinman, is paralyzed by his feelings for Ilsa Lund, Our resident Dorothy.
Our Witch of the East, Ugarte (Peter Lorre) possessed the magical Exit Visas. Sam our Lion. Captain Louis Renault is the French Prefect, the Witch of the North. The Wizard is Ferrari, the owner of the Blue Parrot.
Victor Laszlo is the Scarecrow, but he is on the run. In this Oz, Laszlo is displaced from his kingdon, and he endeavors to escape to Major Strasser, the Witch of the West.
Flashback sequence in Paris involving Ilsa and Rick.

Casablanca is what happened if Dorothy got into that balloon with the Wizard.

The movie experience is about creating an alternate world or reality. More importantly, this world is the creation of the main character, and the subtle realization that this main character is the creator of the world they inhabit. The creator has guides: physical, mental and spiritual, and there is always a sense of uncertainty of what is real and what is not, even (or sometimes especially) at the end. Moreover, there is a religious experience worked into the story line. The main character is searching for something or seeking enlightenment or needs to restore her faith. Here is a list of movies that directly entertain the alternate reality concept introduced by the Wizard of Oz.

1939 - The Wizard of Oz - Essentially a dream sequence caused by a blow to the head during a tornado strike in Kansas during the turn of the 20th century.  Or a young girl from the Midwest is magically transported to a colorful land dominated by wizards and witches until this same girl demolishes it all. Dorothy discovers the truth that what she seeks is where she lives, but she only realizes that after she has gone far away from her familiar surroundings. As this movie is the template for all movies, you'll these themes rather consistently throughout most films. 

1946 - It's A Wonderful Life - It is George Bailey's suggestion "I wish I was never born" that creates an alternate reality where his absence dramatically changes the lives of everyone he knows. George learns to appreciate his life for what it is. He discovers his world literally falls apart when he is removed from it.

1982 - Tron - Software engineer Kevin Flynn is transported into a digital world where Programs resemble their human creators. We understand that the two worlds are connected, as events that happen in the digital world affect the real world and vice versa. Tron follows the the Yellow Flick Road ethos that stipulates it takes an outside influence to change the conditions, mostly for the better. 

1990 - Flatliners explores the near death experience, as four talented medical students conduct experiments to determine if there is consciousness during clinical death. Total Recall discusses the idea of implanted memories, a favorite topic of writer Philip K. Dick, who wrote the short story "We can Remember it For You Wholesale" on which this movie is based, and "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" which was the basis for the 1982 film Bladerunner. If something feels real, does that make it real? These films suggest that memories of any variation have the capacity to infiltrate our reality. The epiphany here is that closure is necessary in order to put these renegade memories to rest. 

1997 - The Devil's Advocate - Kevin Lomax is a talented attorney tempted by the devil with a wonderful life, but at the cost of his principles. Of course, Kevin has been ignoring principles for quite some time, and doesn't realize what he is giving up until it is too late. It is revealed at the end of the film that most of the movie is a dream sequence, but the existence of Lucifer is still established as real.

1999 - The Matrix, eXistenZ, The Thirteenth Floor - All three of these films discuss virtual reality, with the idea that it is difficult to differentiate between the real world and an artificially created world. In fact, the argument is that since the brain cannot tell the difference, then intrinsically there is no difference. 

2003 - Big Fish - A large portion of this film is told in flashback by the main character, who is known for his tall tales. It is revealed at the end of the story that much of his stories are based in truth.

2009 - Avatar - this film involves mental linking of one mind into another body.  This transference has the effect of rendering the host body inert when the link takes place. It is discovered during the film that the link can be made permanent through a spiritual ritual.   Coraline is very much in the spirit of the Wizard of Oz, using the idea of a mirror universe. However, it is revealed that this mirror universe is actually a pocket universe that requires spiritual energy to survive.

2010 - Inception - entering the dream state is not only dangerous, but it is also confusing. At one point, many of the characters in this film are deeply layered, existing in a dream within a dream within a dream. Oddly enough, a group of individuals enter one person's dream, and in turn enter someone else's dream.

Many of these films often suggest that the lines between what's real and what's isn't has become blurred, as some aspect, object or person is noticed by the characters in both places. Several of the thriller, sci-fi or action adventure genre films use this technique to end their films on an ambivalent  bent to keep the audiences second guessing.