Well not entirely true, but true enough...
Thought it would be fun to have a semi-regular feature where I take a movie I love and what I learned from it.
Today: The Wizard of Oz!
1. Every action has a consequence...
Dorothy almost loses Toto because she doesn't keep him under control; Yes, she is a little girl, but really, if you knew Elvira Gulch at all, you'd know she meant business!
2. A pretty dress can make a handsome woman look truly beautiful
Oh sure, she's pretty. But you see the dress coming and you go, "Wow - who's that?"
A really beautiful dress will do that for you. And fairy wings. I am pretty sure I need fairy wings! Every woman should have one dress that people see you in and go "Oh My God - She's Beautiful!"
3. Sometimes you have to spend a little time with someone before you know if you can be friends.
Dorothy isn't sure about any of her travelling companions in the beginning, but after getting to know them, realizes they are the three best friends a girl can have. Sometimes you meet people in the beginning and you aren't sure about them, only to discover that they are pretty amazing.
4. Leave no Man (or Lion) Behind
They're off to see the wizard, and they make sure they all get there. This is the ultimate dream team - they work together to help each other achieve their goals, even if they're afraid.
5. There are always flying monkeys...
You may wish there weren't, but there are. And they often wear suits. Keep your head down! As David Letterman once so famously said: "Flying monkeys is scary!"
6. Never Be Afraid to stop for a spa day...
You're tired. You're about to go see the Wizard after all, and that old bugger is going to make you go after the Wicked Witch of the West. But take a break. As Billy Crystal once said "It's better to look good than to feel good"!
Destiny and death will just have to wait until you re-group. Don't be afraid to say "I need some me time"...
7. Shoes Make the Outfit
But you already knew that...
8. It's Not Easy Being Green
If a fantastic dress makes you look and feel beautiful, imagine if you had to wear black and had green skin in a world that valued pink...
Oh I know, she was bad. But maybe if she'd had that spa day at the Emerald City, she might have gotten to know the others and cut them a solid...
9. Don't do other people's dirty work
If somebody wants you to do something for them that they are unwilling to do themselves run, don't walk, the other way. Oh sure, our friends were successful and beat the odds, but most of the time, if people want you to do something that they aren't willing to do themselves that should be your sign that they are either a) lazy b) mean c) afraid or d) trying to get you to fail.
and finally...
10. You always have the power
Dorothy only has to click her heels three times to go home. The Scarecrow was always smart, the Tin Man always had a big heart and the Cowardly Lion was always brave.
You can change your circumstances, but most of all - you can change your perspective of the situation. Right now, I am focussing on being brave in my life. If I tell myself I can do it often enough, I usually find enough gumption to do it.
As the song goes, "And the dreams that you dare to dream really can come true."
Hope you enjoyed this! Next week: Gone With The Wind! Have a great Monday and Stay Safe out there!
Thought it would be fun to have a semi-regular feature where I take a movie I love and what I learned from it.
Today: The Wizard of Oz!
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| source |
1. Every action has a consequence...
Dorothy almost loses Toto because she doesn't keep him under control; Yes, she is a little girl, but really, if you knew Elvira Gulch at all, you'd know she meant business!
2. A pretty dress can make a handsome woman look truly beautiful
Oh sure, she's pretty. But you see the dress coming and you go, "Wow - who's that?"
A really beautiful dress will do that for you. And fairy wings. I am pretty sure I need fairy wings! Every woman should have one dress that people see you in and go "Oh My God - She's Beautiful!"
3. Sometimes you have to spend a little time with someone before you know if you can be friends.
Dorothy isn't sure about any of her travelling companions in the beginning, but after getting to know them, realizes they are the three best friends a girl can have. Sometimes you meet people in the beginning and you aren't sure about them, only to discover that they are pretty amazing.
4. Leave no Man (or Lion) Behind
They're off to see the wizard, and they make sure they all get there. This is the ultimate dream team - they work together to help each other achieve their goals, even if they're afraid.
5. There are always flying monkeys...
You may wish there weren't, but there are. And they often wear suits. Keep your head down! As David Letterman once so famously said: "Flying monkeys is scary!"
6. Never Be Afraid to stop for a spa day...
You're tired. You're about to go see the Wizard after all, and that old bugger is going to make you go after the Wicked Witch of the West. But take a break. As Billy Crystal once said "It's better to look good than to feel good"!
Destiny and death will just have to wait until you re-group. Don't be afraid to say "I need some me time"...
7. Shoes Make the Outfit
But you already knew that...
8. It's Not Easy Being Green
If a fantastic dress makes you look and feel beautiful, imagine if you had to wear black and had green skin in a world that valued pink...
Oh I know, she was bad. But maybe if she'd had that spa day at the Emerald City, she might have gotten to know the others and cut them a solid...
9. Don't do other people's dirty work
If somebody wants you to do something for them that they are unwilling to do themselves run, don't walk, the other way. Oh sure, our friends were successful and beat the odds, but most of the time, if people want you to do something that they aren't willing to do themselves that should be your sign that they are either a) lazy b) mean c) afraid or d) trying to get you to fail.
and finally...
10. You always have the power
Dorothy only has to click her heels three times to go home. The Scarecrow was always smart, the Tin Man always had a big heart and the Cowardly Lion was always brave.
You can change your circumstances, but most of all - you can change your perspective of the situation. Right now, I am focussing on being brave in my life. If I tell myself I can do it often enough, I usually find enough gumption to do it.
As the song goes, "And the dreams that you dare to dream really can come true."
Hope you enjoyed this! Next week: Gone With The Wind! Have a great Monday and Stay Safe out there!
I love this Wendy!! Great lessons here for all of us. And yes...you my friend deserve/ need fairy wings more than anyone I know:-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jennifer - thought this might be a fun series for us - I have a lot of movies in my head!!! And fairy wings would be fab - I must host A Midsummer's Night party sometime!
DeleteThat was fantastic, and really inspiring, write 25 of these and it's a book.
ReplyDeleteI have at least 20 more in my head, but I can\t see anyone publishing that! Of course, I may be wrong!
DeleteBe brave WMM.
DeleteAgree with everyone else. I have to think that there is a market for this book. I can totally see it being sold at Anthropologie next to those What Would Audrey Do? and Bombshell Manual books.
DeleteThis is a brilliant idea, Tabitha! Wendy you should try it. It's the kind of thing you'd buy for a friend or as a stocking stuffer.
Deletehmm - I REALLY do need an agent!!!
DeleteFabulous! Great analysis of a great film! I agree with Tabs: could be another book!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ruth - I had a few more, but brevity and all...
DeleteAs I read along, I was thinking exactly as Tabs and ruth. Third time's a charm (is that from a movie too?), think this is your niche in the book world?
ReplyDeleteRe: #2, do you think that's why the Victoria Secret models wear those huge wings?
TR - I wondered the same thing about the wings when I saw them!!!! Thanks for the kind words!
DeleteI love it Wendy, great post, nice reminders. A lovely way to start the week.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steph - of course, the WIzard of Oz is lovely - wait till we get to the Godfather and Platoon... ;-)
DeleteLove this post as well. Couldn't agree more with you re the shoes, naturally... and my daughter would definitely agree with you about the distracting power of a pair of fairy wings (but then, she is 5, so can probably get away with it better than us adults). xx
ReplyDeleteHeidi - if she hasn't read it with you yet, buy the book The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsell. The youngest of the 4 sisters wears fairy wings!
DeleteVery sweet Post Wendy! This movie is one of the best for sure!
ReplyDeleteand even better in the high def blu ray dvd!
DeleteGreat post, looking forward to the next one. Why don't they make movies like this anymore?
ReplyDeleteWendy this was brilliant!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dani - good lick with your course this morning!
ReplyDeleteVery clever and spot on. I would like to add A.Don't stand under large falling objects and B.Don't venture too far from God's path for you. So happy you realize you are intelligent, loving, and courageous.
ReplyDeleteOh those are good ones BB! I am sure you will have a lot to add when we get to the South next week!!!!
DeleteWhat a clever and fun exposition! I know whole swaths of that movie by heart (Annie Hall too). And you worked B Crystal as lounge lizard in there, too!
ReplyDeleteHI Lane - I thnk I have seen the Wizard of Oz more than any other movie in my life - I must be up to 30 times or more by now. It never gets old!
DeleteYou gotta love Billy as Mr. Lamas!
I always get teary at the touching bits.
Deletewe have to be careful of spoilers - see Patricia below - but the scarecrow - wah!
DeleteI loved this! I haven't watched The Wizard of Oz in ages and ages, and I certainly never thought of it as being motivational, but everything you said is so true, especially the part of about 'you always have the power'. I have to remind myself of that every day, especially on days when I am feeling low.
ReplyDeleteHI Louise - I think a lot of people find that movie inspirational - I know Oprah has spoken about it in that way before (but she focuses on the last point, not the rest of mine!)
DeleteIt is hard to feel low when you watch the Lollipop Guild!
My favorite movie ever. :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy, don't shun me, but I have never seen The Wizard of Oz! I've seen bits of it and I know who some of the characters are, but never seen the whole thing all the way through. I've obviously been missing out on a lot of life lessons!
ReplyDeleteI feel like I need to fly you down here, set you up in a comfy chair and we will watch it together!
DeleteWendy, I love these clever insights on the life lessons from The Wizard of Oz. It's one of my all time favorite movies too!
ReplyDeleteIt is so great!
DeleteWMM I love this series, it's clever and fun and I'm probably going to have to watch a few movies I haven't seen as a result of it. I'm good with the Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind (I am looking forward to that one!), though.
ReplyDeletewell we will get obscure soon enough!!! But I will try and stay with more common movies!
DeleteOne more lesson from Dorothy: It's cool to have a small wardrobe!
ReplyDeleteShe was the original capsule wardrobe girl!
DeleteI love the Wizard of Oz! I can get into a 20 page analysis of race and gender on the road to Oz, but as a present to the world, I won't. What I will say is that everything looks better in technicolor, unless it's film noir!
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in a Third World country, everything I knew about the US, I learned at the movies (those from the 40s and 50s.) I always thought that everyone in CA wore cowboy boots and chased the frontier ;-) And that women could not be trusted. But then I discovered the feminist movement, thank Heavens for that!
Oh, and one more thing. Going to college here in the US is definitely NOT like they make it out to be in the movies with the partying and dorm ice cream girl nights. *Shakes head* Patriarchal fantasies! *Shakes fist*
DeleteI agree with Tabitha and some of the others. The post is creative, whimsical and funny, just like you. A collection featuring well known movies would make a great little gift, a coffee table book or something special on the nightstand of a guest room. It is great for almost any age. Great idea Wendy!
DeleteAB - I Knew you would get a kick out of this! Thanks Teacups! Something makes me think this has been done before, though not by me, so for now, it will be just for you guys! But who knows!
DeletePOSTER GIRL WMM, with Tabs and the clubhouse. There's a holiday season "25 films to live by" in this, if you feel passionate about it. Eager for GWTW. Meantime I am sticking with Anthro Blogger on the disappointing American college reality. Of course, Oxford Blues with R. Lowe isn't really a valid reflection of uni life across the pond either. Numbers 9 & 10 are so crucial. And it's always good to know you can go home again.
DeleteI can't believe you are trying to convince me that Animal House is not an accurate representation of the American university system. Oh no!
DeleteTalk to my son. The adventures he had his freshman year, the fraternity myth is very real...at least at Auburn. Fortunately he is a very bright boy so the constant hangovers did not seem to affect his grades. They DO take attendance now so that kept him honest and definitely helped.
DeleteLOLBACK actually went to Mount Holyoke (a.k.a. Emily Dickinson College, but much prettier actual campus) and can tell you at least "nobody puts Baby in a corner." Has changed since, but back then MA 5 College Valley was actually 7:1 ratio except on weekends, actually real "meet" market. And agreed with BB on frat life, that takes a strong constitution.
DeleteLOVE THIS! We talk a lot about Wizard Of Oz in our writing class as it has so many lessons to learn - but have never heard any of these - genius. This was the movie they use to show how any plot can be summed up to show menace, modernity etc. Fairy wings and a full tutu frock do wonders for everyone. i am constantly looking for that
ReplyDeleteThat is so neat! What a dress!
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